Two

Author's note: This story was written for Potter Place's Winter, 2007 Challenge. However, contrary to a message that I posted on Potter Place, this story was not written in response to prompt #31, but rather in response to prompt #33. Mistakes like this are what happen when middle-aged women try to do things from memory rather than actually look at the list of prompts.

At any rate, this is the prompt I used to inspire this story:

Typical someone-walks-in-on-someone-else-bathing

situation. But instead of the typical reactions (they are mortally embarrassed or they start to shag like bunnies immediately), Remus, in the true spirit of the '68 sexual revolution, tells Hermione that he is sexually liberated, being naked is only natural and that he doesn't mind her seeing him naked at all. So Hermione takes her robe of as well to call his bluff. What happens then? Does she succeed and

fluster him? Do they shag like bunnies anyway? Do they have an in-depth discussion about the pros and cons about the sexual revolution – with a take on the impact on the Wizarding World? Your call, though romance would be nice.

I don't know who left this prompt, but I hope that person is pleased by my interpretation.

As always, I am grateful to my beta, JuJuJenn. She never lets the prose get too purple or the dragon dung too deep. Thanks, honey.

I would also like to thank Janine and DawnEB for responding to a question I had about British television.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Two

When Hermione walked into the drawing room, Remus was already there. He was wearing jeans and an open-collared shirt. He was holding a small bag.

Hermione was also wearing jeans and a light-weight summer blouse. She wore sandals and carried an over-sized purse. She'd pulled her hair back on the top and sides. The curly mass cascaded down her back.

"Perfect," Remus said as he took in her apparel.

"I've put a couple of towels in here," Hermione said as she indicated her purse. "I'll probably need an extra one to sop up my nervous perspiration."

Remus smiled. "You'll be fine."

"I hope so."

"Where's your wand?" Remus asked.

"It's in my purse. I don't relish leaving it behind. Old habits, you know."

"I know. Mine's in my bag, as well. I would have held yours for you if you didn't have room for it. I wouldn't expect you to leave it behind."

"You said you'd tell me the rules," Hermione said.

"I'll tell you while we walk to the Apparition area," Remus said.

"That's only two minutes away!" Hermione protested.

"The 'rules' will only take half that time," Remus assured her as he took her arm and led her toward the front door.

As they walked toward the empty lot that served as the Apparition point for Order headquarters, Remus spoke.

"Each club or colony has its own specific rules, but there are a number of general guidelines that they all have in common. You don't have a camera in your bag, do you?"

"Of course not," Hermione replied.

"I didn't think you did, but I just wanted to make sure. Contrary to popular belief, very few nudists are exhibitionists. All clubs require that you get permission before you take any photographs."

"Not a problem."

"Next, always sit on a towel and never sit on someone else's towel."

"Got it."

"Most clubs frown on public displays of affection, and of course, any kind of outright sexual activity is forbidden."

"That's no different than any other kind of social event, nude or not," Hermione said.

"That's true," Remus replied.

"Anything else?" Hermione asked.

"The rules about jewellery vary from club to club, as well. The one we're going to tonight doesn't allow it."

"I'll put my earrings in my bag," Hermione said lifting a hand to her ear.

Remus laughed. "Your earrings are fine. When I said jewellery, I was referring to items of a more ... personal ... nature."

"It's a good thing I left my navel ring at home, then," Hermione said with a smile.

"Oh, navel rings are okay," Remus said. "They're referring to jewellery in even more personal areas."

"Ouch."

"My thoughts exactly," Remus said. "I'll never understand why a man would want a Prince Albert. It doesn't even bear thinking about!"

"Ditto for nipple rings," Hermione said, and Remus chuckled.

"That's it," Remus said. "If you have any other questions, you can ask me. People are generally indulgent of newcomers and will make allowances."

They had arrived at the Apparition area.

"I can give you the address, and you can Apparate on your own, or we can use Side-along," Remus said.

"I think I'll just ride along with you, if that's all right," Hermione said. "I don't like Apparating to new places on my own if I don't have to."

"Hang on, then," Remus said as he draped an arm across Hermione's shoulders.

Hermione wrapped her arms around Remus's waist and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes, they were standing in a deserted alley.

"It's just a short walk from here," Remus said as he stepped away from Hermione. "When we get there, I'll check us in at the door. Once we get inside, I'll go to the men's changing room and you'll go to the ladies'. You'll be given a locker key on an elastic strap. Put your things in the locker and keep the key. You can wear the key like a bracelet, or an anklet, if you prefer. Leave your sandals on, and be sure you have your towel. I'll meet you outside the changing room."

"Can I carry my purse?" Hermione asked.

"If you want to, but most ladies don't bother. Unless you'll need it when you go to the loo, though I believe the ladies' room will have anything you might need."

"I'll leave it then," Hermione said. "If I carry it, I might be tempted to hide behind it."

Remus chuckled. "You'll be fine. We don't have to stay if you find it truly unbearable."

"Was that a nudist joke?" Hermione asked.

Remus looked puzzled for a moment, and then he laughed. "A completely unintended pun, I assure you," he said.

"Just don't leave me alone once we get inside," Hermione said.

"I won't," Remus promised.

After a short walk, they arrived at the front of a mid-class hotel.

Remus held the door open, and Hermione stepped into the lobby.

"The club rents one of the small ballrooms for some of its social gatherings. The hotel provides security to keep peepers out."

"Is that a problem?" Hermione asked as they stepped into the lift.

"Not usually. The club doesn't advertise its events. Only members would know about tonight's gathering, for example. The security is more to stop people who might wander in accidentally."

They rode the lift to the fifth floor. When they left the lift, they approached a small podium set up outside the ballroom doors.

"Remus," said the fully-clothed man standing behind the podium, "we ain't seen you here in a while. How the hell are you?"

"I'm good, Clyde," Remus replied. "How are you? And how's Betty?"

"She's doin' real good. The docs say they caught it in plenty of time. She'll be back here, dancing her heart out, afore you know it!"

"That's wonderful news. Please tell her I was asking for her."

"I will, Remus, I will. Now, I see you've finally convinced your girlfriend to join us at one of our soirees, huh?" He pronounced it 'sore-ees,' but he winked as he said it, and Hermione got the impression that he knew exactly how the word was supposed to be pronounced.

"Clyde, this is Hermione Granger," Remus said. "She's my guest tonight. She's a good friend, but not my girlfriend. I don't have a girlfriend, as you very well know, in spite of your repeated attempts to fix me up with every single woman under the age of sixty – and a few over."

Clyde gave a deep laugh. "I just want you to find someone to be as happy with as I've been with my Betty. You always seem so alone."

"Well, I'm not alone tonight. This is Hermione's first time, so you be nice to her," Remus said.

"I'm always nice to the ladies," Clyde protested.

Clyde wrote Remus's name down on the sheet of paper he had on the podium, and then he wrote Hermione's name down next to it, with a large 'G' in parentheses. He reached into a box under the podium, and after shuffling around a bit, he pulled out two keys.

"I gave her a locker in the middle row so she won't have to bend down," Clyde said.

"Very thoughtful," Remus replied.

"Now, young lady, you go through that door, the first one on the right," Clyde said as he pointed to a narrow door halfway down the hall. "There's lockers there for your things. When you're ready, go through the doors that open out into the ballroom. Your young man'll be waiting there for you."

"Thank you ... Mr. ... uh ... "

"You just call me Clyde. We're not much on formalities here."

"Thank you, Clyde," Hermione said as she clutched the key tightly in her hand.

"Remus, here's your key," Clyde said as he handed Remus another one of the keys. "I gave you your usual locker in the corner."

"Thanks, Clyde," Remus replied as he took the key.

"I'll be in later," Clyde said. "Maybe we'll have a drink."

"I look forward to it," Remus said. Then he took Hermione's arm and led her down the corridor.

When they were standing outside the door to the ladies' changing room, Remus noticed that Hermione was trembling slightly.

"Are you having second thoughts?" he asked.

"Second thoughts, third thoughts, fourth thoughts ..." Hermione let her voice trail off.

"Do you want to leave?"

"No. I'm just a bit nervous," she replied.

"Take your time, Hermione. It'll only take me a couple of minutes. I'll wait for you outside the door," he said.

"Hey, Remus," said a woman as she approached them. Hermione judged that she was in her early sixties. She had dark blond hair streaked with a bit of grey. She was nearly as tall as Remus, but a lot leaner. She stepped closer to Remus and leaned in, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hello, Anna," Remus replied. He kissed her cheek in turn. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks." Then she turned to Hermione.

"Hi, I'm Anna Mills. I'm an old friend of Remus's." She put her hand out, and Hermione shook it.

"Hermione Granger."

"Is this your first time here?"

"Can you tell?" Hermione asked with a small, nervous smile.

"You go on, Remus; I'll take care of Hermione," Anna said as she pushed open the door to the changing room.

Remus nodded and then turned and walked a bit further down the corridor to the other door.

Hermione followed Anna into the changing room.

Anna immediately went to a locker and opened it. Hermione looked at the number on her key and found her own locker, which was just two over from where Anna was standing.

Anna glanced around and then spoke. "So, Hermione, how do you know Remus?"

Hermione's thoughts skittered around as she tried to come up with an answer.

"We work in the same building," she said at last.

Anna leaned closer. "Are you a witch, then?"

Hermione's jaw must have dropped because Anna started to chuckle.

"I've known Remus for years. I know he's a wizard."

"I didn't think anyone in the Muggle world knew that," Hermione said.

"I'm the one who introduced Remus to nudism," Anna said.

"You're the herbalist he told me about," Hermione said. "You helped him after his ..." her voice trailed off, and she covered her mouth with her hand.

That was stupid, Hermione! You very nearly ruined his life here in the Muggle world!

"Don't look so panic-stricken," Anna said in a soft tone. "I know Remus's other secret, as well."

"I can't believe that I almost ..."

"I caught you off-guard," Anna said.

"It was still stupid. I'd never hurt Remus."

"I won't tell him," the older woman said with a smile. "So, you're a witch?"

"Yes," Hermione said, grateful to have the conversation turned away from her faux pas.

"I have to say I'm surprised. Remus always said that his people were too prudish to appreciate this lifestyle."

"I'm a Muggle-born," Hermione said quietly.

Anna just arched a brow at her.

"I guess Remus doesn't talk too much about our ... our world," Hermione said.

"No, not really, though I've been fascinated by what he has told me," Anna replied. "I know that I'm a Muggle, but what does Muggle-born mean?"

"My parents are both Muggles. There's no magic in my family at all. At least not that we know of."

"How does that happen?"

"No one's really sure," Hermione answered.

Before they could say anything else, the door to the changing room opened, and another woman stepped through.

"Hey, Anna," said the newcomer.

"Hi, Jeanne," Anna replied. "This is Hermione. It's her first time."

"Hello, Hermione," Jeanne said.

"Pleased to meet you," Hermione replied.

"You'd better get cracking," Anna said turning back to Hermione. "Remus will think I've kidnapped you."

Hermione turned back to her locker and quickly stripped off her clothes. She shoved them haphazardly into the locker. She took out one of the towels she'd brought and made sure her wand was laying along the bottom of her purse, and then she shoved the purse into the locker, as well. She closed the locker and slipped the strap with the key over her wrist. She took a deep breath and turned back towards Anna.

"I guess I'm as ready as I'm going to get," she said with a glance downward at her nakedness.

"See you later," Anna said with a wave toward Jeanne.

Jeanne waved back, and then Anna headed toward the door on the other side of the room, the door that led into the ballroom.

Hermione followed Anna out of the door.

Hermione was glad to see Remus standing just outside the door waiting for her. He had his own towel thrown over his arm and had changed from his trainers into a well-worn and comfortable looking pair of Birkenstocks.

"Here you go, Remus," Anna said.

"Thanks, Anna," Remus said, but his eyes never left Hermione's face.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked.

"So far, so good," Hermione replied.

"The buffet will open in about thirty minutes," Remus said. "Are you hungry?"

"My stomach is in knots," Hermione admitted. "I'll probably throw up all over you if I eat."

Remus chuckled. "Let's go get a drink. Maybe that'll settle your nerves."

"Okay," Hermione said.

Remus held out his hand.

Hermione hesitated. "What about the rule against public displays of affection?" Hermione asked. "I wouldn't want to be expelled my first visit."

Remus smiled. "Hand holding is allowed. So is dancing. Public displays of affection refer to open-mouthed kissing and kissing or touching below the neck," Remus explained.

"No naked snogging. Got it," Hermione replied as she took the hand that Remus still held out.

As they walked toward the bar, Remus exchanged greetings with a number of people, but he didn't stop to introduce her to anyone. Hermione kept her eyes level, not allowing her glance to drift downward at any time. She did note, however, that people tended to be grouped together in small circles. She could hear the soft murmur of voices and an occasional burst of laughter. Pretty much what one would expect at any social gathering. The only difference was that these people were naked.

When they got to the bar, Remus found two stools together at the far end. He draped his towel over the seat of one of them, and Hermione spread her towel out over the other one. Remus waited until she was seated before he sat down.

The bartender, who was wearing an apron tied around his waist, approached them.

"You want your usual, Remus?" the bartender asked.

Before he answered, Remus turned to Hermione.

"What would you like, Hermione?"

"Do you have white zinfandel?" Hermione asked the bartender.

"Sure thing," the man replied.

"Make it two, Johnny," Remus said.

"You got it," Johnny replied and turned to get their drinks.

"Remus," Hermione whispered.

"Yes, Hermione?" Remus replied.

"How do we pay for our drinks? I left my purse in the changing room, and I don't see any pockets on you, either," she said as her eyes swept up and down his body quickly.

Remus chuckled again. "You are such a delight," he said when he'd stopped laughing.

"It's a legitimate question," Hermione replied a bit tersely.

"I'm sorry I laughed," Remus said. "You're right; it's a legitimate question. All members run a tab. When Johnny brings the drinks, I'll sign a chit. I can either pay the tab when I leave, or I'll be billed along with my monthly dues."

"But how will I pay for my drink?"

"Guests can't buy drinks. Yours will go on my tab."

"I'll pay you back when we leave. I've money in my purse," Hermione said.

"You're my guest. I don't expect you to pay for your drinks. I'm not destitute, you know," he said a bit more sharply than he'd intended.

Hermione realised that she had bruised his pride. She placed a placating hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry, Remus," she said softly.

Remus patted her hand. "No, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm still a bit sensitive about financial matters, though I'm in much better straits these days."

"Then I'll enjoy my wine and be quite happy to let you pay for it," Hermione said. "As of five o'clock this afternoon, I'm unemployed."

"You said it was a long story," Remus said. "Care to share it?"

Johnny brought their wine, and Remus signed the chit. They sipped their wine, and Hermione told him about her run-in with Matilda Hopkirk. They talked in low voices, their heads close together, to avoid being overheard.

"Did she actually come right out and call you a ... a ... Mudblood?" Remus asked.

"No, but she certainly implied it," Hermione said.

"You could file a complaint, but unfortunately, it would be her word against yours," he said.

"I know."

"What are you going to do?" Remus asked.

"I received a number of job offers after the end of the war," Hermione said. "I took the Ministry job because I felt I had an obligation to help restore a sense of normalcy after everything that happened. It was only as I was walking away this afternoon that I realised how much I hate what I've been doing."

"I thought you liked Charms work," Remus said.

"I do, but creating Portkeys isn't what I want to do. It's difficult and time-consuming, but hardly innovative. I want to do research and create new charms. I'll probably take a week or so off, since I've been working so many hours of late, but after I've caught up on my sleep, I'll contact some of the people who made those other job offers. I'm sure I'll be able to secure another position without too much difficulty."

"I could talk to Moody. You're a powerful witch; the Aurors' Office would be lucky to get you."

Hermione shook her head. "I appreciate it, but I'm not interested in becoming an Auror; and I don't fancy working for the Ministry any longer, either. I'm quite disillusioned, to say the least. It seems that all the things we fought against are still quite rampant there. They took advantage of me for months. I'll bet Hopkirk and Midgen laughed at me every time they walked past my office. Besides, if I took a job in the Aurors' Office, everyone would say I only got the job because of Harry."

"It's a damn shame," Remus said. "But it's their loss."

"I think so, too," Hermione said.

They'd finished their wine and ordered a second glass while they'd been talking.

"They've opened the buffet," Remus said as he signed for their drinks. "Let's go find a table and put our drinks down. Then we can get in line. I'm starving!"

"I'm hungry now, too," Hermione said as she stood up. She picked up her towel and folded it over her arm as she noticed others did.

They found a table toward the back of the room and put their drinks down. They arranged their towels on the chairs and then moved toward the buffet line.

Again, Remus exchanged greetings with a number of people.

"We could have sat with your friends if you wanted to," Hermione said when joined the end of the buffet line.

"Oh, I can visit with them any time," Remus said. "I'm quite content to spend the evening with you."

"I'm enjoying your company, as well," Hermione said. She glanced up at him and smiled in a way that had Remus's heart thudding suddenly. He had to concentrate deeply to prevent himself from reacting to that artlessly seductive smile.

They moved through the buffet line, filling their plates, and then they headed back to their table.

They didn't talk much as they ate and sipped their wine.

"You were right," Hermione said after she'd emptied her plate. "The food is delicious."

"Do you want more?" Remus asked.

"I've had enough, but don't let me stop you," she said with a smile.

"You won't," Remus said as he stood up. "I'll be right back."

When Remus returned, his plate was piled high again. He sat back down and began to eat enthusiastically.

When he'd finished his second plate, he pushed it away with a satisfied sigh.

"Now all I need is tea and something chocolate," he said.

"That sounds lovely," Hermione agreed.

"I'll go get us something from the pudding table," he said.

"I'll go with you," Hermione said as she stood up.

"You're really all right with this, aren't you?" Remus asked.

"I think I've surprised even myself," Hermione replied.

When they got to the pudding table, which was off to one side of the buffet, they put a few small pastries on a plate, and then they went to the beverage table to get their tea.

"Milk only, right?" Remus asked as he held the milk jug over one of the cups.

"Yes, how did you know?" Hermione asked.

"I've seen you have tea often enough at Grimmauld Place to remember that you drink your tea the same way I do," Remus replied.

Hermione carried the plate with the pastries, and Remus carried the two tea cups as they walked back to their table. They chatted as they nibbled on their pastries and drank their tea.

"That was wonderful," Hermione said as she wiped her mouth with her napkin and tossed it down beside her empty plate.

"I'm glad you liked it," Remus replied.

"Remus ..."

"Hermione ..."

They'd both spoken at the same time.

"Go on," Remus said.

"No, it's okay, you go," Hermione insisted.

"Well, I was about to ask you something that's really not any of my business," he said.

"You want to know about Ron, right?" Hermione guessed.

"How'd you know?"

"Sooner or later, everyone asks me about Ron," she said with a small smile.

"It just seemed to happen so suddenly," he said. "For months you'd been practically inseparable, and then it was over."

"We simply realised that we weren't really suited, at least not in a romantic way. As a friend, I could tolerate his obsession with Quidditch, his atrocious table manners, and his slovenliness. I could even overlook his constant flirting with other women. As his girlfriend, those behaviours just pissed me off. And I was tired of being the second or third most important thing in his life."

"Did you tell him that?" Remus asked.

"I told him that I thought we should just be friends. I guess it's a measure of just how little I meant to him that he didn't raise a single objection. As a matter of fact, I think he was relieved."

"I'm sorry," Remus said in a quiet tone.

"My feelings were a bit hurt," Hermione said. "He could have at least made a token protest at being thrown over."

Then she started to laugh, and Remus joined in.

"As long as we're delving into personal areas, what happened between you and Tonks?" Hermione asked a moment later.

"She thought she was in love with me. Turns out, she was in love with the idea of being in love."

"And were you in love with her?" Hermione asked.

"Maybe I was in love with the idea of being in love, as well. I was lonely, and I liked having someone to be with. We were too different to manage any type of lasting relationship, however. Towards the end, she thought I was too stuffy for her," Remus said.

"What? Too stuffy? You're a nudist," she said with a smile.

"Nymphadora never knew that. No one in our world knows about this," he said with a wave that took in the entire room.

"What made you decide to reveal yourself to me?" Hermione asked.

"You walked in on me in the bathtub, remember? That was rather more of a revelation than I'd planned on," Remus said, and then he laughed softly.

"Allow me to rephrase my question," Hermione said when she stopped giggling.

"I know what you meant," he said. "If you had reacted the way every other witch I've ever met would have reacted, I would have grabbed a towel, covered myself, and apologised profusely for my unseemly behaviour."

"As you said, I walked in on you. There was nothing unseemly about your behaviour," she protested.

"I should have locked the bathroom door," Remus said simply.

"Why didn't you?" Hermione asked.

"I was too eager to sink into that tub," Remus admitted. "You didn't lock the door when you came into the bathroom, either."

Hermione thought back to her actions when she'd entered the bathroom.

"You're right, I didn't. I suppose I was eager to sink into that tub, as well."

"At any rate, when you didn't yell and scream and cover your eyes dramatically with your hands, I hoped I'd found a kindred spirit."

"You took a quite a chance considering how long you've kept this a secret," Hermione said.

"I trusted that even if you didn't turn out to be that kindred spirit, you'd keep my secret," he said.

"I will, I promise," she said and reached out to put her hand over his.

"I know," he said. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Thank you."

Hermione flushed. "I haven't done anything," she said. She made no effort to withdraw her hand from his.

"You've accepted me as I am. That's a very important thing to me."

"I've always accepted you, Remus," she said.

"Back when I was teaching, you knew about me a long time before it became general knowledge. You never told anyone, not even Harry or Ron. Thank you."

"I ... I accused you of awful things that night in the Shrieking Shack. I've never apologised for that."

"You thought I was protecting a murderer. You didn't know the whole story. You, Harry, and Ron never said anything afterwards. I'm grateful for that."

"Our silence didn't make a lot of difference, did it? Not after Severus spoke out," Hermione said. "He knew the whole story by then. He was a member of the Order, just as you were. I never understood why he did that."

"He was following orders."

"Whose orders? Voldemort's?" Hermione asked.

"No, Dumbledore's. Even back then, some of Voldemort's followers were questioning his loyalties. It was common knowledge that Severus and I had issues that went all the way back to when we were students. During the year we worked together, we managed to put all that behind us, but we kept up the pretence of animosity."

"To fool Voldemort?"

"Yes, but just that animosity between us wasn't enough. We needed to do something that would reassure Voldemort that Severus was still his faithful servant. When we discovered that Peter Pettigrew was still alive, Severus, Dumbledore, and I worked out a plan to make Severus look good. Part of that plan was his 'betrayal' of my lycanthropy."

"That was just the first step, though, wasn't it?" Hermione said.

"Yes."

"Was Dumbledore's death part of the plan, even back then?"

"Gods, no," Remus said. "We never thought it would come to that. It was only after Albus was injured destroying the first Horcrux that he decided to use his own death as a means to an end."

While they'd been talking, the event organisers had been clearing away the buffet and pudding tables and setting up a small sound system.

Clyde walked over to where Remus and Hermione sat.

"We're going to start the dancing in a few minutes, Remus. Are you and your lady done eating? We need to get this table off the dance floor."

"We're done," Remus said as he stood up. "We were just chatting."

"We're sorry to have held you up," Hermione added as she got to her feet as well.

"Not a problem. You staying for the dancing, Remus?" Clyde asked.

Remus turned to Hermione. "What do you say, Hermione? Want to take a turn 'round the dance floor?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip, and then she shook her head. "I don't think I'm ready for dancing, yet. Maybe next time."

"I think we'll be going, Clyde," Remus said. "Though, I still owe you a drink. I'll catch you at the next meeting."

"Betty'll be back next time," Clyde said. "You can buy us both a drink."

"It'll be my pleasure," Remus said.

He and Hermione picked up their towels and headed toward the doors that led to the changing rooms.

"I'll be right out," Hermione said.

"No need to hurry. I'll wait for you," Remus said.

Ten minutes later, the two of them met up in the corridor outside the changing rooms.

They took the lift down to the lobby and then walked outside. The heat of the day hadn't abated much.

"It's still hot, isn't it? I was hoping it would cool off a bit once the sun went down." Hermione said as she took the arm that Remus offered.

"The humidity makes it stifling," Remus agreed.

After a brief walk, they were back in the deserted alley they had Apparated into earlier.

"Can you get back to Grimmauld Place on your own, or do you want me to take you back?" Remus asked.

"I think I'm just going to go back to my flat for the night," Hermione said. "I've actually got air conditioning. Grimmauld Place will be awful, and I'll never get to sleep in this heat. I'll get up early and head back to help Ginny and Molly with Harry's party."

"How did you manage to find a flat with air conditioning?" Remus asked.

"The building used to house some sort of high-tech computer software company. They went belly-up when the bottom fell out of the market. A developer bought the building and converted it into flats. My dad did some work on the man's teeth and discovered that one of the units was available."

"That was lucky," Remus said.

"I know. It doesn't get this hot very often, but it's nice to have air conditioning when it does."

"Well, I hope I remember my cooling charms, or I won't be getting much sleep," Remus said.

Hermione looked at the man standing next to her and made a sudden decision.

"Do you trust me?" Hermione asked.

"Of course," Remus replied.

"Then I've a better idea than you suffocating in your room," Hermione said as she reached out and wrapped her arms around Remus's waist. "Hold on."

---

Author's note number one: After I wrote this story, I learned that air conditioning is not as ubiquitous in Great Britain as it is in the United States. As will become evident in the next chapter, I needed air conditioning to make this story work. At the end of the story, I will provide what I hope is a reasonable way to reconcile this paradox. I ask for your indulgence until then.

Author's note number two: The moderators of The Petulant Poetess have graciously granted me Validated Author status. I am grateful and humbled by their faith in me. In an effort not to 'blow it', I would like to ask my readers to let me know if they find any spelling, grammar, punctuation, or Canon errors that slip by me or my beta. I hope there won't be any, but if there are, and I am notified, I will correct them as quickly as possible. Thanks so much!