It Happened One Night

CHAPTER 11:Celebrate?







Summer turned to fall and fall was quickly turning into winter. Every month, on the morning following the full moon, Remus would awaken to find Hermione there preparing him a feast and caring for him as he recovered.







Several times a month they would spend the night together, their passion never seeming to subside, in fact it seemed as though it were becoming more intense with every encounter. The saw one another socially since they shared the same circle of friends but they kept their unique relationship to themselves, with only Harry and Ginny knowing anything was different about the friendship between the two of them.







Once in a while they would sneak off to London for a movie, dinner or just to enjoy some muggle entertainment and shopping. Remus, being a half-blood enjoyed the jaunts into the muggle world and he teased her that it was the only way they could date without everyone knowing.





The day ahead of them was not going to be pleasant unfortunately; they weren’t going to spend one of those afternoons where they snuggled in bed or on the couch beneath a blanket reading and making love. Nor were they heading off to London for a movie and fast food.





No, they were sitting in a crowded stadium in the freezing cold. Snow was blowing madly all around them as they huddled inside a private box with the Potter’s and the Weasleys while Ron and his team played in the semi-finals for a chance at the Quidditch World Cup.







Hermione was trying to get along with Ron, they were friends long before they were anything else and she was tired of the uncomfortable tension every time they saw one another. She supported him in his career and wanted him to do well. Lately however he had been showing a rather disturbing renewal of interest in her. Before Remus she probably would have been thrilled to have him focused back on her, but no longer. Her feelings for Ron were those of her youth, she would love and cherish him and their time together always, but she was no longer in love with him.







Even though they had arrived separately, Ginny and Harry had made certain to shove Remus and Hermione together, so there they were shoved against one another with Ginny pressed into Hermione on one side and George pressing into Remus on the other as they watched the match.





Ginny and Harry were observing them in amusement as they fell into a comfortable routine that clearly would have given away their closer relationship had any of the others actually been paying attention to them. When their food arrived, Hermione reached over and brushed the onions from his hot dog because she knew he didn’t like them and Remus picked all of the peppers from the nachos they were sharing for the same reason.





No one else noticed them sharing their drink, or saw Hermione reach up and wipe mustard from the corner of his mouth. The others were too focused on the match to see Remus tightening Hermione’s scarf or the soft, tender smiles exchanged between the two of them. But the Potter’s noticed and couldn’t help but smile at one another.







They held hands beneath the wool blankets they were all huddling beneath and reveled in their secret. It wasn’t shame or embarrassment that kept them from revealing their relationship; it was greed, pure and simple. They just didn’t want to share what they had with anyone else. They were content in their private little world and wanted no intrusions.







As the match came to a close the seeker on Ron’s team caught the snitch and secured their place in the match for the World Cup in the New Year. Ron did a flyby the box where his friends and family sat and he winked at Hermione. She smiled tightly and squeezed Remus’s fingers tightly beneath the blanket.





Remus had noticed Ron’s increased flirting with Hermione. He had no right to be upset about it, they had made no commitment to one another, but it bothered him and unless he was mistaken, it was bothering her too.





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“Why are they always off in the corner talking instead of hanging out with everyone else?” Ron asked, watching Hermione and Remus chatting in the corner. They had all come back to Harry and Ginny’s house for a celebration following the match. Ron had hoped to press his agenda to win back Hermione, but she paid little or no attention to him at all.







“They have a lot in common, both of them are basically recluses and neither of them seems to care about much other than reading.” George said. “They are probably discussing some boring book or another.”





“Yeah, but its not helping me any that she’s always with him.” He said, doing yet another shot of fire whiskey.





“She’s not going to take you back, Ron. You are wasting your time. That ship has sailed little brother.” George slapped him on the back hard, causing him to choke slightly on the peanuts he was eating.



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“I think he intends to win you back, love. He’s staring holes through us even now and I can smell his agitation.” Remus said to Hermione as they stood in the corner sipping red wine.





“It’s not going to happen. I don’t have those feelings for him any longer.” She said softly, refusing to turn around and look at Ron.





“You know that if you want…..” Hermione stopped him.





“I know, but he isn’t what I want. Not any more.” She smiled up at him. “I’m happy with what I have now, really happy Remus.”





“So am I, love. But I think things are about to get complicated because here he comes.” Remus stood up straight and smiled pleasantly at Ron as he approached.





“Could I talk to Hermione for a moment?” Ron asked, not even bothering to say hello. Remus looked over at her and at her slight nod of consent he excused himself, making his way to the bar and exchanging his wine for whiskey.





“What can I do for you, Ron?” Hermione asked, taking rather large sips of the wine in her hand.





“Stop ignoring me for one.” Ron said. “Forgive me for being stupid for another.”





“I haven’t been ignoring you and I don’t need to forgive you, Ron. I got over it a long while ago.” Hermione said, amazed at her confidence. Six months previously she would have probably thrown her arms around him and fallen for his sweet talk just as she always had. Being with Remus had changed her, made her more confident, stronger.





“You don’t miss me at all?” He asked. “Have I been replaced so easily?”





“Look, I care about you, I always will. You and I have been friends for more than half our lives. You were my first love, my first lover and that is always going to be special, but I am just not in love with you anymore.” She said as gently as she could.





Ron felt the blow more than he thought he would. He had assumed that she would always be in love with him and that when he had sowed his oats or whatever you wanted to call it, Mione would be there waiting for him. Finding out that things weren’t quite as neat and perfect as he thought hurt.







“I see. Are you in love with someone else?” He asked, not really wanting to know the answer but somehow needing to. “Are you seeing someone?”





Hermione thought about denying it for a moment, but she decided against it.





“I am seeing someone. Am I in love with him? I don’t know.” She answered honestly. It was a good question, one she had found herself pondering more and more the longer she and Remus were seeing each other.





“So is he the reason for the changes in you lately?” Ron asked, feeling somewhat hopeless when he saw the happiness shining in her eyes when she thought of this mystery man.





“Yes.” She answered with a smile.







“Will we get to meet him, or do we already know him?” Ron wondered if he would be able to actually stand face to face with the man who put that look on her face. Why couldn’t he have made her that happy?





“I don’t know, maybe someday.” She said.







“You know I’m not going to give up on you don’t you? For all my idiocy, I do love you.” He said.







“Ron, please don’t. What we had is in the past; please don’t make this any harder than it has to be.” She looked at him sadly, though some part of her enjoyed his obvious discomfort. He had hurt her immeasurably and she felt somewhat vindicated by his remorse. However she knew Ron too well to believe that it was anything more than him wanting what he can’t have.







“See you later, Mione.” He said, kissing her cheek and walking away. Hermione stood there with her head bent low and shook her head.







“How did it go?” Remus asked, replacing her empty wineglass with another one filled to the top.







“You were right; he tried to convince me to take him back.” She said. “He asked me if I was seeing someone.”





“What did you tell him?” Remus asked, sipping the whiskey in his hand.





“I told him the truth, that I was involved with someone who made me happy but that I wasn’t ready for anyone to meet him.” She took a long drink of the wine and half thought she should slow down as she began to feel slightly buzzed.





“How did he react?”







“He asked me if I was in love.” She answered, staring at the stars printed on Remus’s silk tie. He sucked in a quick breath and held it for a moment.





“And what did you say?” He asked softly.





“I told him the truth, that I don’t know.” Remus’s eyes drifted out of focus for a moment as he stared down at her. She didn’t know if she loved him. That meant that there was a very real chance that she did.







“I have an idea. Why don’t you and I get out of here and go on a little overnight?” Remus said. He was pretty well pissed at that point and so was Hermione. Between the celebrating and Ron they had lost track of their drinks.





“You want to leave right now?” She asked in surprise as Remus reached for their coats hanging on hooks behind her.





“I do.” They didn’t say goodbye, Remus didn’t give them a chance. He hurried her into her coat and put his arms around her and disapparated them from the house.









“Now where in the hell did they go?” Harry asked in confusion as he watched them pop out of sight. Something in his gut told him this wasn’t going to be good.







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Clare – I like to wait until I have written at least 5-10 chaps before posting so everyone has a good idea of the plot. Plus I always run my stories by Sygnus first. :)





Ox King – Remus’s wolf is going to begin stirring more very soon……