Fire and Water

Thank you all for reviews. Sooo excited I\'m getting some feedback now. I\'m posting a couple of chappies now then maybe one tonight. I realised how far there is to go and thought I\'d get moving a bit quicker. (Did I mention this is about 53 chappies long?) No? That\'s cause I wanted to suck you in first.



Fifteen Stitches - I started to read that story you recommended and it is fab. I love the way they portrayed Tonks (he he)





Chapter Nineteen



Remus ended up staying in the infirmary for nearly a week before Madame Pomfrey would discharge him. Krystal had been convinced to go back to classes on the third day, but ate her meals and slept in the hospital wing, or not slept as was the case on Remus’ last night in the ward. They giggled as they spent the night making out, beginning to get hot and heavy until the nurse came in and threatened to send Krystal away again.



‘Right, Mr Lupin,’ Madame Pomfrey said as she handed him his clothes on the sixth evening. ‘Take it easy for a day or so longer, no dangerous activities, no potion class in case you get dizzy from the fumes, no duelling, and no…...vigorous physical activity.’ As the nurse finished her lecture, she blushed a little, but Remus grinned.



‘No sports. Got it!’ he said innocently, making the woman look at him sternly.

‘You know exactly what physical activity I’m referring to, Mr Lupin,’ she frowned, as she waved him out of bed and began to strip his sheets off, shaking her head as he laughed.



There was a cheer in the common room from the Seventh years as Remus entered. He blushed a little, feeling bad for asking his friends to lie about his condition. They’d told everyone he’d been beaten up by the Whomping Willow trying to complete a dare.

He couldn’t see Krystal as he looked around. Lily hugged him and James clapped him on the shoulder. His friends had visited him once, bringing sweets and Butterbeer, but were banned after they became a little too rowdy for the strait-laced Madame Pomfrey.



Sirius and Krystal clamoured through the portrait hole, Sirius grinning when he saw him; Krystal beamed and hugged him.

‘Hey, babe,’ he said cheerfully, pinching her on the behind. She let out a breath of laughter and pulled away a little to stare at him suspiciously.



‘Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?’ she said, and he laughed, kissing her hard, raising calls of ‘Get a room!’ from James, who was curled up with Lily on the couch. Remus grinned.

‘What a good idea,’ he said, trying to pull Krystal towards the stairs, but she resisted him.

‘No. I’ve planned something else,’ she said with a smile, and pulled him out the portrait hole.



She slapped his wandering hands as they walked along the corridors. Finally he grabbed her around the waist from behind and stopped her.

‘Are we trying to find another cupboard? Cause I saw several back there,’ he said, kissing her neck.

She laughed and pulled out of his grasp, saying, ‘It’s just up here. Sirius showed me.’



He didn’t miss the shadow that passed over her face as she spoke their friend’s name, and wondered about it. But before he could ask, she’d stopped facing the blank wall. ‘Krys?’ he said, when suddenly a door appeared.

‘Room of Requirement?’ he guessed, remembering Sirius telling him about his exploits in the secret room. She nodded and smiled as she opened the door and led him by the hand into the room.



‘Krys, this is incredible,’ he said, his mouth gaping as he looked around. A huge bed in the middle of the room, surrounded by candles. He could see a large bubble bath, perfumed steam rising in spirals with fluffy towels stacked next to it. He could hear music in the background and more candles floating in the air in glass bubbles. He looked at her and smiled. She grinned back and said,’ You like it?’



Remus moved quickly to her and kissed her, slowly deepening it until he felt his knees begin to go weak. He pulled away and lifted his hands, smoothing them over her hair, stopping at the back of her neck.

‘I love it.’ She smiled and kissed him again, this time their mouths were more demanding, needier. It had been over a month since they were last together, and their craving for each other wasn’t going to wait much longer.



‘Why are we standing here when there’s a perfectly good bed just there?’ she said, as his mouth moved to her neck. He laughed and, bending at the knees, picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

‘Remus!’ she laughed, smacking him on the ass. ‘You’re not supposed to be participating in any vigorous activities, remember?’ He laughed and threw her, giggling, onto the bed.



’She gave you that lecture too?’ he said, as he threw himself down next to her.

He looked at her and saw her frown. ‘I’m fine, Krys. You know how overcautious she always is. Anyway, she said no vigorous activities,’ he reminded her with a leer. ‘I can just lay here…’

‘Oh, is that a hint that you expect me to do all the work tonight?’ she said, with a cheeky look, pushing him onto his back and quickly straddling him.

‘Doctor’s orders, I’m afraid,’ he replied, as she bent down to kiss him with a laugh.



She felt him harden under her as their kiss became hungrier. Remus sat up slightly so she could pull his shirt off, and yanked hers’ over her head before he fell back onto the pillows. Krystal sat up on him and reached around to unclip her bra, hearing him groan as she threw it onto the floor. He sat up, kissing her breast, circling her nipple with his tongue before sucking it hard into his mouth, making her draw a sharp breath and clutch his head tighter to her. Remus felt her push hard against his groin as he moved his head to her other breast.



‘Shit, I wanted this to be slower,’ she said, as his hands crept down to her ass, rubbing up against her.

‘We can slow down if you want,’ he said, falling back onto the bed as she fumbled with his jeans, pulling them swiftly down his legs, along with his underwear.

‘I’ll take that as a no,’ he mumbled as she rained kissed over his stomach. He sat up and reached down, undoing her pants and watched her slide them off. She came to sit next to him on the bed, kneeling beside him as she stroked him. Remus groaned and thrust up into her hand.



She smiled and bent over, running her tongue over the tip of him. He groaned and suddenly her mouth was surrounding him, the warm, wet sensation making him close his eyes and give himself over to her. He felt her take him deeper and couldn’t stop himself thrusting up. He opened his eyes and saw her ass sticking up in the air next to him. Reaching over, he slid his hand over her butt and in between her legs, finding her heat and sliding his fingers into her. She moaned, and the vibrations made him arch up into her mouth.



With a sudden urge to taste her, he pulled his fingers out of her and sucked them, but it wasn’t enough.

‘Krys, come here,’ he said roughly, pulling her leg over his chest, then pulling her hips back so he could lick her. She swore around his shaft, then moaned as he teased her with his tongue. She ground herself back onto his mouth, then began to copy his movements with her own tongue. Remus groaned into her, and felt her begin to tense. He did it again, and she began to convulse, pressing herself harder on him. Her soft moaning on his shaft sent him into spasms, thrusting himself up into her mouth as he exploded.



She rolled off him and lay panting next to him

‘That was new,’ she gasped, hearing him chuckle. He sat up and crawled on top of her, holding himself up with shaking arms as he kissed her.

‘God, that was amazing. Why haven’t we tried that before?’ he asked, collapsing on her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, and kissed his neck.

‘I missed you,’ she murmured into his skin.

He turned his head towards her and kissed her close to her ear, saying, ‘I missed you, too.’



Rolling them so she lay over his chest, he ran his hands down her back, feeling a little alarmed when he realised just how much weight she‘d lost during their time apart.

‘Krys, you’re so skinny,’ he said, shifting so he could look down at her. ‘You haven’t been eating properly. We need some food in here so I can fatten you up again. Look, your ass is disappearing.’

She giggled then raised her eyebrows. ‘Looks like you got your wish,’ she said, pointing to a table next to the bed where a plate of chicken, potatoes and chocolate cake had just appeared.

Remus grinned. ‘Hmm, I’m sure we can do something with this cake….’ he said mischievously.



They tried out the bath a little while later, washing chocolate icing off themselves but soon the smell of the oil on her skin made Remus crazy, dragging Krystal back to the bed, where he thoroughly enjoyed ignoring Madame Pomfrey’s advice about not taking part in any vigorous activities. As they lay together under the sheets, bodies curled into each other, he remembered the strange look that had crossed her face earlier when she mentioned Sirius.



‘Are you and Sirius still arguing?’ he asked, rolling over so he could look at her. She frowned.

‘No. Why?’ she asked, a little surprised. He shook his head.

‘I don’t know. You just looked a little funny before when you said he showed you this room,’ he replied, watching her closely. Her face seemed to freeze for a moment, before she shrugged.

‘Krys, I’m not the only bad liar in the room,’ he said, frowning himself now. ‘What’s happened?’

He saw her jaw clench and she said in a low voice, ‘Nothing. Nothing’s happened, Remus. Everything’s fine.’



Remus sat up, looking down at her. ‘I think you’d better tell me,’ he said, his voice a little dangerous. She made a frustrated noise in her throat and sat up as well.

‘Please, Remus. Just leave it.’ He stared at her, refusing to let it go. Krystal sighed.

‘You have to promise me you’ll won’t say anything to him, Remus. I mean it,’ she said forcefully when he opened his mouth to argue with her.

He agreed and she frowned again, a worried look crossing her face.



‘He….he likes me,’ she said, biting her lip. Remus looked confused for a moment.

‘He really likes me, Remus,’ she continued and saw comprehension hit.

‘You’re kidding?’ he said, looking a little outraged. ‘He hit on you?’

She shook her head quickly. ‘No, no. Nothing like that, but… he did kiss me when we were at that party a couple of years ago, and then….I kissed him when you told me you didn‘t want to be with me last year,’ she reminded him.



He looked angry, but Krystal hastily continued. ‘It was all ages ago, before we were together and none of it was planned, or went any further.’

‘You kissed him?’ Remus said, a frown on his face as he tried to work out how he was supposed to feel about this. ‘Why him?’

Krystal looked at him. ‘Because he was there. Because he’s a really nice guy who was trying to make me feel better. Because I knew if you found out it would hurt you as much as you’d hurt me.’

She sighed. ‘I’m not proud of what I did - I used him to make me feel better. But he stopped it, both times; so if you want to be angry at someone - here I am,’ she said.



‘And he likes you? It’s more than friendship?‘ he asked.

She nodded. ‘He told me last year, which is why I felt a little funny about him showing me this room. This was his idea, you know. That we get some time alone somewhere special.’ She looked at Remus and could see his initial anger fading.

‘He’s never hit on me; or asked me to reciprocate or anything. He was just admitting to it; letting me know. He seemed really….sad.’



Remus’ anger was gone but he was still a little stunned. He and Sirius had spent a lot of time together discussing Krystal and his feelings for her, but his friend had never said anything. He recalled his slight surprise at how close Sirius and Krystal had become over the last couple of years, but he was happy they were friends, and had thought Sirius’ incessant flirting was just his usual mucking around. Krystal flirted back, and he’d never given their behaviour a second thought.

‘I think he’s blowing it out of proportion,’ said Krystal, getting his attention. ‘I think he’s a little jealous. You and James are both in relationships and I think he’s realised that he’s sick of playing around with different girls.’



Remus thought about what she was saying, and all of a sudden, the signs were obvious. The strange looks Sirius sometimes gave them when he and Krys were together; the odd lilt to his voice sometimes; how Remus had caught him looking at her occasionally; and…..

‘He hit me,’ Remus said. Krystal looked startled.

‘When all that stuff happened last year. He’d told me not to hurt you, and when I did, he punched me.’ He shook his head.

‘I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me then that he liked you as well. I always thought he was just being his usual flirty self when he was around you.’



A thought hit him and he looked over at her, asking, ‘If you kissed him, does that mean you’re attracted to him?’ he asked, feeling as though he might just return the favour and hit Sirius when she frowned.

‘Honestly?’ she asked, looking at him. Remus felt a cold chill run over his skin as he nodded.

’I’ll admit to feeling a little tingle when we kissed, so physically; yes. I do find him attractive. And I think he’s a really great guy - most of the time. But there’s something missing….he’s not you.’ She smiled at him and he felt a little relief.

‘So, no chance you’ll be dumping me for him?’ He asked the question casually, but he was a little anxious.

‘Never,’ she said firmly, kissing him. ‘Now, a threesome, we’ll talk about,’ she added, laughing at the look on his face. ‘I’m just kidding, babe.’



He laughed and kissed her, pushing her back onto the bed. She let him kiss her for a moment, then, using her wandless magic, flipped him onto his back and climbed on top of him.

‘Threesome, huh?’ he mumbled as she licked her way down his chest. ‘I wonder if Lily would be interested in that? Ouch!’

Krystal looked up at him after biting his stomach. ‘You couldn’t handle two women, Remus Lupin,’ she said, with a glare.

‘I don’t know,’ he returned with a grin. ‘I quite enjoyed the mental image you gave me of you and Lily making out when you were younger. I love to see that n……’



His voice trailed off as her lips found him, sucking him back deep into her mouth. He felt the tip of him hit the back of her throat and he nearly lost it right then. Her hand crept down between his legs and he felt her cupping his balls; fondling him. Dropping his head back, he thrust up hard into her mouth, groaning when she scraped her teeth lightly on him, then laved him with her tongue. She had taken him deeper than she ever had before, and for the first time, he completely disappeared into her mouth. It felt tighter and he knew he must be in her throat. A few more thrusts into that warm, wet softness bought him to the very end of his control, and when she added a little extra suction, he exploded, saying, ‘Fuck!’ loudly as his release shook him like it never had before.



A minute later, still gasping for air with his heart racing, Krystal straddled him, leaning over so her face was above his.

She raised her eyebrows and said with a self satisfied smile, ‘I think you’ve got your hands full with the one woman you’ve got, buddy.’



There were few chances for a night like the one in the Room of Requirement for Remus and Krystal as the countdown to exams began in earnest. They spent long hours studying and, when the day of the first exam dawned, they finally felt ready. For a week, they stretched their minds to remember everything they’d been taught in the last seven years; and when it was finally over, didn’t feel like celebrating; instead collapsed in a heap on Remus’ bed and slept.



Waking up the next morning, after a very private celebration, Remus and Krystal joined their friends in the common room. Classes were now over for the Seventh Years, and they had arranged a party for that night. Professor McGonagall had reluctantly been convinced to donate her classroom for an informal dance/disco, as long as they tidied up before the younger students had class the next day. The Marauders snuck off to Hogsmeade, returning with bagfuls of sweets and drinks, including a few bottles of Firewhiskey Sirius slipped into his bag.



After dinner that night, the girls ran to their rooms to get ready; the boys taking their time, struggling into some clean dressy clothes after a quick shower. They waited in the common room for their dates, Peter scarpering off to meet his Hufflepuff date downstairs. The younger students watched interestedly as the girls emerged. Alice and Mary came down from their room first, to wolf whistles from the watching crowd. They blushed and moved quickly over to their dates, Frank and Sirius.

Lily and Krystal took a little longer, Remus and James rocking on their heels impatiently, until Alice laughed and said, ‘Don’t worry, boys. It’ll be worth the wait. I wish I could wear clothes that tight.’

Remus and James stared at her for a moment, then both of them grinned, imagining their girlfriends in skin tight clothing.



Remus had turned to talk to Sirius when he saw his friends’ face change, and heard James whisper, ‘Holy shit!’

The common room had gone silent for a moment, then cat calls and wolf whistles rang out from all around. He spun around quickly, and his mouth fell open. Lily looked lovely, he was sure, but he only had eyes for Krystal.



She was wearing tight black pants; really tight black pants. A shiny silver coloured top, held up by tiny straps, and dipping in the front to give him a peek of cleavage. Large hoops were in her ears, and she had glitter through her hair, which hung loose around her face and down past her shoulders. Her lips shone with gloss and her eyes looked huge. Her boots gave her a little extra height which Remus noticed when she walked over to him and kissed him.



‘You’d think this lot had never seen a girl before,’ she laughed, then looked at him gaping at her and tipped her head to the side.

‘Why do you always looked so surprised to see me looking good?’ she grumbled. He put his arms around her and pulled her tight against him, so she could feel the instant hard on she’d given him.

‘I’m not speechless because I’m surprised, I’m speechless because I have no blood left in my upper body,’ he said, slightly distracted by the fact his hands had fallen on bare skin.



He turned her to see her shirt was almost backless, making it obvious she wore nothing under it. He was pleased to see that she’d put some weight back on; the curves that made him pant were back.

‘God!’ he swore, looking back at her face. ‘Do we have to go? Can’t we just stay here?’ Krystal laughed and grabbed his hands.

‘Plenty of time for that,’ she said, dragging him to the portrait hole. She turned to climb through it and he groaned as his eyes fell on her butt - the pants leaving no doubt that it was indeed perfect.

‘Jesus,’ Sirius said softly, and Remus guessed he’d seen it too.



The room looked fantastic, like a disco instead of a classroom, thanks to some effort from the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff girls. Music was playing loudly - one of the Ravenclaw girls cast a Silencing Spell around the room to stop the noise travelling, and students were already dancing. Live fairies darted around the room like shooting stars and food and drinks were stacked around the edges of the room.

‘Lets dance,’ said Krystal straight away, pulling Remus onto the makeshift dance floor.



They danced for nearly an hour, Remus finally begging her to give him a break. She poked her tongue out at him, and dragged James, who’d just sat down exhausted with Lily, back up to dance with her. Lily laughed at her boyfriends’ face as Remus took James’ seat.

‘Where does she get the energy?’ he asked her, watching as she danced around James, who had forgotten his own tiredness in the face of her contagious enthusiasm and, Remus thought privately, seeing James’ eyes flicker down, the sight of her wriggling ass.

‘Forget energy, how can she dance in those shoes?’ Lily said, admiring the boots. Remus smiled, and looked over at Lily. ‘You look really pretty, Lily,’ he said, getting his first good look at her.



She was wearing tight white pants and a green top made of a similar sparkling material as Krystal’s. She also had glitter in her hair and looked lovely.

‘Thanks, Remus,’ she said with a grin.

They talked quietly for a while until James, red faced and puffing, joined them, flopping into the seat on the other side of Remus, taking the drink out of his friend’s hand and guzzling it.



‘Where does she get the energy?’ he asked, when he’d got his breath back. Remus laughed and looked around.

‘Where is she?’ he asked James, who waved his hand vaguely.

‘She grabbed Sirius to dance with her. They’re out there somewhere,’ he said, getting slowly to his feet. ‘I’m starved. Come on, Lil. Feed me.’

Lily shook her head, but got to her feet and followed him.



Remus stood and looked around the dancing students. He couldn’t see them anywhere at first, and then a gap appeared in the throng, and he saw them talking in a far corner of the classroom. He made his way over; half way there when he saw Krystal take Sirius’ face in her hands and kiss him on the lips.



Stopping in his tracks, he felt a rush of shock. Had he just seen what he thought he’d seen? As he watched, they parted and Krystal said something, to which Sirius nodded. They embraced, holding each other for longer than Remus considered necessary, then he saw Sirius laugh. They moved away from each other, and Krystal pulled him out onto the dance floor.



Remus moved back to his seat, frowning. Despite everything they’d kept from him, he did trust his girlfriend and his friend, but that hadn’t looked good. Knowing how Sirius felt about Krys, and how she was attracted to him - it made him nervous. Seeing them move through the crowd towards him, he tried to smile. Krystal threw herself onto his lap and kissed him.

‘Feeling better now, piker?’ she asked, grinning and fanning herself with her hand. Sirius sat next to him and stretched.

‘Good party,’ he commented, looking around. ‘Time to break out the Firewhiskey soon, Remus. Gonna play truth or dare?’



Remus looked at him, and suddenly had to know. ‘Alright, we’ll start now. Truth - why are you kissing my girlfriend in dark corners?’

Sirius looked a little stunned then his eyes flicked to Krystal, who turned on Remus’ lap to look at him.

‘Remus, it wasn’t anything…’ But Sirius interrupted her.



‘No, Krys. I…I’m sorry, Remus. We were talking and I….’ He stopped, running his hand through his hair. ‘Krys, could you leave us alone for a minute?’ he asked, looking at her with pleading eyes.

Krystal opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again. She looked at him, then at Remus.

She kissed Remus on the cheek, whispering, ‘Be gentle with him, please,’ before she stood and moved to talk to Lily.



Sirius was picking at his fingernails when Remus said, ‘Do you love her?’, startling him. He looked up surprised, then comprehension spread across his face.

‘She told you?’ he said, looking back down at the ground.

‘She didn’t want to - I guessed and she couldn’t lie to me,’ Remus said, softening a little when he saw his friends’ face. ‘Do you?’



Sirius shook his head. ‘I don’t know,’ he said softly. ‘Maybe. I think so.’ He looked up at Remus.

‘I’m sorry. I would never interfere in your relationship, Moony. We were just talking then, and I told her I wished I’d been a bit less of a prat back in Third Year to her. I tried to kiss her in the Post Office, you know, and she told me to bugger off.’

He laughed a little.

‘She did kiss me just now, but it was nothing, Remus. A goodbye kiss. I told her I was planning on keeping my distance for a while after we leave. I think it’s best. I need to find someone to make me as happy as she makes you.’



Remus understood. Krystal was naturally affectionate, and she and Sirius had always been playfully flirty with each other. It didn’t take a stretch of his imagination to see Krystal kissing Sirius goodbye like that.



‘She told me you’d both miss me, then she kissed me,’ Sirius continued. ‘She told me to make certain I didn’t spend too long away, and I promised her I’d be back for your engagement party, which I’m assuming won’t be too far away.’

He looked at Remus, who wasn’t particularly angry anymore, but wanted to hear Sirius version of events. ‘And when you kissed her at the party? And by the lake?’ he asked, looking at his friend.



Sirius looked pained, and sighed. ‘I know I should never have allowed myself to be tempted but I was,’ he said.

’You weren’t together, but that’s no excuse. I knew you liked her. The kiss at the party - it wasn’t anything more than an impulsive peck on the lips before I realised what I’d done. She told me she didn’t feel anything for me and that was that. Then, at the lake - she was so angry with you, so upset. She kissed me, but I didn’t stop her; I kissed her back.’



He shook his head. ‘I felt like such a shit, Moony. She was vulnerable and for a few minutes, I took advantage of it, but I stopped before it went any further.’

Sirius turned to face him, his eyes regretful. ‘I swear, it happened twice, before you two got together, and each time it was only a kiss. I would never have let it be anything else. You’re my mate. You’re both my mates. I wouldn’t have gone there.’



Remus nodded. ‘Yeah, I know. I suppose I’m just a bit insecure after all that’s happened, and you and Krys are close…..’ he shrugged. They looked at each other for a moment then, as one, leaned over and hugged quickly.

‘You don‘t have to stay away from us, do you?’ asked Remus, looking down at his feet.



Sirius looked over to where Krystal stood and sighed wearily. ’If it was just a physical thing, it wouldn’t worry me. I could ignore it. But it’s not, and I think I just need some space for a while to get my head together. She’s pretty special, Remus,’ he said, and Remus nodded.

’I guess I can’t blame you. She is fantastic,’ Remus said, also looking over at his girlfriend. ’I’m damn lucky. Don’t stay away too long, Pads.’ He looked at his friend with a concerned expression.

‘Yeah, well, I haven’t gone yet. Let’s break out that Firewhiskey,’ Sirius said cheerfully, standing up.

Remus laughed and stood too, moving over to where Krystal was talking to Frank Longbottom.



He put his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. Frank grinned and moved away to get another drink. Krystal turned her head to kiss him on the temple.

‘Alright?’ she asked, smiling when he nodded.

‘Come and dance with me again,’ he said, kissing her neck as he heard a slower song begin.



Many Seventh Years joined them, enjoying being able to spend time with each other without being under a teacher’s watchful eye. Some snuck off into corners, making the most of the time, but Remus wrapped his arms around Krystal and they danced closely together until the rubbing of their bodies became too much to stand, and they crept off to a nearby cupboard, interrupting Sirius and Mary, who had already laid claim to it.

‘Whoops! Sorry, Pads,’ Krystal grinned, giggling as she and Remus shut the door.

‘There’s an image I’ll never get rid of,’ she muttered as they found an empty cupboard.



Remus had some difficulty getting her pants off, eventually settling for getting one leg peeled down before he pushed her up against the door, lifting her as he slid inside her body. They moved together urgently, Remus whispering the most erotic suggestions into her ear about what he’d do to her when they moved in together, until Krystal gasped, raking her nails over his back and Remus groaned loudly, thrusting hard into her as they both convulsed uncontrollably.



Their last day at Hogwarts was spent in pain for those who had partaken in Sirius’ Firewhiskey; the potions master, Professor Slughorn, stubbornly refusing to give out any cures. Krystal and Remus spent the day with their friends, especially Sirius, who they didn’t expect to see much of for a while.



As they walked around the castle grounds by themselves a bit later, they found the spot they practiced their defence in, and lay on the grass, watching the clouds go by, occasionally pointing out the shapes they could see in them - just as they used to. When the sun set, they had their last dinner at the castle, and settled into the common room.



Krystal had a camera and Lily insisted that she take photos of the graduating Gryffindors. She set it up, shushing them as they called her to quickly get in the photo. Moving fast, she raced over to Lily, who pulled her down and hugged her as the camera went off. They took several more photos, before saying goodnight and disappearing into their rooms for their last night at Hogwarts.



Saying goodbye to their friends was a sad occasion the next evening as the Hogwarts Express pulled up to the station. Some Krystal knew she’d be seeing again soon; some she knew she might never see again. She hugged Sirius especially hard, with him whispering in her ear to watch out for Remus for him. Remus also hugged him, telling him to come and visit as soon as he was able. Krystal’s parents were there to pick her up with Remus’ parents. They were taking the two of them out for dinner to celebrate their graduation.



It was a lovely dinner. Their parent’s got along well, and spent the night competing to see who could embarrass their child the most. Remus’ mother won, with a story about a toilet training, 2 year old Remus, who thought that toilets in showrooms weren’t just for show. Remus put his head on the table, groaning at the retelling, poking Krystal in the ribs as she laughed so much her eyes watered.



During dessert, talk turned to their plans now that school had finished.

‘I thought I’d just hang around the house for the next couple of years,’ teased Krystal, grinning at her father. ‘You don’t mind putting off retirement for a few more years, do you dad?’

Mr O’Connor shook his head despairingly and Remus put them out of their misery.

‘I got a response from the publishers. They’ve offered me that proof reading job,’ he said, looking over at his father.



He knew his dad had been worried he wouldn’t be able to get any work. He’d applied to several book publishers for editing or proof reading jobs and one had contacted him a couple of days ago.

‘It’s perfect - I can work from home, and it doesn’t matter that I’ll need to take days off, as long as I catch up.’



Krystal smiled proudly at him, as his parents congratulated him. Krystal then shared her own news with their parents.

‘Albus isn’t happy with the way Defence is getting taught and today he asked me to help him rewrite the DADA curriculum for Hogwarts, and then, when the DADA teacher retires after next year, he asked me if I’d join the staff and teach.’

Remus smiled, knowing how happy she was to put her love of defence to good use. Despite the time it took up, she’d enjoyed showing the young students how to use spells and was looking forward to trying to include a lot more practical defence in the school.



It was obvious to both of their parents that the two were very happy, and they congratulated the both of them. Krystal’s dad cleared his throat.

‘Well, I’d like to give you your graduation present now, if that’s alright,’ he said, glancing over at Remus’ parents, who smiled.

‘I’m always up for presents, dad,’ she said, bouncing a little in her seat. Remus put his hand on her knee, and she stopped, as always calming down with his touch. Her father reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box and handed it to Krystal.

‘This is for the both of you, actually,’ he said, looking at Remus.



Krystal and Remus were startled, and Krystal looked at Remus. ‘You open it,’ she said, handing the box to him.

He looked at Mr O’Connor who smiled and said, ‘Go ahead. It’s your present too.’ Remus opened the box, and he and Krystal peered into it, frowning when they saw the gift.

‘Um,’ said Krystal, with a puzzled look. She reached into the box and held up the contents. ‘It’s a key, dad.’

Her mother laughed, and the other’s smiled.

‘Yes, it is, Krys. I see all those years of education have paid off,’ she joked, smiling as her daughter glared at her.

‘It’s the key to Campbell Cottage, Krys,’ her father said. ‘Your grandmother’s old house. We’re giving it to you and Remus. The deed’s in there - in both your names.’



Remus stared at him, open mouthed. ‘Thank you, but I can’t accept that, sir,’ he began, but Mr O’Connor held up his hand.

‘Krystal’s grandmother always wanted her to have that house, so she will. You are a part of her life and, unless I’m very much mistaken, I‘m guessing that permission for a proposal won‘t be too far away?’

He looked at the young couple, who looked at each other and smiled.



Remus had owled Mr O’Connor asking for his permission to marry his daughter ‘as soon as she says I’m allowed to propose.’ Krystal’s dad made a secret visit to the castle and spoke to Remus for a long time in Dumbledore’s’ office, finally giving his blessing when Remus spoke so passionately about how much he loved Krystal and intended to look after her.



‘Yeah,’ said Remus, lifting Krystal‘s hand and kissing it. ‘I wanted to marry her today, but she‘s been the practical one - for a change. She still wouldn’t let me propose. She’s been a bit bossy, actually.’

Krystal smacked him lightly on the chest, but smiled. ’I wanted us to get settled somewhere first. Jobs, house, then get married. I know it’s usually me that’s a little impulsive…,’

She glared at her mother, who’d let out a snort of laughter. ’Alright, a lot impulsive. But this is too important to mess up. I want to make sure we get it right.’



She looked at all four parents. ’I know you’re all worried about what might happen in the future for us, but we can’t do anything about the way other people might see us. We can only do what’s right for us, and say to hell with them.’



Krystal‘s father looked at them both. ‘I‘ve never seen you being so sensible, Krys. Remus must be a good influence.’ He smiled as his daughter shook her head and rolled her eyes.

‘You people have such little faith in me sometimes,’ she grumbled, with a small smile.



Her father continued. ‘I know I wasn’t very supportive of your relationship at first; you’re both still so young, and you’re going to be facing challenges that I wish you didn’t have to face, but I have seen how much you…how much you love each other…’ His voice got a bit hoarse, and Krystal reached over to take his hand. He smiled at her, then looked at Remus.

’We want to show you that we support your relationship, and to tell you that…well, we couldn’t have asked for a better man to look after our girl.’



Remus was speechless, and he felt Krystal squeeze his hand before she stood. ‘Thank you, dad,’ she said, and hugged him hard. Remus also got to his feet and held out his hand.

‘Thank you, sir,’ he said, as Krystal’s father stood. ‘I don’t know what I did to deserve her, but I swear, I’ll look after her.’

Mr O’Connor shook his hand, then embraced him. ‘Welcome to the family, Remus,’ he said as they parted. Remus grinned, and Krystal let out a little squeal and hugged him tight. The other’s laughed, and Krystal’s mother got up to hug them both.



‘Alright, our turn now,’ said Mr Lupin, who turned to his teary eyed wife. She handed him an envelope.

‘Now, it’s not a house,’ he warned, with a smile. ‘But it will help you to buy stuff to fill that house, and leave a little for any rough times.’

Remus’ smile faded a little. He knew that, unlike Krystal’s family, his parents weren’t particularly well off.

‘Stop frowning, Remus,’ said his mother, smiling with understanding at her son. ‘It’s fine, really.’



He took the envelope off his father and handed it to Krystal. She shot him a look, silently asking if everything was alright. He nodded, and she opened the envelope, her breath escaping in a sharp blast when she saw the figure on the cheque. She handed it to Remus with a stunned look on her face, which was reflected on his as he saw the amount.



‘We can’t take that,’ Krystal said, shaking her head. She knew that Remus’ family weren’t poor like Sev’s, but that they watched their money carefully. ‘It’s too much.’

But Mr Lupin shook his head.

‘That’s Remus’ money. We’ve been putting it aside since he was born and it’s grown quite a bit. It’s your’s now. Both of yours.’

Remus swallowed hard and walked around the table to hug his parent’s. ‘Thank you,’ he said.

Krystal had followed him and she too embraced his family, thanking them.

‘I’m glad we can help you both out,’ said Mr Lupin. ‘You’re good for him, Krystal. He needed someone like you. I’m glad you found each other.’



Remus and Krystal looked at each other, a little shell shocked by their parents generosity and support.

‘You’ve got no excuses now,’ said Remus, grinning at Krystal, referring to her insistence they get a house and jobs before talking marriage again. ‘When are you going to let me ask again?’

‘Let’s just see if I can live with you, first,’ she teased, putting her arms around his shoulders. ‘You’re so messy, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stand it.’

He laughed, happier than he could ever remember being.