Fire and Water

I split this chapter in half cause it was too long and you kind of need to start concentrating now.



Chapter Twenty



It took nearly a month before the cottage was habitable, Remus and Krystal growing frustrated at the enforced separation each night. The three room cottage had been sitting unoccupied since Krystal’s grandmother died eight years earlier, and dust and grime had settled. Krystal, her mother and Remus’ mother used a Cleaning spell to lift the worst of the dirt, but it still needed some old fashioned Muggle cleaning also. Krystal’s father and Remus worked on the outside, spelling off most of the grime and repainting the whole house, while Remus’ father took a day off work to help clean down the small veranda.



Krystal and Remus painted the inside blue and yellow, then Krystal dragged Mrs Lupin and her mother shopping for everything they would need to fill her new home. Remus’ mother looked uncomfortable when her son met them to help choose a bed. Mrs O’Connor noticed and took her off to look at curtains, and she later admitted to Krystal, ‘I guess I still think of him as my little boy. It’s hard to accept he’s not anymore.’



Krystal’s father, too, was having some trouble letting go, only glancing quickly at the finished bedroom with a pink face.

‘You’re still his baby, Krys,’ said her mother, when she’d asked about it. ‘He thought he’d have a bit more time to get used to that fact you’re not his little girl anymore. He likes Remus and he’ll support you both, but you are still so young, honey, and he’s having some trouble accepting Remus’….illness. He can‘t bring himself to read the books about it; he‘s worried for you both.’



She understood, and shooed Remus back to his parent’s house one evening, she and her dad spending time together fixing the bathroom plumbing. She explained a little about lycanthropy, and her father expressed his concerns for her for the first time, many of which were the same fears that Mr Lupin had for them.

‘Dad, Remus and I have talked about all of these things - he refused to allow me to even consider dating him for a while. He used the same arguments you did,’ she told him.

‘I’m not going to tell you that I’m not disappointed about some things we have to give up, but I’m willing to accept it because I love him. He makes me so happy, dad. The werewolf is a such a tiny part of him. I just wish everyone would take the time to see how wonderful he is, then it wouldn’t matter in the slightest that he changes for a few hours each month.’



After that night, Remus noticed a lighter side to the man he was still ever so slightly afraid of; surprised but pleased when Mr O’Connor took he and his father out for a drink in a local pub a couple of days after his monthly transformation. They’d never talked about his affliction before, but they did that night. The older man was shocked to learn about what he went through when he changed, but Remus assured him he would be nowhere near Krystal when they occurred.

‘I would never put her in any danger,‘ he told the man. ‘I’ll be miles away from her, in a secure area.’

Mr Lupin quietly asked Remus to make himself scarce for a while, and the two fathers talked. At the end of the evening, Mr O’Connor was obviously still not comfortable with Remus’ dark side, but it wasn’t such a mystery for him anymore.



The night before they moved in, James and Lily came over to see the house, the four of them toasting the now sparkling house with mead. They sat on the bare wooden floor, laughing and catching up. James was beginning Auror training soon and Lily was applying for jobs in the Ministry still, not having found one that she was happy with yet. Sirius had moved out of the Potter’s, buying his own place and was dating.

‘You should see her, Krys,‘ said Lily, shaking her head in disgust as Krystal showed her the bedroom. ‘A big boobed, bleached blonde tart with a brain that a troll would be happy to have. How is he ever going to get over you with someone like that?’



Krystal looked a little startled and Lily smiled. ‘We knew. James and I. He needed someone to talk to, and he couldn’t go to you or Remus, could he?’

Krystal sat heavily on the bed, her face miserable. ‘Did he really care that much?’ she asked, looking up at Lily, who sat down next to her.

‘Yes,’ she said, gently. ‘But he knows it would never have worked with you two. You’re both too stubborn, too quick tempered. You would have been no good for each other.’



‘I really didn’t know he felt that strongly, Lily,’ she said sadly. ‘He joked about it, and I thought it was just a bit of a crush. I would have kept my distance sooner if I knew.’

Lily nodded. ‘I know,’ she said. ‘And so does he - that‘s why he never told you. He values your friendship, Krys, and he didn’t want to mess that up. He just needs a bit of space now, and a bit of perspective. Feelings can seem a lot more intense than they really are sometimes. He knew we were coming tonight, and he sends his love to you both.’

James and Remus joined them and the conversation ended as James threw himself on the new bed, asking if they’d given it a test run yet, earning him a whack across the head from Lily.



Talk turned serious soon though, when James mentioned the hostilities that were beginning to increase. A dark wizard was gathering supporters for his quest to rid the wizarding world of half bloods, half breeds and Muggle borns. Remus was particularly upset about this; life was hard enough as it was for him, without this kind of prejudice becoming more powerful.



‘Dumbledore’s formed a secret society, The Order of the Phoenix, to fight him - Lord Voldemort,’ James said, looking at Remus.

‘Can we join?’ he asked, sitting up straighter. Krystal frowned; Albus hadn’t told her about this.

James nodded, adding, ’After Christmas, he said. ‘I talked to him and he wants us to wait just a little while. We’re only just of age,’ he said.

Remus looked a little disappointed. ’We‘re eighteen,’ he said, looking at Krystal. ‘We should be able to join now.’

He frowned but said to James, ‘Tell me when you‘re ready. We’ll come and join too, won’t we, Krys?’

She nodded, still wondering why Albus hadn’t told her about this society. He had to know she’d want to join.



There was no time to think about secret societies the next day, as the last of their furniture arrived, and they moved into the cottage.

‘That’s the last of Remus’ stuff,’ said Mr Lupin, putting the box down and collapsing on the new couch. His wife, packing away groceries in the kitchen, laughed at him.

‘It could have been worse, love,’ she said, looking over at Krystal. ‘We could be Krys’ parents; they’re still bringing stuff over.’



Krystal smiled. ‘I can’t seem to bring myself to leave much behind,’ she admitted, taking Mr Lupin a Butterbeer and sitting down next to him.

‘God, what is that?’ she exclaimed, holding up a very old stuffed toy that had been in Remus’ box.

His father laughed. ‘Well, I don’t think any of us are sure anymore what that is,’ he said, smiling as he watched Krystal holding it gingerly between two fingers. ‘Remus had a favourite bunny when he was little, but I’m not even sure that’s it.’

Krystal raised an eyebrow, and grimaced. ‘Well, I suppose if he wants to keep it….’ she said, lowering it back into the box, and rubbing her hands along her jeans.

She stood and took the box into the bedroom as her parents and Remus walked in with the last of her stuff.



‘I think Remus might be only just realising what he’s gotten into,’ Krystal’s father laughed. ‘He got a good look at Krystal’s wardrobe today - he’s going to have to get a second job to pay for her upkeep.’

‘Hilarious, dad,’ said Krystal, sarcastically, coming back into the room and smiling at Remus.

‘I don’t know where we’re going to put all these clothes, Krys,’ he said with a smile at his girlfriend.

‘Krystal hasn’t met a pair of shoes she didn’t have to have,’ explained her mother to Mrs Lupin, who nodded understandingly. ‘She’s got this thing about her feet…’

‘I feel the same about handbags,’ she confessed, hearing her husband snort in agreement.



With much persuasion from Remus, Krystal culled some of her clothes and shoes.

‘I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought that,’ she said scathingly as she threw a striped shirt on the reject pile.

Remus grinned and held up a very scant g string. ‘Now, how come I haven’t seen this before?’ he asked, laughing as she snatched it out of his hands.

‘Lily bought it for me as a joke,’ she explained, blushing a little as she threw it onto the reject pile.

She saw Remus reach over and pick the underwear up.

‘You only had to ask, Remus,’ she said, turning to look at him. ‘If you like to wear women’s knickers…..’



Her words were lost as he laughed and kissed her. It had been two weeks since they’d had some time alone, and their kiss quickly deepened, Remus pushing her over onto the pile of clothes on the floor. Krystal moaned when she felt his tongue run over her lip, and lifted herself up against him, feeling the answering pressure as he pushed his hips into hers.

‘Wear it for me tonight?’ he asked, moving his mouth across her jaw, as his hands tucked the underpants into the pocket of her shorts.

‘Uh huh,’ she mumbled, not really knowing what she was agreeing to, but deciding that, as long as he kept licking at her skin, she didn’t care.



A minute later they heard a knock on the partially closed door, and hastily sat up, straightening their clothes as Krystal’s mother poked her head into the room.

‘Oops!’ she said, when she saw their red faces. ‘How are we going with those clothes, Krys? Your dad and I are going to get dinner, and I’ll drop them at the charity bins.’

‘Nearly done,’ she said, ignoring her mother’s grin as she quickly sorting the remaining clothes, giving four overflowing boxes to her parents to drop off.



They had dinner with all four parents at her grandmother’s old pine table, which Remus had scrubbed back and revarnished for her. Finally, Remus’ father stood up, and with a hug for each of them, told his wife it was time to go. Mrs Lupin became a little teary saying goodbye to her son, Remus whispering reassuring words to her as he hugged her. Krystal’s parents also stood to leave, her mother soothing her husband as his eyes watered.

‘Must be the paint fumes,’ he said, hugging Krystal so tight she couldn’t breath. They apparated back to their houses, leaving Krystal and Remus alone for the first time in their home.



They looked at each other for a moment, then grinned.

‘We should unpack some of this stuff,’ said Krystal, as her hands moved down his chest. ‘Mmm,’ he said, his own hands quickly pulling the elastic band out of her hair, letting it fall down to her shoulders.

‘There’s still a lot to do,’ she said, clutching the hem of his shirt and pulling it up over his head.

He nodded and made a small noise of agreement as his hands worked on her buttons, quickly undoing them and sliding her shirt off her shoulders. He gently moved her backwards, walking towards the bedroom as her hands fell to his jeans.



‘We need to talk about that ratty toy you want to keep, too,’ she said, a little shakily as he unclasped her bra, throwing it onto the floor as they walked through the doorway of their bedroom. Her fingers had undone his jeans, and she yanked them down.

‘I’m not throwing it out,’ he replied, brushing his hands over her breasts and then quickly undid her denim shorts, sliding his hands over her ass, pushing them off.

‘Ok,’ she said, hearing his gasp as he realised she’d put on the g string.

‘Do you have any idea how bloody uncomfortable these things are?’ she asked, as he pulled away from her to look at the tiny scrap of fabric.

When he looked back at her face, his eyes were dark.

‘Can I rip it off you?’ he asked, his eyes now glittering.



She smiled, an wicked grin, then turned, bending over and leaning on the bed so her ass was pointing towards him. She slapped a cheek and wriggled her butt.

‘Have your way with me,’ she offered with a mischievous wink, gasping when he grabbed her arm and pulled her around against his body, and kissed her hard, running his hands over her breasts. His head sank down and he lifted her a little as he sucked a nipple into his mouth, biting gently. She heard his moan, and she made a little noise in her throat when his tongue circled her nipple. As he lavished attention on her breasts, his fingers found what they were searching for, slipping between them into her underwear to flick her clit, grinning when her hips thrust forward.



’God, Remus,’ she moaned as she felt her knees going weak. Her hands found his rock hard erection and stroked quickly, bringing him close to the end of his control. As she put a finger in her mouth and sucked his fluid off, he growled and spun her around, bending her back over as she’d done before. She laughed and moved her legs apart eagerly to allow him access. He groaned as he rubbed his hands over her ass before he grasped the fabric of the g string and tugged hard. She heard it tear, and it fell to the ground as she felt him push the tip of his stiff penis into her. He stopped, and she pushed back impatiently, hearing his laugh. He grasped her hips, pulled out then thrust back into her hard, making her cry out.



Moving together, Remus controlled the pace, refusing to speed up when she tried to move faster. His fingers moved around to stroke her, and she heard him groan, his movements became urgent, more erratic.

‘Remus,’ she moaned, so close. ‘Harder. Please?’

She heard his muffled curse as he pulled her back towards him, slamming hard into her. Echoing his curse, she was on the edge when she felt him slap her ass sharply and say, ‘Come for me, Krys’.

The sting of his slap and his words sent her crashing over the peak, screaming out her pleasure. A couple more thrusts, and Remus was at the end, pushing himself deeper as he leant over her, biting her shoulder gently as he shuddered.



Falling forwards onto the bed, Remus rolled off her. They lay on the edge of the bed for a few minutes, until they were breathing normally again.

‘We still didn’t christen the bed,’ he commented, hearing her muffled laughter. He sat up and reached for his wand. He flicked it at the door and it slammed shut. He then pointed it at Krystal and cast a Cleansing spell.

‘And the others,’ she murmured, not particularly comfortable where she lay but too exhausted to move.

Remus mumbled the contraceptive spells and threw his wand back on the bedside table.



He grabbed Krystal and dragged her up the bed until they were laying back against the pillows. Pulling the sheets over them, he saw Krystal was very nearly asleep. He grinned and lay down, hearing her soft sigh when he wrapped his arms around her. He stroked his hand down her back, unable to believe they were alone, in their own home, in their own bed. He smiled again before sleep claimed him.



Months past, and Krystal and Remus fell into an easy routine with each other. They loved living together, being alone together. Remus asked Krystal regularly if he could propose to her yet, but she laughed and told him to have some patience.

’I want to make sure we are ready, Remus,’ she said, despite his objections that he was sure. ’I know I want to spend my life with you, too,’ she told him. ’But what’s the hurry? See if you can stand my shoe addiction for a little while longer.’



Just before Christmas, an owl arrived with the first manuscript for Remus to begin proof reading, and he enthusiastically began. Krystal had been working with the defence teacher at Hogwarts in September and he was happy about the changes she wanted to make to lessons for the next year.



Christmas was spent at their house with their parents, who were happy to hear their lives were going so well. James and Lily turned up in the afternoon after they left, with Peter and, to Remus and Krystal’s delight, a beaming Sirius. Remus greeted his friends with a hug; he and Sirius teasing each other over their now quite long hair.



Krystal smiled at Peter, and gave Sirius a quick hug, feeling a little self conscious about how she interacted with him. She saw him watching her later, a knowing look on his face. They had leftovers for dinner, James and Lily telling them all that they were joining the Order the next week.

‘Sirius and Peter are joining too,’ said James, sipping his drink. ‘Are you guys coming?’ Remus nodded, and Krystal smiled, a little distractedly.



She had asked Albus about the Order and he had been vague, distant with her. She was confused by his refusal to discuss the society with her, and a little angry. As the conversation continued, she felt a feeling of frustration come over her, and she excused herself, slipping out the back door unnoticed. Or so she thought.



‘Hey,’ Sirius voice was behind her and she spun around, startled.

‘God, you frightened me, Pads,’ she breathed, hand over her thumping heart. She’d been lost in her thoughts and hadn’t heard him approach.

‘Sorry,’ he grinned. They looked at each other for a few seconds.

‘It never used to be this awkward between us,’ he murmured, watching her fidget in discomfort. ‘I’m sorry about that.’

She shook her head, and moved over to the stairs. She sat, and he copied her.

‘How have you been, Sirius?’ she asked, her voice low.

‘Good,’ he said lightly. ‘I got my own place, I’ve started Auror training with James, I’m seeing someone. Life is good.’



Krystal looked at him closely. ‘That’s what you told Remus,’ she said flatly. ‘And it sounded like a load of crap then too. Now, tell me the truth.’ He turned and looked at her in surprise, then let out a soft laugh.

‘It’s alright, Krys,’ he said softly. ‘I’m still working on it.’ He reached over and took her hand. ‘I don’t want things to be awkward between us, though. Please don’t treat me differently now.’

Her face must have shown her uncertainty and he squeezed her hand tightly. ‘This is my problem and I’ll work it out. It’s not your fault you’re irresistible.’ She laughed and so did he, feeling some of the tension between them disappear.



They talked for a while longer, before the cold began to seep into their bones, and they stood to go back inside.

‘Krys,’ he said, stopping her before she opened the door. His hand was on her arm, and she turned. ‘I need to know. If you’d never met Remus, would there have been a chance?’

She looked at him, seeing the uncertainty in his eyes and nodded. ‘Yes,’ she said softly. ‘There would have been a chance.’

He smiled at her, and leaned forward to kiss her lightly on the cheek. ‘Thanks. I just needed to know.’



She suddenly grabbed his face, and leaned into him, kissing him on the lips gently. He closed his eyes and let her kiss him, and when she pulled away, she smiled.

‘I had my first kiss with you, you know,’ she said softly. ‘You’ll always be special to me, Siri.’

‘I‘ll settle for that,’ he said, knowing she was trying to give him some closure. He smiled and they embraced.



It felt like goodbye and Krystal suddenly felt as though this was the last time they would be together like this. Her eyes filled with tears, which she hurriedly blinked away.

‘I do love you, Pads’ she said softly. ‘If it wasn’t Remus, it would have been you.’

She felt him nod, and he whispered, ‘I love you too.’ They looked at each other for a moment before Sirius smiled.

‘Come on, lets get in before I freeze my nuts off,’ he said, opening the door.