Fire and Water

Chapter Thirty Two



Harry and Krystal both celebrated their birthday’s while at The Burrow, Krystal’s being the day after Harry’s. Harry had a party with many Order members popping in throughout the day, and a raucous dinner with The Weasleys and some closer friends, with lots of laughter despite the dangerous times.



Krystal disappeared halfway through Harry’s party, sitting inside for a little while, trying to reign in the unease she felt. The number of people around her made her feel a little panicked. She‘d spent so long alone, seeing no one for literally months on end until just over a week ago. It was a big adjustment. Bill went looking for her, not telling her that Remus had seen her leaving and was worried; not wanting her to be alone, but not wanting it to look like he was watching her as closely as he was. So he’d asked Bill to find her and make sure she was alright.



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Bill and Remus had talked in the kitchen a couple of days after Krystal had come to The Burrow; just after Krystal told Remus what had happened all those years ago.

‘How do you feel about it all?’ he’d asked Remus, after everyone else had gone to bed. ‘Do you believe her?’

Remus nodded. ‘Yeah, I believe her,’ he said.

‘Kind of puts everything in a different light, doesn’t it? What are you going to do now?’ Bill asked, seeing his friends confusion.



‘I don’t have a clue,’ Remus answered, putting his head in his hands. ‘I…I should never had said yes to Tonks when she proposed - I knew that straight away, before Krystal came back. I don’t love her - not the way a husband should love his wife. But I care about her, and I don’t want to hurt her.’

He shook his head and said, ‘I don’t know if Krystal and I could ever put it all behind us and make a go of it now. I don’t know if we should even try. But….it’s still there, Bill. The way I used to feel about her: it’s all still there.’

Bill smiled at his friend. ‘All you can do is follow your heart, Remus,’ he said softly.

‘And if my heart doesn’t know what it wants?’ Remus asked, with a frown.



Bill shrugged, not envying Remus his decision, but couldn’t help commenting. ‘On the positive side, how often do you have two gorgeous women to choose between? Maybe you could convince them to wrestle for you - in mud maybe?’

Remus tried to glare at him, but he couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face.

‘Krys is still pretty damn hot, isn’t she?’ he said, unable to stop the old feeling of pride welling up in his chest. He’d never been able to quite understand how he managed to get someone like her to love him.

‘Yes she is,’ Bill agreed, having noticed Krystal’s particularly nice legs. ‘She’s got great legs. Although I will deny having even noticed she’s female if you tell Fleur I said that.’



Remus laughed, then stood up to leave, having noticed how late it was. ‘It’s her ass that always made me fall over my own tongue,’ he admitted, stepping out onto the porch, Bill behind him.

‘That seems to be something that hasn’t changed,’ Bill said, grinning when Remus looked startled. ‘You aren’t always subtle in your appreciation of her ass, Remus. Along with various other parts of her body.’ He raised his slightly cupped hands, putting them on his chest.

The older man turned red, and turned to leave.

‘And I find it interesting,’ Bill said, as he turned to walk inside. ‘That all you’ve talked about tonight is Krystal. You haven’t once said anything about Tonks.’

Remus frowned as Bill gave him a smile. ‘Maybe your heart isn’t as confused as you think it is. Night, Remus.’



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Bill had found Krystal inside now, and sat with her chatting for a while, eventually convincing her to come back outside with him. When they reached the front door, Bill stopped suddenly, staring out into the yard. Krystal frowned, and looked around him to see the pink haired girl she’d seen kissing Remus at Albus‘ funeral. Her breath left her lungs as she saw her approach Remus and put her arms around him, pulling his face down to kiss him on the lips.



Remus looked surprised to see her, putting his arm around her and looking up towards the house with an anxious look on his face. Krystal backed away quickly, not wanting him to know she’d been watching. Bill turned to look at her.

‘Krystal….,’ he began, but she shook her head.

‘You know, I’m pretty tired now that I think about it. I’m going to go on up to bed. Night, Bill,’ she said, quickly walking up the stairs to her room.



Bill knew how torn Remus was, and could see now how worried he was that Krystal had seen Tonks with him.

‘You aren‘t doing anything wrong, Remus,’ he tried to tell him. ‘Tonks is your fiancée. Krystal knows that.’

‘Rationally I know that, Bill, but I still feel like I’m cheating on her,’ he said, whispering as Tonks was greeting Harry, who also looked anxiously towards the house.

‘That should tell you something,’ Bill said, seeing his friend frown as he watched Tonks looking around the yard.

‘I’m going to get her out of here,’ Remus said suddenly. ‘I don’t want them to run into each other.’



Remus moved to stand with Tonks, saying, ‘I was about to head home, Tonks. Come on and I’ll make sure you get to your parents’ place alright.’

‘Don’t I get to meet the famous Krystal?’ Tonks asked, knowing exactly what he was going and feeling angry that he was trying to protect this woman. The reason they weren‘t married yet.

‘She actually went up to bed quite a while ago,’ broke in Bill, suddenly feeling protective of Krystal. “Parties aren’t her thing apparently.’

He liked both women, and he couldn’t blame Tonks for being angry, but he’d seen the look in Krystal’s eyes when she saw Tonks kiss Remus. She was much more fragile right now. He saw his friends’ grateful look and, even though Tonks didn’t look convinced, she gave Harry a hug before she left with Remus.



The next day was Krystal’s birthday. She hadn’t celebrated a birthday since she was eighteen, and was happy for it to stay that way, but Remus had other ideas. He knew Krystal wouldn’t be able to cope with a party, and she didn’t know anyone in the Order anyway, but he let the Weasley’s know about her birthday, and they surprised Krystal with a family dinner and cake. She was touched by the way they had accepted her into their lives and treated her as part of the family. A little emotional at the end of the night, she found a hiding spot behind the old chicken shed to compose herself.



But Remus found her himself this time, refusing to let her hide alone anymore.

‘I’m really not in the mood to talk, Remus,‘ she warned as he sat down on the grass next to her. Remus smiled.

‘Good,‘ he said, leaning back against the shed. ‘I might get a word in edgeways for a change.‘

He talked - telling her about his life since she’d left it. She became angry listening to him talk about the Ministry laws that had been passed, making it impossible for him to get any work, let alone the teaching work he’d grown to enjoy. Listening to Krystal go into a rant about what she’d like to do to those ‘morons’ at the Ministry, made Remus smile. After all this time, she was still his greatest defender.



They talked until the early hours of the morning, Remus finally, reluctantly, saying he should leave otherwise he’d be too tired to apparate home. Before he left, though, he gave her the gift he‘d brought along for her, nervous about her reaction to it.

‘You shouldn’t have got me anything, Remus,‘ she said, staring at the present in his hands with a frown.

‘I didn’t. This is yours,‘ he said quietly.



Krystal took the gift and unwrapped it. She looked up at him, a little stunned, when she saw the gold necklace.

‘You kept it?’ she asked, disbelievingly, as her fingers touched the charm, trembling a little. ‘All this time? You kept it?’

‘Of course,’ he said, watching her fingers move over the heart. ‘I carried it with me. I hoped that one day I’d get to give it back to you.’ He saw her lip wobble a little before she bit it.

“I can’t take this, Remus,’ she said, her voice trembling. She tried to hand it to him, but he pushed it back towards her, his hand closing hers around the necklace.

“It belongs to you. I want you to have it back,’ he said firmly. She bit her lip again, looking down at their hands.



“I can’t, Remus. You gave this to someone else; someone you loved,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I’m not that girl anymore.’

He felt her press the necklace into his hand, and he took it. Walking around behind her, he put the chain around her neck, his hands fumbling a little with the clasp as his fingers brushed her skin. He felt her shiver when he touched her, and for a moment he gave in to his desire to be close to her, resting his forehead on the top of her head, his eyes closing as he breathed in the scent of her hair. Letting out a shaky breath, he moved back to face her, watching her reach up to touch the filigree heart.

“Thank you,’ she whispered, her eyes filling with tears, shaking a little from the touch of his hands on her shoulders.



He smiled at her, then impulsively leaned forward and kissed her. He truly had meant to kiss her cheek, but somehow, he ended up pressing his lips to hers. It lasted for just a moment, but the small kiss shook him deep down. Krystal felt longing shoot through her at the touch of his lips; and the unbearable sadness of knowing that he belonged to someone else.

“The girl I fell in love with is still in there, Krys,’ he said softly, smiling at her again before disapparating.



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Lessons continued, with Remus and Krystal working together to help the teenagers gain the skills they would need on their journey. The spells and hexes gradually got darker, and Remus and Krystal both found themselves waking up from their sleep, sweaty and shaky from the memories they had awakened.



Despite this, the former lovers had managed to piece together their fractured friendship. There was some tension between them, but that was mostly due to the physical reactions they still provoked in each other when they were close, leaving them both shaky and flushed.



They were now working on common spells that Death Eaters had modified, making them even more deadly. They were using the hexes in duels, Krystal being careful to keep a shield up in front of the kids at all times.



It was dark when the barriers lifted and the house lights fell on five sweating, gasping figures. Krystal, who had been duelling Ron, remained crouched on the ground as she told the teenagers to go inside to eat. Harry, noticing her pained expression, made a concerned motion towards her but she waved him away.

“Go on,” she gasped, her voice harsh. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just let me catch my breath.”

She watched as they limped through the front door of The Burrow. As the door closed behind them, there was a flurry of activity. Remus waved his wand and recreated the barrier as Krystal fell to the ground, clutching her stomach, groaning in pain.



“What can I do?” Remus knelt at her side, his face creasing in concern as he heard her now strangled breathing. He‘d seen Ron’s curse hit her, but she‘d warned him with a look and quick shake of her head, not to say anything in front of the others. Her and her damn pride.



“Dittany,” she gasped, her face a deathly shade of white. She motioned with a shaking hand to her pocket. Remus pushed open her jacket and pulled the small bottle out of her jeans pocket. He cursed when he saw the blood staining her shirt and jeans.

“Put it on…” she stopped and indicated the wound. “H..Hurry!”



Remus pulled out the stopper and ripped her already torn t-shirt open. He saw the deep cut across her stomach and his heart stopped. How had she managed to stay quiet when that hit her? His hand shook as he poured half the contents of the bottle over the wound.



Krystal screamed, unable to hold it in any longer, as the dittany began to smoke. Her back arching off the ground as pain ripped through her body.

She clutched Remus‘ arm, her fingernails digging into his skin.

“Again!” she whispered, her breathing ragged.

Remus, his own face pale and sweaty now, held his breath as he poured more potion over Krystal’s stomach. She let out a strangled groan as she again arched into the air, before falling silent and limp.



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At first, Harry thought he was seeing things. Remus was carrying Krystal in his arms up the porch stairs.

“Help me!,” he yelled, the urgency evident in his voice. Mrs Weasley looked out the window and dropped the plate she was drying. She ran into the hall, followed closely by Harry. The others in the kitchen looked up, startled by the smashing plate.



“What happened?” Molly asked as Remus moved into the living room, laying Krystal carefully on the couch.

“A hex rebounded and hit her.” He parted her ripped shirt, exposing the wound. Molly gasped when she saw the injury. The bleeding had slowed but still not stopped and it was still gaping open. He handed her the dittany bottle.

“She told me to pour this on it; then she passed out. I don’t know what else to do; Nothing I tried would close it.”

Remus looked at Molly as Bill pushed his way in between them, his eyes widening as he saw the wound.



“Mum, get some warm water and towels ready. Everyone else - OUT.”

He crouched next to Remus, examining the cut as Arthur Weasley herded the others out of the room, arguing with Harry who wanted to stay.

“What hex did this?” he said quietly.

“Sectumsempra,” said Lupin, in a low voice.

Bill looked at him sharply. “She’s teaching them Death Eater hexes?” Remus nodded and Bill shook his head.

“For Merlin’s sake, don’t tell mum. When she asks, make something up,” he said quickly as Molly entered the room with a bowl and towels.

“Thanks Mum,” he said taking them both off her, “I’ll call you when I need you.”

Molly looked as if she were about to argue, then nodded and quickly left the room, closing the door behind her.



Bill pulled out his wand and raised it over the wound. Remus heard him mumble under his breath. The bleeding stopped and the skin around the wound turned red and began to tighten. Bill repeated this several times until the wound was completely closed, the new pink skin pulled taut. He sat back on his heels and took a deep breath.



“That should do it. I came across this hex a few times working as a curse breaker. A modified form of it is often used in booby traps. The dittany usually works on hexes, but not these Death Eater spells. She’ll need to rest and should see a proper Healer; she may need a blood replenishing potion. It going to leave a hell of a scar; although,’ he said pushing Krystal’s shirt open wider and gently touching her stomach, “It obviously won’t be the first.”

Remus felt like cold water had been dumped on him as he saw the scars Bill had uncovered, just visible through the blood.

“There’s more here,” said Bill, gently rolling Krystal on her side.



There was a large jagged scar, that he suspected Snape had given her that night she’d disappeared, but there were other, more ominous looking wounds. Remus ran his fingers softly over the faint scars criss crossing Krystal’s stomach. They were neat, deliberate; not ragged like scars received in battle.

‘God, look at this one,‘ Bill gasped, his own face paling a little as he pulled her shirt down and looked at the neat, straight scar on the inside of her upper arm, running from close to her armpit to the crook of her arm. It had obviously been deep: it would never fade.



Bill looked at Remus. “How do you think she got these?“

Remus was still staring at the marks. “I don’t know,’ he said, unable to hide his shock.

Bill heard the ill disguised anguish in his friends voice.

“Are you alright?’ he asked quietly. Remus nodded, unable to trust his voice. Bill put his hand briefly on Remus’ forearm and squeezed.

He reached over and pulled Krystal‘s shirt together, zipping up her jacket. “Let’s get her upstairs and Mum can clean her up a little.”



Together they carried Krystal up the stairs to her room and lay her gently on the bed. Molly followed them with the bowl and towels. Bill stood and, after laying a hand on Remus’ shoulder, left the room. Molly stepped forward and dipped a towel in the water, saying to Remus, ‘Send Fleur up to help me get her out of these clothes.’

“No,” he said, taking the cloth off her. “I’ll do it.” He saw her hesitation, and added, ‘I have seen her a lot more naked than this, Molly.‘

She frowned. Neither Krystal or Remus had confirmed the other’s suspicions about their previous relationship, Remus having sworn the teenagers and Bill to silence.

‘All the more reason you shouldn’t be the one to do this, Remus,’ Molly said. ’You’re engaged to someone else. It’s not appropriate.’

But when he just stared at her, she left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.



Remus removed her soiled clothes, wincing when he revealed the faint, but still detectable scars on her arms and legs. He ignored his physical reaction to her half nakedness and wet the cloth again, running it across her stomach, washing the blood off her skin. He repeated the action until she was clean and the bowl of water was bright red with blood.

He had several reasons for wanting to do this himself. He didn’t want Molly or anyone else to see her scars, sensing that Krystal would hate that, and he wanted to check the extent of the scarring for himself. He also wanted to do for her what she used to do for him after his transformations - look after her and make sure she was safe. And lastly, the least noble and, he thought, slightly sleazy reason: he wanted to feel her skin under his fingers again.

Now the blood was gone, he could see the extent of the scarring to her stomach, the tops of her arms and legs. The scars had faded, now just faint white lines on her skin, but there were many of them, and the obvious deliberateness of them made Remus’ stomach churn. Unable to look at the marks any longer, he pulled the sheet up, gently covering her.



Sitting on the edge of the bed, he took her hand, looking down at her. In her sleep, her face was relaxed and peaceful. Remus wished he felt that calm: he didn’t think he’d ever felt as scared in his life as he had tonight. He brushed her hair out of her eyes, then reached around to the nape of her neck and gently tugged the elastic band out of her hair, letting it fall loose. He combed his shaking fingers through it, spreading it across the pillow. It felt as soft, and smelt as good as he remembered and he let out a trembling breath.

Bringing her hand to his mouth, he kissed her softly, resting it against his cheek for a moment before whispering shakily into her skin, ‘I can‘t lose you again, Krys. I don‘t know if I could survive it a second time.’

Fighting back tears, he held her hand to him for a few minutes until his tremors eased, a little stunned by the strength of his now not at all confused feelings. He still loved her - as deeply and as completely as he ever had.



He pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down, putting a pillow behind his head. He didn’t want her to wake up alone. As he closed his eyes, he recalled all the times she had sat with him or crawled into his bed after his transformations. He always seemed to heal quicker when she was with him, so the school nurse turned a blind eye as long as they didn’t get up to anything else.



He smiled as he recalled Krystal’s wandering hands on several evenings in Seventh Year, bringing him to climax under the sheets, giggling at his attempts to stay silent as he pressed his face hard into her neck. His smile got slightly broader when he remembered his own fingers reciprocating and how he would kiss her hard when she came, swallowing her cries of pleasure. Taking a deep breath, he reached out for Krystal’s hand, missing the flash of pink as Tonks quietly shut the bedroom door.



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Ron and Hermione sat in silence at the kitchen table; Fleur across from them, as Mr and Mrs Weasley spoke in urgent tones in the corner of the room. Ginny stood in the doorway, watching as Harry paced up and down the hall. After nearly an hour, the living room door opened and they watched as Bill and Lupin carried a still unconscious Krystal carefully up the stairs.



“Mum, can you bring the bowl and towels?” called Bill. Molly hurried after them as everyone crowded into the hall.

“Is she alright?” whispered Hermione to Harry. Harry shrugged.

“Alright everyone,” said Arthur Weasley. “She’s in good hands; you all need to eat.” He shooed them back into the kitchen, as there came a knock on the door. He hurried to answer it as Fleur disappeared into the living room to clean up.



“It was my last hex that hit her, wasn’t it?” Ron’s face was pale beneath his freckles. “She sent us inside straight away; she didn’t get up.”

Hermione put her arm around his shoulders. “This is not your fault, Ron,” she said firmly. “She’ll be fine.”



Harry heard voices in the hall and looked over. Through the kitchen door, he saw Mr Weasley talking to Tonks. Bill joined them and Harry jumped up quickly.

“Is she ok?” he asked Bill.

“She’ll be alright, I think,” he replied, rubbing his head. “She’s lost a lot of blood but the wound is clean and closed. It’s just lucky that I’ve come across that hex before and knew the healing spells…..” his voice trailed off as he leaned towards the teenagers.



“I know what that spell was, and if you know what’s good for you, you won’t tell Mum,” he warned them, he voice low as he heard his mother coming down the stairs.

When she joined them, she looked a little angry. “Where’s Remus?’ Tonks asked, looking up the stairs.

‘He’s just cleaning her up a little,” she said in a slightly stilted tone. Tonks frowned and moved towards the stairs. Molly tried to take her arm, but the young woman shrugged her off, climbing quietly up the staircase.

“Let’s all go and finish our meals shall we,” said Molly, her eyes following Tonks until she disappeared down the landing.

“I’ll get us all a drink,” said Bill, “I know I need one.”



Everyone picked at their meals in silence. After several minutes, Bill stood up.

“I’m going to bed. No, Mum. I’m not hungry,” he said as Molly went to object. As he left the room, Arthur stood up.

“Come on Molly,” he said. “Let’s go too. There’s nothing more we can do for her tonight.” Mrs Weasley nodded and let her husband lead her out of the room.

“You three need to get some rest too.” They nodded.



They remained in silence for what felt like hours before Harry stood and said, “I’m going to check on her.”

“Don’t bother.” came a quiet voice from the doorway. They turned to see Tonks standing there; pale and sad looking.

“She’s asleep. Remus……Remus is looking after her.” Her jaw clenched as she turned and left the house.

The teenagers looked at each other then Hermione said, “I think that we should get some rest; we may have to work alone tomorrow.”

Harry nodded and he and Ron followed Hermione up the stairs.



As they passed Krystal’s room, they noticed the door slightly ajar. They could see Remus sleeping in a chair next to Krystal’s bed; a pile of bloody towels on the table next to him. Hermione covered her mouth with her hand as they all realised how bad the injury must have been. Hermione turned and disappeared into the bathroom; Harry and Ron made their way up to their shared room.



There was no talking that night, Harry lying awake, startled at how worried he’d been for Krystal. He’d grown really fond of her and was disturbed by the evenings’ events. He rolled over and wondered if it meant anything that Remus had been holding Krystal’s hand, or whether it was just a gesture of support between old friends. Tonks had to have seen it as well. As he fell asleep, he groggily realised that Ron’s usual snoring was absent.



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Krystal’s eyes stung as the bright light hit them the next morning. She blinked and groaned as she moved and a sharp pain shot through her. She lay still for a moment, trying to get her bearings. She turned her head and saw Remus asleep in a chair next to her bed. She frowned as she saw the pile of blood stained towels next to him. She suddenly remembered the events of the previous day.



Her hands moved slowly to her stomach, noting that she was wearing only her underwear, and she felt a folded towel there. She pulled the bed covers off and raised herself to her elbows, stifling the gasp of pain that tried to escape her lips. She looked down at the towel across her body; took a deep breath and held it, as she pulled the makeshift bandage away.



The breath she was holding hissed out from between her teeth as she saw the raw, red wound. She touched it gently, wincing a little as her still tender flesh prickled from the touch. She was startled when she heard a sleep roughened voice.



“It’s not pretty, is it? You’re lucky Bill was here. He closed it before you bled to death.” Krystal fell back onto the pillows and looked at Remus, who was yawning.

“You used the dittany?’ she asked, looking back down at the wound when he nodded, not seeing his eyes flick over her bra covered breasts.

’It didn’t work,’ he told her, wrenching his eyes back to her face, seeing her surprised expression. ’Bill said it doesn’t work well on these Dark curses.’



’It’s a modified blend. It should have stopped the flow of blood….It slowed the bleeding, right?’ she asked. He nodded again.

“I guess I didn’t get the mix right - I’m not a great potion maker,‘ she said, with a small smile. ‘Thank you, Remus. Is Bill still here? I want to thank him too.’

Remus shook his head. “He’s gone. He looked in on you early this morning before he left.’ He stretched and leant forward, a little concerned about her still very pale face. ‘You lost a lot of blood, Krys. Bill thinks you should see a Healer. So do I.’

“I have blood replenishing potions in my bag - just in case,” she added as she saw the frustrated look on his face. “Could you…”



Remus stood and opened her closet as she struggled to sit up. He pulled out the bag and the book he found there. Sitting next to her on the edge of the bed, he rummaged around the contents of the bag, pulling out a leather pouch. He helped her sit all the way up, trying to ignore the way his body reacted when his hand grazed the side of her breast. He handed the pouch to her; watching as she pulled out a vial with a red label.



“This is it.” She uncorked it and raised it in a mock salute. “Bottom’s up!”

A begrudging smile twitched on Remus’ lips as she threw her head back and swallowed the potion. He put the leather pouch back in her knapsack; his eyes falling on the book.



He flipped open the front cover. It was a photo album. He turned several pages; smiling at the baby featured in the photo’s. He heard Krystal gasping; the potion was foul tasting and she grabbed a bottle of water from the table next to her. Remus kept flicking through the album; until he saw a photo of an older Krystal standing with Lily Evans, both of them posing for the camera.



He remembered this day. It was Krystal’s birthday and they had all taken turns with the camera. He watched as the girls in the photo beckoned to him. He looked at the next photo, grinning as he saw his younger self squeezed in between the smiling girls.



Krystal was rummaging in the pouch again, pulling out another vial - a pain potion this time, and quickly lifting it to her lips. His eyes roamed over the other photo’s on the page. James and Sirius smashing cake into each others faces; Krystal dancing with 2 girls from their year; a group shot of happy teenagers raising their glasses in front of a ‘Happy Birthday’ banner.



He turned to the last page in the album. There was only one photo on this page. His smile faded as he picked the book up off the bed and set it on his lap. He and Krystal were the only ones in this photo. They were sitting close together on a couch. He could see their lips moving. He watched as the young Remus raised his hand to brush the hair out of Krystal’s eyes. Remus felt a flash of dé jà vu; he had done that again last night. The camera had captured the blush that had stained both their faces as his hand came in contact with the side of Krystal’s face.



He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the heat that burned through him. He remembered this moment all too well; they had been dating for a few months by then, and both had decided that the time had come to take the next step. They‘d made love for the first time that night; they‘d both said ‘I love you‘.



He looked up to see Krystal staring at the photo, her face flushed. Her eyes moved up to meet his. He felt his breathing quicken as the room suddenly felt very small. She seemed too close; her skin burning his where they touched. His eyes slid unconsciously to her lips. He dragged his gaze back upwards; noticing she was also staring at his mouth. She looked up; blushing even pinker when she realised he had seen her.



Her saw her chest rapidly rise and fall and he became uncomfortably aware of her partially undressed state. Remus raised his hand, brushing his knuckles gently over her cheek, his gaze falling back to her lips. His touch became firmer, his hand running around to the back of her neck, as he drew closer as if hypnotised, his face lowering to hers. Before their lips could meet, a door slammed and the spell was broken.



Remus jumped up off the bed, flustered, the photo album sliding onto the covers. ‘Jesus, we are still getting interrupted,‘ he thought before he came to his senses.

Krystal closed her eyes for a second, trying to control her rapid breathing. Remus saw how the near kiss had affected her as well , and felt heat burning through his veins.



“I should go. I’ll come back later to see how you are,” he said, his voice rough with desire, walking to the door. Krystal nodded, not trusting her voice. She heard Molly’s quiet greeting to Remus and a second later she appeared in the doorway with a laden tray.

“Good morning. How are you feeling?” Molly put the tray down on the table next to Krystal’s bed and put a hand on her forehead. “You’re very flushed.” Molly frowned.

“I’m alright,” said Krystal hastily. “It’s a little warm in here.”



Molly took her hand off her forehead and looked closely at her. “Hmmm. Yes. Remus seemed a little pink in the face when he left as well.” The remark was made lightly, but Krystal heard the underlying query.

“Thank you for breakfast,” she said, choosing not to address the unspoken question. “Could I ask you to help me to the bathroom?”



She hated feeling so helpless; hated relying on others. Molly supported her as she used the bathroom and watched closely as Krystal insisted on walking herself back to bed. She put a bandage over the raw scar on Krystal’s stomach before lending a hand as Krystal dressed. As she left the room, Krystal said softly, “Thank you Molly.”

Molly smiled and pulled the door closed.



As she ate her toast, Krystal heard a light knock on the door and looked up as Harry poked his head into the room, a cautious expression on his face. She smiled and waved him into the room, seeing Hermione and Ron follow him.

“How are you feeling?” Harry asked, worriedly.

“I’m fine,” she said cheerfully. “Remus and Bill did a great job patching me up. I might rest this morning though, and we’ll continue the lessons this afternoon. I think I might lay off the spells today and show you some protective charms……”

She broke off as she saw the shocked looks on the teenagers’ faces.

“You need to rest,” Hermione admonished. “We can practice the Unforgivables and duelling…..”

Krystal shook her head. ”I’m really fine. Just let me have this morning off, and I’ll be raring to go.” Krystal smiled as she waved to them. “Go on. Go and practice and I’ll see you after lunch.”



Hermione and Harry smiled and walked out the door. Ron turned slowly and made to follow them.

“Ron,” Krystal said. He looked back at her, a wary look on his face. “That was a strong hex you cast. You did well,” she said softly.

He twisted around to face her. “I nearly killed you,” he said his voice low and scratchy.

“No, it was my own carelessness that nearly killed me,” she said. “Lesson number one, remember. Never let your guard down. I was distracted and this,” she indicated her stomach, “was my wake up call. Not your fault.” Her voice was firm.

She smiled as he nodded. “Go on,” she said turning back to her breakfast. “Bugger off now and let me eat my toast!”