Fire and Water

Sorry Fifteen Stitches. Got caught up elsewhere. I\'m writing a slash fic at FF.net and would love to get your opinion on that and some of the other stories I\'ve got there. Penname is remuslives23.



Chapter Thirty Three



Leaving the Burrow, Remus apparated to his home where he was fairly sure he would find Tonks waiting for him. He dragged his feet as he walked through the house to his bedroom. When Bill had looked in on Krystal early that morning, he told Remus that Tonks had been at The Burrow the night before and Remus instinctively knew she had seen him with Krystal. He felt as if there was a weight in the pit of his stomach. He was sure he knew what Tonks would ask him to do; what he should do. He saw her sitting on the unmade bed, gazing off into space. She turned as she heard him enter the room.



“How is she?” Her voice was neutral.

“She’ll live - thanks to Bill,” Remus said, leaning up against the wall opposite her. There were a few moments of silence then Tonks looked up at him.

‘You didn’t try to contact me to tell me you weren’t coming back last night,’ she said, accusingly.

Remus sighed. To be honest, he hadn’t given Tonks, or the fact she might be worried, a second thought last night. Realising that this morning, had been the catalyst for his decision.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said, looking shamefaced. ‘I was distracted. I forgot.’



“I’ve tried to be understanding about this,’ she said. ‘I’ve tried to be patient; to give you time to come to terms with her being back, but you spent the night next to her bed, holding her hand. You’re asking too much now, Remus.‘ She looked up at him with angry eyes.

‘I don’t want you to see her again. Not for Harry‘s lessons; not for any reason.”

Remus had expected the demand; he was surprised it had taken her this long to make it.

‘Nothing has happened between us,” he said, not quite believing his own words. “Not for a long time.”



Tonks stood abruptly. “Don’t lie to me!” Her voice was harsh and her face was angry.

“I saw you with her last night. I saw how you looked at her; how you touched her. I heard you tell her you couldn’t survive losing her again. You want her, don’t even try to deny it,‘ she snapped, when he opened his mouth.

‘You won’t let me touch you. We haven’t made love since the night she returned, Remus,’ she said, her voice frustrated. ‘And you were thinking of her that night, weren’t you? Don’t bother, I know the answer. You were a different person.’

’I haven’t crossed the line, Tonks,’ he insisted, knowing he’d come close though. ’I am still attracted to her, but we haven’t…’

‘You may not be sleeping with her, but don‘t tell me nothing‘s happening,’ she interrupted loudly.



Her words sounded strangled as tears gathered in her eyes. Remus was pale.

“I understand that you loved her once and that it has been hard, confusing for you to see her again. But I’m your fiancée; we’re supposed to be getting married. I’m asking you to make a choice now.” She had regained control and stood tall as she gave him the ultimatum.



“I want us to go to the Ministry tomorrow. I want us to get married,’ she said. ‘We’ve put it off long enough.’

Remus stared at her. ‘Tomorrow?’ he asked, with a frown. ‘Tonks….’

‘I’m tired of waiting, Remus. I love you. I want to be your wife,’ she said. ’I won’t share you anymore. I want to have your whole heart.’



There was silence, then Remus said softly, ‘I can’t, Tonks. I’m sorry. I can’t give you what you want.’

A look of comprehension came to her face as she looked at him. “Your heart was never mine, was it? Not really. It’s always been with her.”

Remus had closed his eyes as she spoke. He hated hearing the misery in her voice, but he wouldn’t lie to her.

“I do love you, Tonks.” He was telling the truth.

“I know, but it‘s not the same is it?” she said, looking into his eyes. He shook his head.



She reached under the bed and grabbed a suitcase packed with the belongings she kept at his place. She‘d been prepared for this.

“I want you to love me like you love her; to look at me the way you look at her.” She picked up the suitcase and faced him for the last time. “Can you do that?”



Remus shook his head again. He was sorry she was hurting like this; that he had done this to her, but he could no longer pretend his feelings for Krystal were confused. Bill was right: his heart knew what it wanted.

“No. I can’t,’ he said quietly.

She smiled sadly and walked over to him carrying the suitcase. ‘It could be just the memories, Remus.’ Her voice was pleading. ‘Can you really be sure you love who she is now?’



He reached out to hold her shoulders. ‘No, I can’t be sure of anything. But there’s enough of the girl I loved left that I have to find out. I’ve never let her go, Tonks. And even if she isn‘t the woman I loved; even if it doesn’t work out….. you deserve better than a man who just can’t get someone else out of his heart.’

He saw her face harden and the plea left her eyes. ‘I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“So am I.“ She kissed him on the cheek and moved to the door.

“Goodbye Remus,” she said. And then she was gone.



Later that afternoon, Harry and Krystal were sitting on the grass watching as Ron and Hermione duelled in front of them.

“Stop!” called Krystal. They stopped and looked at her, both panting with exertion. “You’re both still hesitating too much.”

She struggled to her feet, her hand supporting her aching scar. “You are giving your opponent a chance to hit you. You need to be quicker; not so worried about hurting each other.”

Ron glared at her. “I don’t want to hurt Hermione….”



A frustrated Krystal sighed noisily. ‘I know, but you aren’t using any spells that will cause permanent damage. Ron, you need to keep your defences up. I’ll show you what I mean.“

She held up her hand and tried to conjure a Shield charm. A thin mist erupted from her hands but dissipated quickly. Behind her back, the Harry and Hermione exchanged shocked looks, while Ron‘s hand fell in surprise.



Krystal’s jaw clenched as she tried again, with the same results. She screwed her eyes up and kept her mouth tightly closed to try and stop herself from screaming, both from frustration and pain. Fire had ripped through her new scar each time she tried the charm.

She inhaled deeply, and let the shaky breath go, before asking stiffly, “May I borrow a wand please?”



She felt a wand being pressed into her hand as a quiet voice close to her ear said, “Take mine.”

She jumped a little, opening her eyes as she turned her head. She hadn’t seen Remus come through the barriers. She did a double take as she caught sight of his face. He was pale and drawn; looking older than he had this morning.

“What’s wrong?” she questioned, troubled by his obvious distress. He just shook his head and stepped back to join Harry and Hermione. Krystal saw Harry looking at Remus in concern; he too had noticed Remus’ troubled face.



“Shield, Ron.” Krystal warned him before she struck. She aimed a disarming spell at him. He quickly conjured a shield charm. Without waiting, Krystal shot a Stunner at him. Ron flung his arm up and the Shield Charm blocked the jinx, as Krystal threw a Body Bind hex. This last spell came too quickly for Ron, who couldn’t get a shield up in time. He went stiff and fell to the ground. Krystal quickly murmured the counter jinx. She went to him as he stood up.

“Practice.” She turned to the others. “All of you.”



Hermione and Harry moved to where Ron was standing. Ron and Hermione paired up again while Harry watched, offering advice. Krystal walked to the edge of the barrier and sank to the ground, rubbing her stomach and cursing under her breath.

“You shouldn’t be doing this. Your body is telling you it‘s not ready, you should listen to it.” Remus said, sitting down, brushing up against her as he did.

Suddenly, the fire was in her arm, not her stomach. “It’s fine. It’s not unusual for this to happen after a shock or injury.”

She fumbled in her pocket for a pain potion, drinking it quickly. Remus watched her with a frown, then moved his eyes to the ground.



Krystal noticed the tension in his shoulders as he pulled at the grass between them. He was obviously disturbed about something. She debated with herself for a second. Should she ask? Should she let her block slip?

‘No,’ she decided. ‘It was none of her business. If he wanted to tell her, he would.’

He’d made her swear years ago that she’d never deliberately read his mind, and she’d always kept that promise.



She still held his wand and she ran it through her fingers distractedly, watching as Harry stepped up to battle Hermione. Remus watched her hands, feeling a tightening in his groin. A wand was a very personal belonging and the way she was running her fingers over it…..

Remus gritted his teeth in frustration. He hadn’t felt such a lack of control over his body since he was fifteen and getting a hard on every time she was near him. He reached over and took his wand out of her hands - she was going to drive him crazy.



Krystal looked at him in surprise. It seemed his tension had increased.

“Remus…“ she began.

He shook his head vigorously. “Just leave it for now, please, “ he said, angling his head towards her but not meeting her eyes. ‘We’ll talk later, ok?’

She shrugged to herself and looked over at the students who had swapped partners. Harry and Ron were duelling now.



‘They’re doing well,” she said, not hiding her surprise.

‘They had a good teacher,” commented Remus, also watching the teenagers battle.

‘So I hear,” she said cheekily. “They talk about this great D.A.D.A teacher they had at Hogwarts?”

Remus smiled. “Yeah, I heard good things about Dolores Umbridge…” His voice trailed off as she laughed and elbowed him in the ribs.



“Cut it out! They rave about you, Remus. You must know how jealous I am you got to teach?” He did, thinking again how she had been on his mind every day he was teaching, thinking how unfair it was she’d never got to do the job she was so looking forward to.

She turned to him. “They had really solid basic training. I can’t take the credit for that.” She was pleased to see that some of the stress had left his face.

“Yes, you can,’ he replied, turning to look at her. ‘I learnt more from you than I ever did in class: almost made it worth all the pain you put me through making me duel with you. I swear, I’ve still got bruises.’



She smiled at him. ‘We did have a lot of fun though, didn‘t we? It was my favourite part of the week, spending time alone with you.’ Her smile faded, and she flushed a little.

‘Mine too,’ he agreed quietly, feeling a prickling all over his skin.

“I bet you were a fantastic teacher,‘ she continued, not looking at him but getting slightly pinker with his words. “I remember you trying to help Peter with his homework all the time at school. You were always so patient and tolerant.”

She sighed. “Everything I’m not. You know, I don‘t think I would have a particularly good teacher. I lack the basic personality requirements.”



Remus smiled. “You’re doing something right.” He nodded towards Harry who was on the ground in the grip of the Body Bind hex Ron had slipped through Harry’s shield.

She grinned.

“Well done, Ron!” Krystal called as she and Remus stood.

As they walked towards them, he grabbed her hand to slow her and moved his head towards hers, whispering, ‘You would have been a great teacher, Krys.’

He let go of her hand and grinned as he walked past her, making her heart race.



Two hours later, Krystal brushed her hair off her face, then impatiently yanked the hair band out of her hair, finally giving up on retying it.

“That will do for today,” she called, running a hand through her slightly damp hair, shaking it out.

’It really does need a cut,’ she thought, realising it was nearly past her shoulder blades now.



Ron and Remus had been duelling, while Krystal was teaching Harry healing spells for some of the darker curses. Hermione was practicing casting protection charms; making the barrier around them flicker.

As the light from their wands faded and Hermione took down the barrier around them, Krystal said “You all worked really hard today and you’ve all improved. You should be proud of yourselves.” All three of them grinned at her.



‘It’s not dark yet,’ Hermione said, getting a hissed, ‘Shh!’ from the others. Remus laughed, and Krystal smiled a little distractedly.

‘Yeah, I thought I’d give you an early night tonight. I’ve got a couple of jobs to do, so go on, off you go. Give Molly a chance to quiz you about what we’ve been up to. Save me some dinner,” she called. “I’m might be a little late back. Ron…”



The red haired boy stopped and turned to her. She moved to stand next to him and smiled.

“You did really well today with the duelling. You kept your guard up and got through Harry’s. I’m really proud of you.”

Ron seemed to get a little taller at Krystal’s praise.

“Thanks,’ he said, looking down at his shoes with a blush staining his cheeks.

He followed the others into the house and Krystal turned.



She looked at Remus who was watching her with a indecipherable look on his face.

“I haven’t thanked you for all your help. You didn’t have to get involved in this, but I couldn‘t have done it without you. Not to mention that fact you saved my life.”

Remus nodded and gave her a small smile.

“Well, I’ll see you later,” she said, confused by his lack of response. She turned her back on him. She felt his gaze on her as she walked away.



Krystal left the Weasley’s home, apparating to Campbell Cottage. She appeared again on the verandah of the house, hands out as she looked around carefully. Casting a spell to check for any other human presence, nothing was revealed. She didn’t really expect anyone to be watching the place; the Death Eaters wouldn’t have found anything of interest or that would reveal who was living there. Putting her hand on the doorknob, she took a deep breath and opened the door.



Her breath escaped in a quick exhale as she took in the demolished house. She stood in the doorway, taking some deep breaths as she looked around. Her hand came up to her mouth to try and stop the sob of despair that threatened to burst out. Sinking down in the doorway, she leant her back against the frame, pulling her knees to her chest. She couldn’t go inside, not yet. She couldn’t face seeing the house she and Remus shared in such a state.



She blinked rapidly as she thought about the time they’d spent together here. They and their parents had cleaned every inch of the rundown cottage, and she and Remus had painted it one night, having to repaint after Remus had pushed her up against the wall, and they thoroughly ruined the job they‘d done. Krystal smiled as she remembered they had spent their first week in various states of undress, in every room of the house.

‘I know it’s technically one room, but it’s a living room, dining room and kitchen,’ Remus had said one night as he lifted her onto the kitchen table. ‘We really should do it in every area of the house - for good luck.’



A tear streaked down her cheek, and she brushed it away, feeling others follow it. Laying her head on her arms, she allowed the tears and the pain to come. Her mind was in turmoil; her body and heart ached. She needed space: she needed peace. She needed Remus. He always made her feel calmer; more grounded.



The thought raced through her mind, but she pushed it out. He wasn’t hers anymore, and she only had herself to blame for that. The moment they had shared that morning had shaken her. She was trying hard to deny how she still felt about him, but it was getting more difficult the more time they spent together. It wasn’t good for her to get too close; to want something she couldn’t have so badly. Yet she couldn’t help herself: she loved him. Her tears fell in earnest now, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed into her arms.



**************************************************************************************************************



When he saw Krystal disappear through the enchantments, Remus swore under his breath. He’d really wanted to talk to her tonight, to tell her how he felt. He’d been a little tongue tied seeing her with her long hair loose and curling slightly around her pink face, and his mind had gone completely blank. He had always loved her hair down; loved to bury his face in it and breathe in that scent and she‘d looked just like she did after sex - pink, glowing, ruffled. Sighing, he tried to talk his erection into disappearing as walked up to the house to say goodbye to the teenagers. They had gone up to change and shower; Fleur and Bill greeted him when he entered the kitchen.



‘Remus, what do you think?’ she asked, showing him a menu he assumed was for the wedding. He glanced over the list of food and gave it back to her with a smile.

‘Looks good,’ he said, distractedly. Bill laughed.

‘That was my reaction too,’ he said, laughing again at Fleurs’ annoyed face. She flounced out of the room, muttering under her breath.



Bill looked over at Remus who was fiddling with a spoon, spinning it on the table. ‘Missing your playmate?’ he asked, smiling at Remus when he looked up at him. He sighed, flicking the spoon and sending it halfway across the table.

‘She had some stuff to do. I just……really wanted to talk to her today,’ Remus said, with a frown.

Bill looked at him thoughtfully. ‘So, you’d probably pay a lot of money to know where she was right now, huh?’ he asked, staring at him.



Remus blinked. ‘Do you know where she is?’ he asked, hopefully.

‘As a matter of fact, she told me where she was going, just in case something happened,’ returned Bill, grinning at the look on Remus’ face.

‘Bill, I will do anything you want,’ he promised, rising out of his chair. ‘Please, tell me.’



‘You and Tonks?’ Bill asked, wanting to know the state of his relationship with the pink haired woman.

‘I told her - it’s over,’ he said, grabbing his cloak off the back of the chair. ‘I love Krys, Bill. I never stopped.’

Bill stood up. ‘She’s gone back to the cottage,’ he said, startled when Remus flew around the table and hugged him quickly.

‘Thank you,’ he called as he ran out of the room.



He disapparated the second he was free of the enchantments, appearing again in the trees that ringed the cottage. Moving quickly, wand out, he made his way to the house. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, seeing Krystal sitting in the doorway, crying. Walking quickly up the stairs, he sank down next to her.



‘Krys?’ he said softly, seeing her jump and lift her head abruptly.

‘God, you scared the hell out of me,’ she said, putting her hand on her chest, then wiping her face quickly.

‘You alright?’ he asked, putting his hand on her knee, feeling her twitch when he made contact. She nodded.

‘It was a bit of a shock,’ she said, looking inside the house. ‘Seeing everything we worked so hard on destroyed…’

She took a deep breath, trying to regain some control. She was shaking, both with emotion and the feel of his hand on her.



Abruptly, she turned to him. ‘How did you know where I was?’ she said, frowning at him.

‘Bill,’ he said, simply, seeing her shake her head.

‘Prat,’ she muttered, hearing Remus laugh.

She stood up, feeling stronger with him here, but not wanting him to stay in this house with her. Too many memories. She looked at him properly as he also stood, and was startled by his expression.



Krystal could see that the misery she’d seen in his face earlier had gone. He looked at her now with an intensity that made her heart rate speed up and her stomach twist. She felt a little frustration with herself and her lack of self control. Wasn’t she too old for all these raging hormones?



‘Well, I’d better get on with it,’ she said, indicating the inside of the house. ‘I just wanted to see if I could salvage anything at all.’

She stepped into the house, halting again as she saw the full extent of the disaster, swallowing hard. Remus saw how badly this was upsetting her, and stepped up behind her, slipping his hand into hers, and squeezing.



‘I’d like to stay and help, if you don’t mind,’ he said, frowning as he saw the mess, thinking it looked even worse than he remembered.

Krystal looked at him, withdrawing her hand from his. ‘It’s fine, Remus,’ she said, walking further into the house, towards the bedroom. ‘You should get home.’

She opened the door, took a look then shut it again, closing her eyes briefly. It was destroyed.



Remus walked over to pick up the remains of a picture; the canvas slashed, the frame broken into splinters. He looked at it, seeing the moment they’d hung it in his mind. Dropping it, he kicked at some indistinguishable debris on the floor, looking over to see Krystal running her hand over the kitchen table, tears shining in her eyes.



He walked over to her, cursing when he saw the table he’d worked on for almost a week, covered in graffiti, chunks gouged out of it.

‘God, Krys, I’m sorry,’ he said, running his hand over her back. It had been her grandmother’s table, and he’d sanded it back and stained it for them to use. Krystal’s lip shook a little, but she shrugged, stepping away from him.



‘It’s just stuff, right?’ she said shakily, as she opened the smashed kitchen cupboards to see if there was anything worth saving.

‘No,’ he said, looking down at the table. He could make out the word ‘Bellatrix’ burnt into the table and he felt a bit shaky himself, but it was with anger not sadness.

‘It’s not just stuff. It’s memories, and those bastards did it to us again.’



He kicked a broken chair suddenly and violently, sending it across the room.

‘They’ve already cost us eighteen years, what else are they going to take from us?’ he yelled, his temper rising, feeling himself out of control.

‘She took you, she took Sirius. I swear to you, Krys, I will kill Bellatrix if I get my hands on her.’



Krystal was shocked by Remus’ show of anger. She’d never seen him lose control like that, and his loss was her gain. She approached him, as he kicked some of the second broken chair, making it skid across the floor.

Putting her hand on his arm, she said, ‘Remus, don’t do this. Please, honey. It won’t change anything. She just wins.’



Breathing hard, he turned to look at her, gazing at her with the same intense look he’d worn earlier. He moved closer to her and put his hand to her face, running his thumb over her cheek.

‘You called me ‘honey‘,’ he murmured, a small smile flitting across his lips.

‘Shit!’ she thought, ‘I did, didn’t I?’

‘I’m sorry, Remus,’ she gasped, feeling an ache begin in her lower body as his thumb moved over her jaw. ‘I wasn’t thinking, I just….’



Her words were lost as his lips found hers, kissing her firmly. The feel of his mouth on hers sent a surge of heat and emotion through her that nearly made her pass out with it’s force. It wasn’t until she felt his lips part and move on hers, that she could respond, and she did so without thinking, kissing him back.



She heard him moan a little into her mouth as her hands slid up his chest to his head to hold him to her. He tipped his head so he could better access her lips, and he moved his hand to the back of her head. As Remus deepened the kiss, it was Krystal’s turn to moan as she felt his tongue flick at hers. She’d dreamed about this moment since she left, without ever believing it would actually happen.



Remus’ hands moved: one to tangle in her hair and one to her back, pulling her against him hard as their kiss became hungrier, their breathing ragged. He had never imagined he’d be kissing her again, and it was an overwhelming sensation, making his chest tighten and his legs shake. He was feeling dizzy, and he didn’t ever want to let go of her.



Moving backwards, he pushed her up against the kitchen table, hands running down to her ass to lift her to sit on it, parting her legs and pressing himself against her. He groaned when he felt her heat, and felt her lift herself into him, her legs going around him to pull him closer. His mouth moved across her cheek, and his hands came up under her shirt, revelling in the feel of her bare skin. He felt her hands clutch at his shirt, but then she was pushing him away.

‘No, Remus,’ she mumbled, sliding down off the table and pulling herself out of his grasp.



Feeling his hands on her bare back had sent a shock through her, bringing her to her senses. She moved away, walking outside onto the veranda, running a shaky hand through her hair. Collapsing into the old sofa, she buried her face in her hands, trying to get her breathing under control. He was engaged, for God’s sake. He loved someone else. And as much as she wanted him, it wasn’t going to be at the expense of his relationship.

She felt the couch dip as Remus sat next to her, silently waiting until she was ready to face him.



“Don’t you have a fiancée to get home to?” she said hoarsely, her head still in her hands.

“Nope,” he said grimly, watching her. “She’s gone.”

Krystal frowned, looking over at him. She wasn’t sure she’d understood him correctly. ‘I don’t understand.’

Remus reached over and took her hand. ‘She wanted my whole heart,’ he said, looking at her. ‘I couldn’t give it to her - it belongs to you, Krys. It always has.’



‘No, Remus,’ she said, her heart hurting as she said what she knew she should. ‘“Too much has happened between us. You have a life with someone else now. You are going to marry her.’

He shook his head, raising her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing it softly. ‘I never really let go; never stopped hoping you’d come back to me. I love you, Krys.”

The softly spoken words made her heart hurt; her eyes closed as the very real physical pain nearly dropped her.

‘I don’t deserve you, Remus. I don’t deserve to feel happy again.‘ She saw him frown and open his mouth, but she spoke quickly.

‘Go back to Tonks, Remus. She can bring you some stability; some peace.” She raised her hand and touched his face. “You won’t look at her and see the woman who gave you those scars.”



Remus shook his head. “Whatever happens with you and me, it’s over between Tonks and I.” His face tightened as she dropped her hand from his face. He grasped her face in his hands, pulling her to him, kissing her hard.

He pulled away, but left his forehead resting against hers. “I won’t let you leave me again, Krys. I‘ll fight for you this time.” he said, his voice quiet but fierce.

She shook her head, and he whispered, “Everything in me is telling me that this is right; that this is how it was always meant to be.”



At his words, Krystal closed her eyes, leaning against him for a moment.

‘God, please give me the strength to walk away from him,’ she prayed. ‘Before I hurt him any more.’

She turned her head and pressed his hand to her mouth. She kissed his palm, trying to memorise the feel and taste of his skin. A tear escaped down her cheek. ‘Go back to Tonks.’

“Krys…” he pleaded, his voice breaking.

“I love you,” she said as she stood, and pulled her hand out of his grasp. She looked at him with tear filled eyes.

‘Too much to let you make a mistake like this.’

She walked down the stairs, then turned on the spot and disappeared.



Remus put his head in his hands, screwing his face up against the tears that burnt his eyes, remaining like that for several minutes. Suddenly, he lifted his head and took a deep breath.

‘She still loves me,’ he said to himself, a smile beginning to form on his lips. And given her response to his kiss earlier, she still wanted him as much as he wanted her. His faint smile turned into a grin. As long as she still felt like that about him, he was in with a chance.

It was time to fight for her.