A Romance From A Tragedy

Beta: Thanks to the wonderful Phoenix and Cherrypit8 for all their hard work!

Chapter 3

Victoria was awakened by a pounding on her door. She groaned, exhausted from spending most of the night pacing her room. She had been unable to figure out what to do about Remus, and she wished her sister and Caitlin were there to give her some much needed advice.

Dragging herself out of bed, she threw on robe while calling out, “Just a minute. I’m coming.”

She wondered if it was Remus. The thought of him sent a thrill of excitement, panic, and hope racing through her as she remembered their encounter the night before.

Disappointment filled her once she had taken down the wards and opened the door. Anastasia was standing in the hallway, looking both sad and excited at the same time.

“Good morning,” Anastasia said. “May I come in? I have some good news and some bad news.”

“Yes, of course,” Victoria said, moving back to allow the Auror to enter. After closing the door, Victoria asked, “What’s happened? Did you find Cassie’s killer? Has He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named resurfaced?”

“We may have caught your sister’s killers. We apprehended four Death Eaters last night. They tortured an Auror and his wife, Frank and Alice Longbottom, for information about You-Know-Who with the Cruciatus Curse. They have been taken to St. Mungo’s, but they are not expected to recover from the damage inflicted.

“We are questioning Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastian Lestrange, as well as Barty Crouch Jr. We should have some information soon.” Anastasia looked closely at Victoria. “Have you been sleeping at all?”

Taken aback by the comment, it took Victoria a few seconds before she smiled at the other woman. “I look that bad, huh?”

“You don’t look bad; you just look tired.”

“I can fix that easily enough with a cup of coffee,” Victoria replied. “I want to go to their sentencing.”

“No problem. I’ll arrange it for you,” Anastasia replied, looking at her watch. “The funeral for the Potters is tomorrow if you would like to go to it in your disguise.”

“Yes, I would like that very much,” Victoria said earnestly.

“Do you still want to go to your sister’s house today to get her things packed?” Anastasia asked gently, her face full of sympathy.

“No, I really don’t want to, but I guess I should go and get it over with,” she said with a sigh. “Give me a few minutes to get ready, and we can go.”

“I’ll be waiting in the pub downstairs whenever you are ready,” Anastasia said with an encouraging smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Victoria arrived back at the pub around seven o’clock that evening, red-eyed and feeling drained. Going through all of her sister’s pictures of the two of them with Caitlin had been overwhelming. The one taken at Cassie’s graduation from Auror training had been particularly hard on her as she remembered how happy Cassie had been. Now it seemed a bittersweet day because had she not become and Auror, she might still be alive today. She decided she needed a drink and headed for the bar.

“Can I get you something, Kat?” Wesley said as he approached her.

“A shot of whiskey and a beer, please,” Victoria said tiredly. By now she was used to people calling her by her alias. She wondered humorlessly if she would be able to remember which name was hers after this was all over.

Wesley looked surprised, but got her drinks without comment.

“Thank you,” Victoria said with a wan smile before downing the shot with a grimace. Wesley smiled kindly and nodded before making his way back to the other end of the bar.

When she was downing the last of her second beer and about to signal for another one, she heard Remus’ voice from behind her, “I told you that it doesn’t help.”

“I know, but I would like to find that out for myself,” Victoria said. “Would you like to join me?”

Remus sat down next to her and ordered a beer. Wesley came back with their drinks and discreetly held up three fingers at Remus’ questioning look.

“I had wanted to talk to you about last night, but you don’t look like you’re in the mood,” Remus said looking her over. “What’s wrong?”

“I had to clean out my sister’s house today,” she said dejectedly. Tears filled her, eyes and she took a long drink from her bottle of beer before continuing. “It was very hard going through her things. I know that it sounds crazy, but I expected her to be there. I still had hope that it was a mistake and it hadn’t been Cassie who was killed. Being there without her just made everything seem so… real.”

“I’m sorry; that must have been very difficult for you,” Remus said, rubbing her shoulder. “You’ve had too much to drink. Let me take you to your room and get you settled for the night. We can talk tomorrow. I have something to tend to in the morning, but I should be available in the late afternoon.”

“Shit! I have something I have to do tomorrow, too! Gimme one second and I’ll go up to bed,” Victoria said before downing the rest of her beer.

Remus walked with Victoria to her room. When they were almost there, Victoria non-verbally removed the wards with her wand from inside her purse under the guise of finding her keys. When they got to the door, she opened it and turned to Remus. He was very handsome, though he obviously didn’t make much money in his line of work. His clothes were worn and a bit faded, but that seemed to suit him.

“Would you like to come in?” she asked him softly.

Remus took a step toward her, fighting down the wolf inside him as the scent of her arousal assailed his nostrils. She was drunk and vulnerable, and he knew that it was wrong, but he still kissed her softly for a moment before pulling back. “I don’t think that this is a good idea. We need to talk about us first.”

“What is there to talk about? I have to go back to America. I can’t stay here with you,” Victoria said gently. “We could both use some comfort. I don’t want to marry you or tie you down. I just want you for tonight.”

Remus looked down at her for a few seconds before he gave in and lifted her up into his arms. He carried her into the room and kicked the door closed. He placed her back on her feet and brought his mouth to hers, hungrily sliding his tongue between her parted lips.

Victoria pulled away from him and said, “I’ll be right back. I am going to go freshen up a bit. Make yourself comfortable.” She grabbed her purse and went into the bathroom.

As soon as she was gone, Remus pulled his wand out of the waistband of his jeans. He quickly took off his shirt and wrapped the wand in it before placing it carefully on one of the chairs in the room. Once that was done, he sat on the bed to wait for Kat to return.

In his mind he kept going over how wrong this was. His mind kept screaming at him that she was drunk and he was taking advantage of her. However, the illogical, selfish side of him didn’t care if it might be wrong. She had said that she wanted him, and she had wanted him the night before also. The fact that she was drunk meant nothing. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” he whispered to himself.

~*~*~*~*~

Victoria quickly went into the bathroom and closed the door. Pulling her wand from her purse, she cast a contraceptive spell on herself, all the while berating herself for her actions. He had no idea who she was. She was taking advantage of him, using him to forget her misery for a while.

But he’s in pain too, she thought while she brushed her teeth to get rid of the smell and taste of the alcohol. He needed this as much as she did, so how could it really be wrong? She had told him that she was going home, and that should be good enough.

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” she whispered to her reflection as she took her hair out of the sloppy bun she had had it in. She brushed it out quickly, hid her wand back in her purse, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

She saw Remus had taken off his shirt and that he was sitting on her bed looking as nervous and confused as she felt. He smiled at her, looking just a bit guilty. Before she had a chance to wonder why he looked guilty, Remus asked her, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Victoria felt desire run through her as he looked her over with a lust filled gaze. “I’m sure,” she replied a bit breathlessly. “Are you?”

Instead of answering her, Remus got up and stalked toward her. He grabbed her, pulling her body flush with his. One arm wrapped around her to keep them close. His free hand moved up between them to caress her full breast as his thumb moved back and forth over the hardened peak. Her body fit to his perfectly. All the doubts and reasons not to do what he was doing left as she began to rub his erection through his jeans.

Victoria watched Remus approach her like a predator closing in on his prey. Desire for him coursed through her, and she let him pull her into his embrace, putting her arms around his neck. When he began to fondle her breast, pleasure ran through her entire body. She moaned out his name as she slid one of her hands down his body to stroke the hardness as it strained against his pants.

Remus pulled the sweater off over her head. She wore no bra and Remus growled in appreciation. “Perfect,” he murmured as he bent to gently nibble her hardened nipple. Victoria cried out softly, knotting her fingers in his hair as he laved and sucked each breast in turn. Remus straightened up to look down into her eyes. She gasped as she saw that his beautiful hazel eyes had turned into a golden color. She knew she should be afraid, but it only made her want him more.

Remus could feel the wolf in him as he caressed and licked Kat’s breasts. When he looked at her and Kat gasped, he knew that she had caught a glimpse of it in his eyes. She didn’t pull away; however, instead, she pulled his undershirt off of him. Once she had discarded the shirt, she saw the scars across his chest, stomach, and arms. Remus panicked as she ran her fingertips lightly over them. He couldn’t tell her the truth about where he had gotten them. He pulled her close to him so that her breasts were crushed against his chest. Then he kissed her as she gasped at the feeling of skin on skin contact. She met his tongue with her own, her question temporarily lost in a sea of sensation as he explored her upper body with his hands.

Pulling back slightly, she unbuckled his pants and broke the kiss to pull them down. He was very well-endowed, and she kneeled in front of him to take him into her mouth. Remus gently pulled her up, saying breathlessly, “Not now, later.”

He kissed her again, bruising her lips as he edged her back toward the bed. Remus laid her across it and then undid her black slacks, pulling off both her pants and her panties at the same time. He lay down next to her and took one breast into his mouth while he slid his hand down her body and between her thighs. She was wet and ready for him. He slid two fingers into her while rubbing her clit with his thumb. Kat arched into his hand, moaning out his name.

Remus smiled and asked, “Do you want me?”

“I need you, please. I need to feel you,” Kat gasped out.

Remus removed his hand and settled himself between her thighs. He rubbed the head of his cock up and down her slick folds before sliding slowly, tortuously into her. He tried to be gentle with her, but he knew that that would not last long. She was so tight around him; he knew he wasn’t going to be able to control himself.

Remus reared back and thrust deep into her. She cried out and raked her nails down his back. She wanted him to pound into her. Grabbing his ass, she could feel his muscles working as he moved within her. She wanted him to pound into her. “Harder, Remus, please,” she begged

Remus looked down at her in surprise. He was already completely filling her, hitting into her womb with every inward stroke. He wasn’t going to argue with her, though. He took hold of Kat’s legs and threw them over his shoulders. He hoarsely said, “Tell me if I hurt you.” He pulled almost all the way out of her before slamming back into her, making them both cry out.

“Does that feel good? Is this what you wanted?” Remus growled out as he continued to ravage her.

“Yes, yes. Don’t stop,” she sobbed as her orgasm built swiftly inside her.

Remus felt her body getting tighter around him and knew he was not going to last more than a few more thrusts. He slid his hand down to her clit and began to rub. “Come for me. I want to feel you come,” he panted out before dipping his head to capture her nipple, sucking hard.

Victoria cried out as her orgasm erupted suddenly, making her whole body twitch as wave after wave of exquisite pleasure broke through her entire body, making her toes curl. Remus groaned and she felt him spill his seed deep within her.

She met him thrust for thrust, and he felt the strong contractions pulse around him. Her body milked his as he pounded into her twice more before giving in to the pleasure of her body. He groaned deep in his throat as he came deep inside her.

Remus took her legs and replaced them on the bed before collapsing on top of her. Once they had both caught their breath, Remus rolled off of her and pulled her into his arms. Neither of them said a word to each other. They could talk in the morning; right now they just needed someone to hold onto.

~*~*~*~*~

Victoria woke the next morning to find that Remus was spooning against her back, his arm wrapped around her. Memories of the night before flashed across her mind. She blushed slightly before wondering what time it was. She had not set the Muggle alarm clock. Anastasia was coming by before the funeral to give her an update on what the Aurors had managed to get out of the Lestranges and Crouch Jr.

Moving very carefully, she was able to get out of the bed without waking Remus up. Glancing at the clock, she panicked a bit. Anastasia would be there in half an hour’s time.

She looked down at Remus. He looked so peaceful that she didn’t have the heart to wake him yet. Instead she picked out an outfit, a long, black skirt and a long-sleeved black shirt, and headed to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. She was a bit sore from the night’s activities, but she felt wonderful. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept so well. Upon entering the bedroom, she was surprised to see Remus awake.

Remus had awaked to find Kat gone and the shower running. He had been tempted to go into the bathroom and join her, but had decided against it. He wasn’t sure that she would be open to the idea. Besides, it was getting late, and he had to get ready for James and Lily’s funeral. He got up and pulled on his boxers and jeans before settling back into the bed to wait for Kat to finish. He didn’t want to leave until he told her goodbye.

When she entered the room, she took his breath away. She looked beautiful. She also looked surprised to see him awake.

“Good morning,” Kat said self-consciously.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” Remus asked politely, unsure if she was regretting the night before.

“Yes, I haven’t slept so well in months,” Kat replied nervously, blushing again. “How about you?”

“I slept splendidly,” Remus said awkwardly.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Kat’s eyes widened in alarm. “Oh no,” she groaned. “Just a minute,” she called out. “That is my ride. I’m sorry to have to leave like this,” she said uncomfortably.

“It’s alright. I need to go get ready to leave myself,” Remus told her as he stood up. He walked over to her and looked down at her, “You look lovely.”

Victoria melted at that look and the compliment. She trembled slightly as her body began to yearn for his. He must have read the need in her eyes because he bent slowly to kiss her. His lips met hers in a slow, demanding kiss. Liquid fire raced through her veins as she kissed him back, meeting his invading tongue with hers. She moaned into his mouth, rubbing her body against his, feeling his hardness once again pressing against her.

The knocking sounded again, breaking the spell, as a woman’s voice called out, “Kat, are you okay?”

They quickly moved apart, both breathing heavily. “I’m fine,” Kat called out breathlessly. She moved toward the door as Remus went to locate his undershirt.

“What took you so long? Are you alright?” Anastasia asked, genuinely concerned. Then she saw Remus as he pulled on his undershirt and slipped his feet into his shoes. “Oh!” she exclaimed, realization washing over her.

“I was just leaving,” Remus said, picking up his shirt and his hidden wand. “I’ll talk to you tonight,” he said to Kat before making a hasty retreat.

Anastasia walked into the room at Victoria’s welcoming gesture. She waited until the door was closed before she rounded on the other witch. “What do you think you’re doing? He could have been a Death Eater!”

“He didn’t have the mark. He is just a Muggle. Friends of his died recently. He was hurting and I was hurting and one thing led to another,” Victoria replied weakly. “I know I shouldn’t have let it happen, but there is just something about him… Have you learned anything new?"

It took the Auror a few seconds to realize that the subject was changing. “Barty Crouch Jr. is denying any involvement or allegiance with You-Know-Who. Bellatrix Lestrange was more than happy to take credit for what happened to the Longbottoms. She also takes some credit for what happened to your sister. The trial will be held tomorrow. I have already arranged for you to be present.”

Victoria walked over to the rumpled bed and sank down onto the edge. Bellatrix Lestrange had had a hand in Cassie’s murder. It was over. “Thank you. Should we get going?” she asked a bit dazed.

“Are you alright?” Anastasia asked.

“Yeah, I just… I thought once Cassie’s killers were caught that I would feel better. You know, closure and all that, but I don’t feel better. I mean, I’m glad that those evil people will spend the rest of their lives in prison, but I still feel the pain of losing her,” Victoria said, looking confused. “Does that make any sense?”

“Yes, I understand what you mean. All I can say is that it will get better in time,” Anastasia told her gently. “Speaking of time, we should get going. Professor Dumbledore wants to talk to you before the funeral. You won’t need to use your glamour to talk to him.”

Victoria nodded and grabbed her purse before following Anastasia out the door, which she locked and warded.

~*~*~*~*~

They had Apparated to Hogwarts from an alley next to the pub. They made their way from the gates to the school and then to the statue of the gargoyle.

“Ice cream,” Anastasia said. The gargoyle leapt aside revealing a moving staircase. Anastasia gave Victoria an encouraging smile before knocking on the door to the office.

“Come in,” called a voice.

As they entered the office, Victoria saw an old wizard with long, white hair and a long, white beard behind a big, beautiful desk. He wore glasses and his nose was crooked, but his blue eyes twinkled with life.

“Professor Albus Dumbledore, this is Victoria Watts, Cassie’s sister,” Anastasia introduced.

“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Watts. I am very sorry about your sister,” Dumbledore said gravely. “She had a kind soul and was an excellent Auror.”

“Thank you, professor. Please, call me Victoria. It is an honor to meet someone who has contributed so much over the years,” Victoria said truthfully.

“Would you ladies like some tea?” Dumbledore asked as he gestured for the witches to take seats in front of his desk.

“Yes, thank you,” Victoria said as she took the seat that the headmaster had indicated.

“Tea would be lovely, thanks,” Anastasia said gratefully, plopping into her seat.

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and conjured a pot of tea, four mugs, sugar, cream, and lemon. As he handed each woman a mug, he said, “I am expecting a friend of the Potters as well. I do hope you don’t mind the intrusion. He knew the Potters very well. He too has been in hiding since the night the Potters died. I thought that the two of you could talk. He can be trusted, so you won’t need to put up your glamour.”

There came a knock at the door. “Oh, right on time,” Dumbledore said, smiling. “Come in,” he called out.

“Good morning, Professor,” came a familiar voice.

Victoria jumped up choking on her tea. She looked at the startled man behind her who had frozen in mid stride.

“Kat? What are you doing here?” Remus asked, thoroughly confused.

“Oh, my God,” Victoria said, looking shocked. “You’re a wizard?”

“I take it that they have already met?” Dumbledore asked Anastasia.

“Oh, yeah, they’ve met,” she replied, amused. She looked from one to the other as they stared at each other incredulously, waiting to see who recovered first.