Fire and Water

More sexual tension this chapter. Will get to some good stuff soon, i promise. They\'re still underage right now.



Thanks, Misundersnape for the reviews. Anyone else??







Chapter Seven



Krystal’s parents took her away for the entire length of the holidays, figuring she needed some time out. She had some counselling, and found the strength to begin to put the incident behind her. Although she enjoyed the time abroad with her parents, she missed her friends, writing often to Lily and Remus, and even a few times to Sev, James and Sirius, although she only sent Peter a postcard: she just couldn’t warm to him, but felt guilty for leaving him out.



On her fifteenth birthday, presents found their way to her. A box of chocolates each from Sirius and James, a low cut hot pink shirt from Lily, which drew disapproving glances from her father, and a book of short stories by her favourite author from Remus. Her parents over protectiveness gradually eased, by the time they arrived late at the train station for the trip back to school, they were actually letting her out of their sight for short periods.



“Make sure you write, and go to Albus if there’s any trouble,’ her dad called, puffed from heaving her heavy trunk onto the slowly moving train, as Krystal jumped onto the stairs. “I know, I will,’ she said loudly, waving as the train picked up speed, pulling away from the platform. She stayed there until they were out of sight, then picked up her knapsack and set out to find her friends. She found The Marauders first, setting up a game of Exploding Snap in a compartment.



‘Hiya!’ she said, brightly, sliding open the door. They looked up as she entered. She heard James mutter something, and they all fell silent. She shoved her bag into the luggage rack, swaying a bit as the train moved. After making sure it was safely stowed away, she turned back to the boys, startled to see them all still silently watching her. “What?” she said, her brow crinkling in confusion.



“Holy shit!” The mumbled profanity had came from James, but Remus was thinking it when he saw Krystal walk into the compartment. She was tanned from six weeks in France with her parents, and her once long hair now ended an inch below her ears, but there were other, much more interesting, changes as well.



As she reached up to put her bag away, his eyes ran over her body. She’d gotten taller: her legs seeming to have doubled in length under her mid thigh length shorts. Her hips had rounded, and Remus felt his heart rate speed up as he saw her shorts pull tight over her butt as she tried to keep steady. She was wearing a hot pink top that was cut low in the front, showing she had developed in that area as well. It rode up when she gave her bag a particularly hard shove, flashing them a glimpse of light brown skin and a gently curved waist. Remus was glad he was sitting down, because he was suddenly shaky, and was having trouble breathing properly.



“Jesus, Krys,’ said Sirius, staring at her. “You got hot!”

She laughed, not really taking the notorious flirt seriously, and moved to sit next to Remus on the seat. They were all still watching her, their mouths slightly open.

“Seriously, I haven’t changed that much,” she said, a little unnerved by the way they were looking at her.



James grinned at her from the seat opposite, saying, “I like that top, Krys. You should lend it to Lily sometime.”

She smiled, “Lily gave it to me,’ she said. “I think hers is blue.”

Trying not to laugh at the expression on James’ face, she turned to include Sirius, who was sitting next to James, in her next comment.

“Thanks for the chocolate’s by the way. I ate both boxes, so I’ve got you to thank for my fat ass, which required a whole new wardrobe. My dad wants to talk to you about his credit card bill.”

Sirius grinned at her, “Hmm - give us another look at that fat ass, Krys,’ he said, laughing when she told him to bugger off.

She turned to Remus, who still hadn’t taken his eyes off of her. “Hi,’ she said, a smile lighting up her face. He managed a smile back at her.

“Hi!’ he said, his voice shaky sounding. She looked past him and greeted Peter, who squeaked a hello back.



James and Sirius went back to their game, and Krystal looked at Remus, with a frown. She leant towards him, until her hair brushed his face and he felt her breath near his ear.

“I don’t look that different, do I?’ she asked quietly, sounding a little insecure. “I only got my hair cut. I did put on some weight…”

Remus felt a snort of disbelieving laughter leave him, and she stopped talking. He turned to look at her, her blue eyes seeming even brighter against her new tan.

He moved his head until he was able to whisper in her ear, ‘You look fantastic, Krys, just like you always do.”



She pulled away from him, smiling even as her face coloured a little. He turned to watch the unfolding game of Exploding Snap in front of them, his own face a little red. Krystal sneaked a glance at him, noticing some changes in him.



He had gotten even taller. His shoulders seemed broader, and she had felt a little shiver when she heard his now deeper voice whisper in her ear. She could see a slight shadow on his chin and jaw, and could smell a fresh smelling aftershave. His hair had been cut, but was still a little long, touching his collar at his neck, and hanging over his forehead. His face looked stronger, more mature. She felt a squirming in her stomach as her gaze dropped to his lips. She promptly looked away, giving herself a little mental shake.



A loud bang and a puff of smoke distracted her from her thoughts and she joined in the laughter as Sirius tried to wave the smoke out the window. She turned to Remus again to thank him for his gift. They spent the next hour talking about their holidays: Remus had a transformation, showing Krystal his new self inflicted scar when she demanded to see the damage.



He watched as she gasped and gently ran her finger along the long scar on his collarbone. As he felt the pad of her finger touch his skin, he shivered, causing her to look at him in concern.

“Did I hurt you?’ she asked, taking her hand away quickly. Remus shook his head. “It….it’s just a little achy, it doesn’t hurt,’ he fibbed.

The scar was completely healed - it had been her touch had made the tremor run through him. He closed his eyes for a moment, and tried to force his hormones to behave.





He pulled his shirt back into place and opened his eyes, looking at her and asking about her counselling sessions. She frowned slightly as she talked about the psychologist she had seen during her break. The woman had been nice, and had helped her.



“But…’ said Remus, concerned by her frown. She tucked a loose hair behind her ear, and glanced over at the others who were now arguing vigorously about which Quidditch team would win the cup this year. Seeing that they were engrossed in their discussion, she swung her legs up onto the seat and hugged them to her chest, sliding towards Remus.

“Don’t tell anyone?’ she said in a low voice, leaning closer to him ‘Especially not Lily: she’ll tell her parents and they’ll tell mine….” Remus shook his head, leaning in as her voice dropped.

“You know I won’t tell anyone,’ he assured her. She gave him a quick smile, which left her face just as fast.

“I’m still having the nightmares I wrote to you about. They aren’t as bad or as often, and the counsellor said they should stop eventually. It’s no big deal really, I just don’t want to worry mum or dad.” Remus was worried.

“What are the nightmares like?’ he asked, seeing her face cloud.

“It happens all over again, but in my dream, I can’t do wandless magic, and I can’t get to my wand. They…they hurt me, and no one helps.”

She stopped talking when she heard her voice get shaky, hating the sign of weakness.



Remus slid even closer on the seat until they were touching. Her hands were wrapped around her knees, holding her legs to her chest. He put his hand over hers, rubbing the top of her hand with a finger. She watched his finger move along her skin, feeling a rush of heat through her arm.

“What can I do?’ he said softly, looking at her, hating that she was going through this. She shook her head, smiling up at him.

“Nothing, I guess,’ she said quietly. “This is something I just have to work through. Thank you, though - for wanting to help.” She put her free hand over his, and he smiled at her.



“Hey you two - none of that!’ called James, grinning as he, Sirius and Peter watched the interaction between Krystal and Remus. Startled, their hands dropped and they moved away from each other hastily. The situation was diffused by the arrival of the lunch trolley, the boys all jumping up and fumbling for their money. Remus looked at Krystal, who stood.

“I should go find Lily and Sev and say hello.’ she said, not meeting his eye. She spun around and left the compartment, sliding past the lunch trolley.



Remus slumped back against the seat, confused and frustrated. He wished he could control his physical reactions to Krystal; their friendship meant the world to him, but he felt like his attraction to her was beginning to interfere in the way they interacted. Sirius flopped down in the seat next to him, seeing his disquiet.



“All right?’ he asked, opening a Chocolate Frog. Remus nodded. Sirius stopped what he was doing and looked at him closely.

“James was just mucking around, Moony,’ he said. “He didn’t mean to scare Krystal off. But…..you two did look pretty cosy there. You were holding her hand - what’s going on?”

Remus shook his head, saying, “Nothing. Nothing is going on. We were talking and she was upset.”

Sirius lowered his voice, as James and Peter sat down opposite them. “You like her though?’ he asked. ‘I mean, as more than just a friend now?’

“She’s my best friend - I just….” he shrugged, not knowing how to put his jumbled feelings into words.



“You’re just wondering when she got so hot?’ he asked with a grin, seeing Remus’ surprised look. “I saw your face when she walked in, Remus. I mean, we were all pretty impressed, but you looked like someone had Stunned you.”

He smiled ruefully at Sirius. ‘Yeah, I guess I’ve got a bit of a crush on her or something. I don’t know. She’s just so….‘

‘Gorgeous?’ finished Sirius, and Remus grinned.



‘Yeah,‘ he agreed. ‘I guess it was a bit of a surprise seeing her today. She changed a lot in a couple of months.’

Sirius raised his eyebrows. “She sure did,’ he agreed, his eyes looking a little unfocused as he gazed off into the distance. “Did you see those legs? Where was she hiding those all these years?”

Remus started to feel better. The others were seeing Krystal in a different way as well, and although he wasn’t entirely happy about that, it meant his feelings seemed to be normal. Maybe he was making too much out of something that was a normal, healthy reaction to a pretty girl. He snatched the Chocolate Frog off Sirius, stuffing it into his mouth. A small scuffle broke out, James and Peter cheering them on.



Krystal found Lily with Alice and Mary, some of their Gryffindor classmates. After a hug and a quick chat about their holidays, Krystal pulled Lily aside.

“Lils, I need help,’ she said, her voice low. Lily looked at her, her face impassive as Krystal told her about the feelings she was having. “Why am I noticing this all of a sudden? I mean, he’s been like this for the last four years….”

Lily smiled. “Yeah, but we’ve all changed a lot over the last four years. For example, your boobs didn’t always look that great in a shirt,’ she said, looking at Krystal’s top.



Krystal laughed, and they were both distracted for a few minutes, debating whether Lily’s identical blue top would look any good on her, as she was a bit smaller in the bust than Krystal, who seemed to have developed all at once - going from flat to a C cup quickly. Alice and Mary left the carriage to find some friends from Hufflepuff and the two girls were left alone.



Krystal leant back against the window. “So I’m normal? All this stuff is just hormones going crazy?” Lily nodded.

‘I think so,’ she said. “Remember that sex talk last year. Professor Bailey said that hormones make you feel all strange. You and Remus spend a lot of time together. I suppose it‘s only natural that you should start to notice he‘s a boy one day.”

She looked at Krystal and smiled evilly. “You haven’t had an urge to touch yourself in a bad place, have you?”

Krystal laughed and threw the Liquorice Wand she was eating at her friend, who in turn pelted her with Bertie Botts Beans.



The short battle over, Krystal had a sudden thought and turned to Lily, not sure whether she really wanted to know the answer.

“Lils, have you? Had a urge to touch yourself in a bad place?’ she asked, using her friends’ turn of phrase. She was shocked to see Lily’s face turn red.

“You have?’ she said, sitting up straight in the seat.



Lily bit her lip, turning to see if anyone was nearby. She slid down the seat towards Krystal and turned back to her curious friend, nodding

Krystal’s mouth opened a little. “You really did?’ she asked, a little in awe.

Lily, her face the same colour as her hair now, nodded again.



Krystal chewed the inside of her cheek. ‘What was it like?’ she said, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Lily smiled. “It’s a bit strange at first, but once I found the right places, it felt really good.” Krystal looked at her friend and blushed, laughing. “I can’t believe you did that,’ she said, grinning.



‘You keep thinking about Remus like you are, you might be doing it soon enough,’ she joked, giggling when Krystal smacked her on the arm.

“And who were you thinking about Lily Evans, when you discovered the wonders of masturbation.”

Lily turned even redder. “No one in particular,’ she said, glaring at Krystal.

“Wouldn’t be someone with the initials, JP, would it?’ she teased, ducking as Lily aimed a pillow at her.



Breakfast at Hogwarts the next day was a rowdy affair, as students caught up with each other, and Heads of House tried to give out timetables. Krystal took hers from Professor McGonagall, running her finger down the column for that day’s classes.

“Double Defence - fantastic!’ she said, her eyes lighting up. “Then break, then Double Charms, lunch, and Herbology.” She looked up at Lily. “That’s the best Monday I’ve ever had.”



“Pretty good, isn’t it?’ a male voice said, and the two girls looked over the table to Remus sliding into the seat across from them, next to Frank Longbottom. They went over the rest of their timetables together, Lily was doing Arithmancy, instead of Muggle Studies like Remus and Krystal, but otherwise all their classes were the same.

Lily was distracted by her friend Mary, who wanted to compare classes as well, and Remus leant over the table.

“How did you sleep? No nightmares?’ he asked in a low voice.

She shook her head. “Nothing,’ she smiled. He nodded and smiled back as Peter sat down next to him, grabbing a handful of toast.



The first weeks of classes went by quickly, the Fifth Years now groaning about the sheer mass of work they were expected to do. They would sit their OWL exams at the end of the year, so most of the work was revision, but the pressure had begun.

Krystal had woken several times with the nightmares, although they weren’t as frightening as they had been.



James and Sirius were determined to beat Krystal in their Defence classes this year, and challenged her to a duel late one Sunday afternoon after the Christmas holidays. Most of the Gryffindor House came out onto the grounds to watch, braving the cold, snowy conditions. Krystal lined up against James first, their Defence teacher having agreed to officiate, keen himself to see three of his most promising students using their skills - even if it was against each other.



The battle was over quickly, with the crowd in a stunned silence over how quickly Krystal dispatched James. Even James was more impressed than embarrassed.

‘Why didn’t you warn me how good she was?’ he asked Remus, but he just shook his head. He’d never seen her in full duelling mode before, their practices only usually focusing on one area and they took turns. He was almost as amazed as everyone else seeing her fight.



Sirius stepped up now, and he only lasted a few seconds longer than James. Krystal laughed at the look on his face, putting out her hand to help him up. Sirius grabbed her around the waist as he jumped up and kissed her right on the lips. Krystal pushed at his chest, but he pulled away quickly.



“Will you marry me?’ he asked, getting a laugh out of Krystal and the crowd; all except Remus, who was standing shocked by the wave of jealousy that nearly floored him. He took a few deep breaths when he saw Sirius back off, laughing. He knew Sirius was a joker and a flirt, and that he got a little carried away sometimes. It was a full moon that night: he could get a little over sensitive around this time.



Their defence teacher was talking to Krystal, and Remus saw her grin and nod. He was surprised to see the man withdraw his wand and move back, facing her.

‘He’s not going to fight her, is he?’ Remus said worriedly. ‘Is that right? A teacher duelling a student?’

Sirius and James looked over and Sirius grinned. ‘I bet you a Galleon he doesn’t last more than two minutes, James,’ he said.



James agreed and the crowd called out encouragement to Krystal, all wanting to see a student beat a teacher. Krystal caught Remus’ eye and grinned before sending a hex at her teacher. He blocked it, sending a Body Bind hex back. Krystal parried it, angling her shield so that the spell rebounded back at her opponent. When he raised his wand and used a shield to protect himself, Krystal sent a Petrification spell at him, timing it so it hit him just as he lowered his protection to curse her. The man went stiff as the spell struck him in the chest and he fell to the ground. A cheer rose from the watching students, as Krystal muttered the counter curse to allow her teacher to get up.



James grudgingly slapped a Galleon into Sirius’ hand as they watched their teacher laughing and congratulating Krystal. The crowd started to thin, and James and Sirius were shaking their heads.

“Is she like that when you practice together, Moony?’ asked Sirius, looking back over at Krystal, talking to her defence teacher, who looked impressed.

Remus shook his head, saying, “I‘ve never seen her do that before.”

James looked at him. “I was going to say that if you watched her doing that every weekend, it’s no wonder you’ve got the hots for her.”

Sirius laughed, agreeing with James. “It was pretty awesome watching her - she’s amazing, as well as having that incredible ass…” His voice trailed off as he saw Remus’ face.

“Ah, we should go James,’ he said hastily, pulling at James’ arm. They waved to Remus and took off.



Krystal walked over to him, having finished talking to her teacher. Her face was pink and shining, her eyes sparkling and he felt another rush of heat spread through him - not jealousy this time, but something completely different. She smiled at him and linked her arm through his, walking back to the castle.

“Did you see their faces?’ she giggled, and he couldn’t help laughing with her.



The sun was setting and the full moon was due that night. They walked up to the infirmary, so that Madame Pomfrey could take Remus to the Shrieking Shack for his transformation. They stopped at the entrance to the hospital wing, both their faces unhappy now.

‘I’ll bring you your work when it’s over,” she said, her eyes revealing her fear.

“Thanks,’ he said, his own jaw tensing as he thought about the night ahead of him. Krystal took his hand in hers, sensing his unease.



“You are a good person, Remus,’ she said, squeezing his hand. “This is just the smallest part of who you are.”

He gave her a smile, pulling her to him in a one armed hug, not willing to let go of her hand. He felt his heart start to pound faster at the feel of her body against his.



‘Are you ready Mr Lupin?’ said Madame Pomfrey, hurrying out of her office. She had grown accustomed now to the teenagers’ shows of affection, Krystal and Remus both spending time in the hospital wing each month. Although she didn’t approve, she had never seen any inappropriate behaviours, unlike some of the other students. They pulled away from each other, and Krystal stepped back.

“Go easy on yourself tonight,’ she said. He nodded and followed Madame Pomfrey down the stairs.



On the evening after the full moon had passed, Krystal re-entered the hospital wing, dragging two bags of books. Madame Pomfrey appeared from behind a curtain, and she frowned seeing Krystal.

“I don’t think he’s up for a visitor yet, Miss O’Connor,’ she said, coming forward and stopping Krystal.



The young woman stared at the nurse, saying, “What do you mean? He’s usually fine to see me now.” She saw the uneasy look on the woman’s face and felt a bolt of fear shoot through her. “What’s happened? Is he alright?”

“I don’t think Mr Lupin would object to a visit from Miss O’Connor, Poppy,’ came a voice from behind the curtain.

Krystal saw Albus Dumbledore walking towards her, a soft smile on his face as he reached her side.

“He will be fine, Krystal,’ he said soothingly, seeing the scared look on her face. “He has had a tough time of it though. He is very battered and bruised, so be prepared when you see him.”



Krystal looked up at him, then moved quickly to the curtain, parting it. She felt faint when she saw the person lying on the bed. Her knees wobbled a little and she lost her breath for a moment, as she took in his injuries. There was barely a spot on his face, arms or bare chest that wasn’t bruised and cut. She felt Albus move so he was standing behind her.

‘Albus?’ she whispered, an unasked question in her voice.



“It is not unusual at this particular age, for lycanthropes to become more violent,’ he told her. ‘It’s hormonal. Remus’ body is changing, his hormones and sexual drive are changing - therefore, so is the wolf’s. He has no one else, nothing else to take his frustration out on, so he takes it out on himself.’

He paused, looking down at her. ‘It may get worse before it gets better,’ he warned.



He put his hands on her shoulders. “He may sleep for a while. Madame Pomfrey knows you have permission to stay as long as you like tonight, but I would like you to go to classes tomorrow, if you can. He’ll have a lot to catch up on and he’ll need your help.”

Krystal nodded, moving to the side of the bed and pulling a chair up as close as she could. She took Remus’ hand carefully, trying not to hurt him further.



The adults left, pausing in the doorway to the nurse’s office. “Do you think it’s a good idea to encourage this, Headmaster?’ said the nurse.

“He recovers quicker when she is here, does he not? She makes him feel stronger; she wants to be here,’ he said. “Their friendship isn’t inappropriate.”

“Not yet,’ she interrupted. “You and I both can see where this friendship is headed, Albus. The way they look at each other; touch each other…’

“Love will find a way, Poppy, whether we keep them apart or not,’ he said, looking back over to his young cousin. ‘They are sensible young adults. They are good for each other. Lets just concentrate on that for now, and worry about the other later.”



Krystal was sitting in the chair, still holding Remus’ hand four hours later when he stirred.

“Krys?’ he croaked, his eyes slowing focusing on her.

“Hi,’ she said, trying to disguise her concern.

His hand moved to his throat, and she guessed what he wanted, grabbing a glass of water from the side table for him. She helped him to sit up a little and held the glass to his lips. When he’d finished, she sat back down in the chair next to him, clasping his hand in both of hers again.



“Sorry,’ he said, his voice still rough, but stronger.

“For what?” she said, stroking his hand, trying to offer comfort to him.

“You told me to take it easy,’ he said slowly, and she smiled.

“Well, I am pretty pissed at you, and if you hadn’t already beaten yourself up, I might have done it for you,’ she said softly.

His eyes closed for a second then opened again. “Bad?’ he asked.



Krystal nodded. “Yes, you are,‘ she said, with a smile which faded as she spoke again. “You did a good job on yourself, Remus. Broken arm, broken collar bone, broken nose, fractured cheek. You have lots of bruises and a few pretty decent cuts. Lucky for you chicks dig scars.’

She was trying to keep things light, but felt her lip tremble as she rattled off his injuries, biting it to keep it under control.



“Doesn’t hurt,’ he said, with a frown, stretching his limbs cautiously.

“Madame healed the bones and cuts straight away, and she’s given you some smokin’ pain potions. I’m surprised you woke up before OWL’s,’ she teased. He tried to smile, the corners of his mouth turning up.

“You should go. Get some sleep,’ he said, his eyes drifting shut again for a moment. She felt her lip tremble again at the thought of leaving him like this.

“Not a chance,’ she said. “I want in on those pain potions next time Madame brings them around.” He looked at her and squeezed her hand.



“Come here then,’ he said, trying to move on the bed.

“I am here,’ she said, with a frown.

He shook his head and moved again, laying his hand on the mattress, saying, “Here. Please, Krys. I need you closer.”

And he did. Remus felt weaker than he ever had before, and scared. Very scared about the amount of damage he‘d done to himself. He needed her; to feel her near him; to have her hold him. He couldn’t think about whether it was the right thing to ask, he just needed her.



Krystal flushed a little but smiled. ‘Isn’t that inappropriate interaction?‘ she teased, kicking off her shoes. Despite that fact she would get her butt kicked by the nurse, she had no intention of saying no to him. She could see how scared he was; could hear it in his voice.

‘You’ll get me in trouble you know,” she said softly as she carefully climbed onto the bed and lay on her side next to him.



’Roll over,’ she whispered, helping him. She wrapped her arm around his waist, curling her body against his back, feeling heat rush through her. Laying her head next to his on the pillow she asked, ‘Is this ok?’, worried she would hurt him.

‘Mmm,’ he said, his eyes closing for longer this time as his hand found hers on his waist and bought it up to his lips, kissing it. “Better.”

He turned his head a little towards her, holding her hand to his chest. “Thanks Krys,’ he whispered.

She smiled and put her other hand over his eyes, gently closing them. “Go to sleep, Remus,’ she ordered, softly.



She felt his body relax and knew he’d fallen asleep. Krystal lay with her forehead pressed against his back, reassured by his heart beat under her palm and the rise and fall of his chest.

‘He’s safe now,’ she told herself. But she still couldn’t bring herself to go to sleep, watching over him all that night.

She ignored Madame Pomfrey’s disapproving stares each time she came to check on Remus, and her heavy hints that she should go back to her room. Krystal only fell asleep in the early hours of the morning, when the dark sky began to turn grey as the dawn approached.



Madame Pomfrey woke her a few hours later so she could go to breakfast with her classmates. They had both moved in their sleep, Remus now on his other side facing her; their arms around each other, her head nestled into his shoulder.

‘How is he?‘ Krystal asked a little embarrassed at the position she had woken in. She climbed off the bed carefully so as not to wake Remus. He mumbled a bit in his sleep as she slipped out of his embrace, frowning before his face relaxed again.

‘He’ll be fine. I’ll probably let him go back to classes tomorrow,‘ the nurse responded, looking at her as she tiredly rubbed at her eyes. She handed Krystal a potion, telling her it was a Pepper up solution.

‘You look exhausted, Miss O’Connor. This will help.“

Krystal drank it gratefully, instantly feeling more awake and energetic. She thanked the woman and gave Remus a quick kiss on the forehead. She left to shower in her room before classes.



She told the others how bad he had been this time, and was startled to see the a grin cross Sirius’ face before he saw her watching. The day dragged, Krystal getting turned away from the infirmary at lunchtime to let Remus sleep. After a quick dinner, she made her way back up the stairs, yawning widely. She heard a laugh from the top of the stairs, and looked up to see Remus standing there.

“Tough night?’ he asked, with a grin.



A smile broke across her face as she ran up the rest of the stairs and threw herself at him.

“You’re feeling alright?’ she asked, her mouth next to his ear.

She felt his arms tighten around her waist, pulling her flush against his body. ‘Yep, I’m all better now,’ he said, in an unusually flirty, very Sirius-like way.

She felt heat rush through her body at his words and his touch and, feeling a little light headed at the sensation, she released him, feeling his hands slowly slide around to her hips and stop there, keeping her body close to his.



“You look a lot better,’ she said, trying to keep her tone light, and ignore her suddenly pounding heart.

“Madame Pomfrey gave me a talking to about the inappropriateness of girls in boys beds before I left,‘ he said with a laugh, making her smile.

’Yeah, I got a few of those last night,’ she said.



He looked into her eyes and his smile faded. “She told me you stayed with me all night. And that you were awake every time she came in to check on me,’ he said softly, staring at her with a strangely intense expression. ‘Thank you, Krys.”

She took a deep breath; the way he was looking at her made her feel weak.

“That’s what friends are for aren’t they?’ she asked, suddenly feeling overwhelmed.



Sirius became her unlikely saviour, seeing Remus and running up the stairs.

“Hey, I was coming to see you,’ he said, noticing the tension, but choosing to ignore it for now. His news was too big.

“That project I’ve been working on,’ he said, finally seeing Remus look at him, dropping his hands from Krystal‘s hips. “We had a bit of a breakthrough. Come and see.” Remus smiled, distracted from Krystal, which suited her right now.

“See you both later,’ she said hastily, continuing onto the common room, unaware of both boys watching her as she walked away.



Sirius sighed. “Her ass really is….”

“Perfect,’ broke in Remus, surprising Sirius as well as himself by his slip.

“So, the crush is still going strong then?’ Sirius asked, as they followed her at a distance.

Remus sighed this time, and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know,’ he admitted for the first time. “I think ……I think it might be a bit more than a crush now.”



Sirius stopped and looked at him. ‘You’ve really got it bad for her, haven’t you?” he marvelled.

“I get a, you know, almost every time I’m around her,’ Remus confided, a little embarrassed but feeling like he needed to talk about it.

“A hard on?’ questioned Sirius, grinning and copping a swat across the arm for his trouble.

“Yes, alright. Jeez, Sirius, could you have said it any louder?” Remus complained, looking around to make sure no one else was nearby.



He sighed again. ‘It’s not just that though. I feel….I don’t know…..strange around her. Like I can’t breathe properly.’

“Why don’t you tell her?’ Sirius said, his voice suddenly serious. “Maybe she feels the same way?” But Remus shook his head.

‘No way!’ he said firmly. “She’s always telling me what a good friend I am. I guess I’d rather be a good friend then nothing, and I’ll just have to…”

“Jerk off a lot more?’ suggested Sirius as they reached the portrait hole.

Remus laughed, and followed him up to their room, seeing Krystal was not in the common room.