Fire and Water

A few more chappies to go before the shagging starts but when it does, they don\'t want to stop! Enjoy some sexual tension until then and maybe an accidental kiss or two? Oh, and Krystal touches herself in a bad place!

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Chapter Eight



James and Peter were sitting on the edge of Peter’s bed when Sirius and Remus walked in.

“Finally!’ James said, jumping up. Peter stood a little more slowly, grinning. Remus looked at their animated faces, getting a little excited himself.

“Have you done it?’ he asked, looking at them.

“Not quite, but we’re nearly there,’ said James, pushing Remus back until he sat down on the bed.

“Ready?’ he asked, and Remus nodded. He looked at Sirius and Peter, who nodded as well.

‘You go first, James,’ Sirius said.



Closing his eyes, he adopted a strained expression, concentrating hard. For a moment, nothing happened, and then…..

”Oh my god!’ Remus exclaimed, stunned. “You’ve got antlers, James!”



And so he did - enormous horns had sprouted from James’ head, and his face had changed, broadening and growing coarse hair. James grinned and changed back into himself.

Remus grinned broadly. “That’s amazing! You’re a stag?’ he said, bouncing a bit on the bed.

James nodded, and Sirius stood up now, saying, “Wait till you see me!”



He got a similar look to James on his face, and soon he was shrinking, and black, shaggy hair sprouted from his skin. The bottom of his face elongated, forming a muzzle, before he quickly changed back.

“A dog?’ Remus said, smiling when Sirius nodded.



Remus turned to Peter. “What about you, Pete?’ he said, knowing Peter had been really struggling with the task. Peter stood up.

“I can only change a little,’ he warned. He stood where James and Sirius had before him, and screwed up his face tight. After several seconds, whiskers appeared, and his head began to shrink. His face appeared rodent like, before his head blew back up to it’s normal size.



Remus was surprised Peter had done so much work. “Are you a mouse?’ he asked, unsure of whether Peter realised he might eat a mouse when he was transformed.

“I think he’s a rat,’ said James, as Peter sat beside him. “Which will come in handy, because he’ll be able to get under the Willow to press the knot to stop it killing us.”

Remus looked at his friends, who were watching him, waiting for his reaction.

“Thank you,’ he said, again feeling incredibly grateful. “I don’t know what to say…”



They all grinned, Sirius saying, ‘I hope we’ll be ready for the next full moon. Krystal said you were pretty bad after this one, it should help having us there.”

The conversation turned to what they could do during the full moon, Remus beginning to get excited about the possibility that he might not have to go through this alone for much longer.





“Can I tell Krys yet?’ he said, wanting to share his excitement with her. James and Sirius glanced at each other, James grinning.

“Make her swear not to tell anyone,’ Sirius warned, smiling slyly at Remus.

“She won’t,’ Remus promised. He looked at his friends again. “I can’t believe you guys did this for me!”



An hour later, Remus flopped down next to Lily on the couch in the common room. “Hey!’ she said brightly, looking up from her reading.

“Hi,’ he replied, looking over at her. ‘What are you reading?”

She held up the book so he could see the cover. It was the book he gave Krystal for her birthday.



‘Krys lent it to me,’ she explained, opening it back up. “She made me read the story about the dragons, and I got hooked.”

Remus smiled, and looked around. “I was looking for her,’ he said. ‘Do you know where she is?”

Lily gave him an odd look, before she said, “Oh, I think she went to bed. She was pretty tired.”

He nodded, disappointed but understanding she must be exhausted.



“She stayed with you all night, huh?’ Lily said, flicking casually through the pages of the book. Remus had told Lily about his problem after she’d confronted him with her suspicions one day.

Remus looked over at her, a little alarmed. ‘ No one noticed she was missing, did they?’ he asked, thinking of how quickly it would get around the school that they were both out of their beds last night.

“No. I knew she’d be gone for a while, of course, and when her bed wasn’t slept in this morning, I guessed she’d managed to sneak around Madame Pomfrey.“

Lily bit her lip and looked at him, as if she was trying to make up her mind about something.



“She doesn’t sleep the night of the full moon, you know - not ever. And she gets pretty upset about your injuries, Remus. Normally she doesn’t say anything, but I can tell she’s thinking about it. This morning: she was a mess when she came back from the hospital wing, and I made her tell me what was wrong. She really cares about you,’ she said.



She opened her mouth again, but shut it quickly, seeming to think better of what she was going to say.

“I didn’t know she was still that worried about me,’ he said, unhappy that Krystal was upset, but a small part of him was thrilled that she cared so much.

Lily gave him a small smile, and returned to her book, as Remus stared into the fire, his mind whirling.



Lily walked into the girls’ bedroom a little while later, seeing Krystal practicing wand movements, her hands moving so fast they were a little blurred.

“Hey!’ yelped Lily, as Krystal nearly poked the wand into her eye.

“Oh, sorry Lil,’ Krystal said, a little breathlessly. She was sweaty and breathing hard. “Are you alright?’ said Lily, seeing a funny look in Krystal’s eye as she resumed her movements.

“Hmmm,’ responded Krystal, jabbing at the air, then spinning around to bring her wand above her head. Lily caught her arm.

“Krys, what are you doing? You should be resting, you must be tired,’ she said, keeping hold of her friends arm. She had never seen her friend so hyper.

Krystal shook her head. “I tried. I can’t sleep.”



She pulled her arm out of Lily’s grasp and moved over to her bed, throwing herself down on it. Lily sat next to her, waiting.

“What’s wrong with me, Lil?’ Krystal said, turning her head to look at her friend. “I feel so strange around him now.”

Lily smiled. “I assume we’re talking about Remus?’ she said, lying down next to her friend.

Krystal nodded, and put an arm over her eyes, which was, Lily knew, a sure sign that she was hiding her emotions.



“I feel like I’ve got butterflies in my stomach all the time, and when he touched me tonight, I actually got weak in the knees. God!’ she said, frustrated. “It is just so horribly clichéd. I get all hot, and I kind of ache all over. And I mean all over, Lily. I couldn’t sleep, I kept thinking about him touching me, so I tried to distract myself. I thought if I did something physical, it would stop it, but I think it made it worse.”



Lily rolled over and removed Krystal’s hand from her face. “Krys, I think I know what will help you - at least with the physical issue.”

Krystal listened with some trepidation as Lily explained what she should do, and how best to do it.

‘It might help you sleep - it did me,’ she said, with a shrug.



It was late that night when Krystal decided to try Lily’s suggestion. She hadn’t been able to get to sleep; every time she closed her eyes, she felt Remus’ hands around her waist; his body pressed up against hers. She didn’t know when she’d developed this crush or whatever it was on her friend, but it was really inconvenient. She shook her head. If she didn’t do something, she’d be a zombie soon.



She moved her hands to under her pillow to get the little tube of oil Lily had given her. She put a little on her fingers, and moved them under the sheets, slipping them into her underwear. Leaving her hand resting on herself for a moment, she took a deep breath. Slowly, she moved her lubricated fingers, until she found the spot Lily had told her about. She knew she’d found it, because as her fingers brushed over it, she felt a shot of electricity, and the ache she’d been feeling all night increased. She ran her fingers over the little bump again, gasping as her hips lifted.



Her other hand crept under the sheets and she pulled her underwear off quickly, needing more to ease the pressure she was feeling. Instinct took over as her fingers searched and found heat, Krystal groaning a little as she slipped a finger into the warmth, adding another after a minute. She kept circling a finger around the now hardening bump that was bringing her so much pleasure, as her fingers slid in and out of her core.



Her breath was coming faster now and her hips were moving frantically, working against her fingers. She felt like she was nearly at the end of her tolerance, when, unbidden, an image of Remus using his fingers on her this way entered her mind. She gasped and felt something break in her. She shuddered hard and felt herself tighten around her fingers. Her body spasmed, her hips jerking uncontrollably as waves of pleasure washed over her.



She eventually came back to reality, breathing hard as if she’d been running. Her body relaxed now; the ache gone.

“Shit!’ she muttered, wondering why she hadn’t thought to do this before. No wonder Lily had so often woken her up at night moaning.

“Better?’ she heard Lily whisper behind their drawn curtains, and she felt her face redden in the dark.

“Shut up, Lily,’ she mumbled, rolling over to the sound of her friends’ gentle laughter.



“So’, said Lily the next morning with a grin.

“Alright, you were right. I fell straight asleep after,’ admitted Krystal, reaching for a piece of toast. The girls were sitting at the very end of the dining table, heads close together so no one overheard them.

“So, now you know you’re…turned on, by him, why don’t you do something about it?’ Lily suggested.

Krystal frowned, “I thought I did,’ she said, buttering her toast.

“No. You did something about your frustration. If you told him…” she began, but Krystal dropped her toast and shook her head violently.

“No! No way, Lily. And you can’t either,’ she said frantically, her voice low. “He’s my best friend Lil, apart from you, and I don’t want to change that.”

“Oh, Krys,’ said Lily, in a gentle voice. “When you start imagining him when you….you know, things have already changed.”



“What’s changed?’ came Remus’ voice from behind them. Krystal and Lily both looked up sharply, Krystal’s face reddening.

“Nothing,’ they both said at once, turning back to their breakfasts. Remus looked a little surprised, but said nothing, sitting next to Lily and grabbing some cereal. Lily finished her meal, disappearing to get a forgotten book from their room, and Remus slid across to sit next to Krystal, their arms touching briefly.



“I was looking for you last night. I wanted to tell you about something,’ he said, his skin prickling as it came into contact with hers.

Her face was still red, but she forced herself to treat him as she always had. “What did you want to tell me?’ she asked.

He shook his head. “Not here. Come up to my room after dinner tonight, and we’ll show you.”

“We will show me what?’ she asked, warily.

He grinned. “You’ll love it, I promise,’ he said eagerly, his smile, as usual, winning her over.

“Alright, but it better be good,’ she teased, relaxing a little.



“Holy shit!” James’ favourite profanity came, not from his mouth, but Krystal’s, as she watched the boys partial transformations into animals.

She grinned, staring at them in amazement. “And you did this so you could go with Remus at the full moon?’ she said, stunned by how much they cared about their friend. They nodded and she found herself unable to talk.



‘Oh my god, said James, smiling at her. “She is actually speechless.”

They all laughed, and Krystal jumped up, hugging and kissing each boy in turn.

“You are wonderful, wonderful boys,’ she enthused. Peter went bright red when she hugged him, but James and Sirius hugged her back, Sirius trying to get her kiss to land on his lips.



She spun around to look at Remus, who had been standing next to the bed, watching her closely for her reaction.

“Aren’t you excited?’ she said, her face glowing as she bounced on her heels. He laughed at her enthusiasm.

“Yeah, I’m excited,’ he said, wishing she had given him a hug and kiss as well.

“So, does this mean you won’t get as hurt, if you’ve got company?,’ she asked, moving closer to him, a hopeful look in her eyes.

“Maybe. I don’t know; I’ve never done this before.”



He was still concerned that he would hurt his friends unknowingly and, although he was ecstatic that he would have them with him, part of him wished they had never done this for him. He looked at Krystal and saw that she knew what was wrong.

“Did you just..” he stopped, remembering the others. He’d asked her in their Third Year, when his crush was starting to get serious, to not deliberately read his mind.

“No. I promised I wouldn’t. I guess I just know you,’ she said with a smile and a shrug.



The others looked at them, confused. “Can you two speak English?’ James asked. Remus shook his head, wanting to change the subject.

“It’s nothing. If all this is about me, how come I didn‘t get a hug?’ he said, pretending to pout. Krystal grinned, and grabbed him around the waist, feeling her libido raising it’s head hopefully. She tried to push it aside and enjoy the feeling of his arms around her shoulders.



She pulled away reluctantly after several seconds, and his arms dropped off her shoulders.

“When will you be completely ready?’ she asked the smirking boys sitting on the bed, moving to sit on Remus’ bed opposite them.

“Hopefully, next full moon, although we still have a ways to go,’ frowned Sirius, with a quick glance at Peter.

Remus sat next to Krystal, who seemed to have calmed down. “I can’t believe you did this,’ she said, all of a sudden bursting into tears.



Remus looked surprised, having not seen her actually cry before, not even after the attack on her last year. ‘Krys….,’ he began.

“It’s ok,’ she said, covering her face. “I’m just…” She shook her head, unable to describe how she felt knowing that Remus might now be safer.

Remus looked over at the others, then put his hand on her knee. Suddenly he knew why she was crying, and he couldn’t stop the hopeful feeling that rose in his chest.



She looked up, wiping her cheeks. “I take back every bad thing I’ve ever said about you lot,’ she said, looking at the three confused boys across from her.

Remus laughed, as did Sirius and James, Peter still looking a little scared of her outburst.



“When did you say anything bad about us?’ said Sirius standing up, and moving to stand in front of her, hands on hips, winking at Remus.

“I might have uttered a few curses occasionally, but I take it all back,’ she said, starting to smile through the tears as she saw James come up behind Sirius.

‘And you’ll never say anything bad about us again?’ James asked, smiling at her.

“Never - well, not for the rest of the week,’ she said, feeling Remus’ hand leave her knee as he turned around to face her.



“Not good enough, I’m afraid,’ said Sirius, shaking his head sadly. He lunged at her, hugging her tight and blowing a raspberry on her face.

She laughed, and yelled, “Yuck, Sirius! Ok, the rest of the term!’

James grinned now. “Still not good enough,’ he said, throwing himself on her and Sirius, earning giggles from her when he began to tickle her.

Remus laughed, as Krystal yelled, “The rest of the year! I…” her words were swallowed up by her laughter as Remus grabbed her ankles and tickled her feet.

She screamed as she laughed and jerked her legs up, knocking Remus off balance. He landed on James, and knocked the four of them over onto the bed, sending them sprawling across the covers.



Peter shook his head as laughing calls of ‘Ouch!’ and ‘Get off me, James’ came out of the huddle, then the sound of a gasp followed by a hand slapping skin and Sirius’ voice saying, ‘Oops! Sorry Krys. Didn’t realise that was there.’

Krystal pushed him off her and sat up, glaring at him. ‘That’s where they’ve always been Sirius,’ she said, shaking her head at him as he grinned.

Remus also glared at Sirius as he stood up, grabbing her hand and pulling Krystal to her feet.

‘I should go,’ she said, stepping over James who had slid off the bed when Remus stood up. ‘I’ve got to do my Potions homework yet.’ She waved at the boys who were all grinning broadly.



Remus still held her hand as they walked towards the door, neither of them noticing the other boys watching them closely and smirking.

‘Do you want a hand?’ he asked, not wanting her to go yet. She grinned and gave a little laugh.

‘You’re just as hopeless at Potions as I am, Remus,’ she said. ‘I’ll try and convince Lily to take pity on me. Thanks though.’

They walked out onto the stairs outside the boy’s bedroom when Krystal suddenly turned and hugged him hard.



‘Are you alright?’ he asked, putting his arms around her.

‘God. I’m so embarrassed,’ she said, shaking her head against his shoulder. ‘I must have looked like such an idiot…’

‘No you didn’t,’ he said, running his hands up and down her back. ‘Lily told me you still worry about me at the full moon.’

‘Lily’s got a bloody big mouth,’ she muttered, but he heard her and smiled.

‘She was worried about you, Krys,’ he replied. ‘I am grateful you’re concerned about me, but I wish you wouldn’t worry so much. You’re going to make yourself sick.’

‘I’m fine,’ she said, breaking their embrace. ‘I’m glad that you might not get so hurt once they start going with you.’



She looked up at him and smiled. ‘You might actually have fun running around with them.’

Remus laughed and shook his head. ‘I don’t know about that, but it’ll be nice not being alone. I wish you could come.’

The last words slipped out and he flushed. Krystal smiled. ‘I’m thinking they wanted this to be a boy thing,’ she said. ‘But it would be fun.’

Her smile faded. ‘I’d have to watch you transform though wouldn’t I?’ He nodded and she frowned.

‘I don’t know if I could do that,’ she said softly, a pained look on her face. ‘I don’t know if I could stand seeing you in that much pain.’



Remus swallowed hard, fighting the urge to lean over and kiss her, reaching out for her hand instead, squeezing it hard.

‘I should go now,’ she said, a little breathless from the look on his face. ‘Homework.’

He nodded and she turned, letting his hand slip away from hers. She walked down two steps then turned back, moving swiftly back to him and hugging him again. Remus was taken aback but put his arms around her, lowering his head to rest against hers.



‘Are you sure you’re alright, Krys?’ he whispered near her ear.

She nodded and pulled away. ‘See you tomorrow,’ she said, rising on tip toe to kiss him. He turned his head as she did and her lips landed on his mouth instead of his cheek. She pulled away as if electrocuted. Remus looked a little stunned.

Krystal’s mouth opened then closed as she decided to pretend it was no big deal. ‘Night,’ she said, running down the stairs, hearing him call ‘Night!’ after her.



Remus touched his lips, still tingling from where her mouth had touched his.

‘God,’ he said, realising he was as hard as a rock from the tiny kiss. He breathed deeply for a moment or two, then turned back into the room, seeing the others jumping back onto their beds, trying to look as though they hadn’t been eavesdropping. Glaring at them, he went to the bathroom to shower, quickly relieving his lingering problem under the water. The other’s were in bed when he got back and he quickly got under his covers.

There was a few moments of silence, then Sirius said, ‘You want her soooo bad!’, making James and Peter snigger and even Remus couldn’t help smiling in agreement.



It took until just before the Easter holiday’s for the boys to finally be able to join Remus during his transformations. The day after, Krystal was relieved to see everyone in one piece, Sirius telling her all about what they got up to the night before. Remus was less bruised and battered, and much more cheerful when she visited him in the infirmary before leaving for the break.



Her parents were invited to a party on the last night of the holidays, and made Krystal join them. They pulled up the drive of a huge house, Krystal a little in awe as they walked through the entrance hall. She was standing with her parents when she felt a tap on her shoulder, turning to see Sirius behind her. They said hello and hugged, Krystal introducing him to her parents. Sirius pulled her aside, his face losing the smile he gave her parents.



“Krys, you need to go,’ he said, looking at her seriously.

‘Why?’ she asked, curious. He frowned, about to answer when he was distracted by something over her shoulder. She turned to see what he was looking at, and felt as though someone had thrown cold water at her.



Lucius Malfoy was walking towards them, Dolohov and another boy with him. Krystal felt her mouth go dry, and she started to shake. She felt a hand on her arm, pulling her towards a door. She felt cold as Sirius shut the door behind them, blocking them from view.



“Are you ok?’ he asked, bending a little so his face was directly opposite hers. She nodded, swallowing hard. He looked worried, so she tried to smile.

‘I’m alright. It was just a surprise,’ she said, pushing down her fear. Still frowning, he straightened, still holding her shoulders.

“Krys, you should get out of here. You don’t need this crap,’ he said angrily. She looked up at him, touched by his concern.

“It’s fine, Sirus, really. Mum and Dad are having fun. Maybe I can hide out in here the whole time.”

He laughed. “I will if you will,’ he said, grinning. She heard the dare in his voice and decided to take him up on it. She sat on the couch in what looked like the sitting room, and he flopped down next to her.



They spent the next hour and a half talking, telling each other more about themselves, getting to know each other better than they were able to at school. Sirius told her how unhappy he was at home, and she took his hand as he said he didn’t know how much longer he could stand staying there. Krystal told him about the nightmares she still had about the attack and he put his arm protectively around her, again urging her to go tell her parents and go home. She shook her head, turning to look at him.



“You’re a really great guy, you know,’ she said.

He turned as well, smiling as he said, “Don’t let it get around, ok.”

She laughed, and he frowned, watching her. Her smile faded as he continued to stare at her.

“Sirius….,’ she began, her words cut off as he leant forward and kissed her.



She was surprised and, for a moment, was frozen. His lips were soft and for a few seconds, she allowed him to kiss her, before suddenly, he pulled away, removing his arm and standing up quickly.



“God, Krys,’ he said, running his hands over his face. “I’m sorry, I am so sorry.”

She was still a little shocked, but she stood as well. “Um, it’s ok, Sirius,’ she said, coming around as she saw how upset he was.

“No, it’s not. You…you aren’t one of those girls - the ones I go out with, and I shouldn’t have treated you like one. Shit, I am a lousy friend.”

“Sirius, really, it’s alright. No harm done,’ she insisted, deciding that it was best to forget this happened.



He looked at her, his face pale. “I don’t know what came over me, Krys. I just think you’re beautiful and you were so close and you smell really good….”

She smiled now, and hugged him, feeling him hesitate before putting his arms around her.

“Its fine, Siri. I think you’re gorgeous. But,’ she shrugged. ‘there’s just nothing there.”

He looked down at her.

“Are you sure?’ he said, frowning. “I thought I felt something.”

She recognised that he was teasing her, but decided to resolve the issue once and for all.



She took his face in her hands and kissed him on the lips, letting it linger for several seconds, before pulling away.

“Anything?’ he asked, looking down at her.

“Nothing,’ she answered quickly. She moved away and lowered her head a little so he wouldn’t see her face. There had been a spark, but nothing like the fire that burned through her when she was around Remus.

He sighed. ‘No, me neither,’ he said, looking somewhat guilty. “Luckily! Remus would have killed me…”

He quickly shut up, but not before she’d heard his words.



“Why would Remus kill you?’ she asked, staring at him.

“Ah, well, you know how….um, protective Remus is,’ Sirius invented madly. “Um, he knows how I treat girls, he’d mess me up if I did that to you.’

Krystal looked at him suspiciously, unsure of whether to believe him or not.

‘Come on,’ he said, desperate to change the subject. “We should find your parents”

He dragged her out into the hall, where they found her parents. Ten minutes later they were saying goodbye, Krystal whispering that they probably should forget all about the small indiscretions of the night.



The spark she’d felt when they kissed had confused her for a moment, but she recognised it as a physical reaction, not an emotional one like she felt when she was with Remus. She really did like Sirius. They had become quite good friends, and she was hoping that it could remain that way.



Sirius was relieved, saying ‘thank you‘, and gratefully accepting her offer. He felt enormously guilty for hitting on the girl he knew one of his best friends wanted, and hoped Remus would never find out about it.

But he felt a little sadness as well. He’d felt something when they kissed; something he had yet to feel with any of his numerous conquests. Shaking his head, he told himself to forget it.

‘Plenty of fish in the sea,‘ he thought. ‘Fish that Remus isn’t interested in.‘ He turned and went back to the party.



Her parent’s were waiting in the car, and, as she ran down to them, a hand grabbed her arm, stopping her. She turned and came face to face with Lucius Malfoy.

“You were at Hogwarts weren’t you?’ he asked, still holding her firmly.

She nodded, trying to get her arm out of his grasp, feeling a wave of pure terror wash over her.

“Thought I recognised you,’ he said, his hand tightening a little as his eyes flicked down to her chest.

He let go of her arm. ‘Here,’ he said, handing her a purse. “Your mother forgot this.”



She snatched the purse off him, and ran to the car, shaking as she handed it to her mother. Going to bed that night, she tossed and turned. Every time her she drifted off, she saw Lucius’ eyes harden in anger before he hit her; felt their hands on her breasts, her butt. She crawled out of bed before sunrise, slouching on the couch in front of the television for the rest of the day.



She took a Floo back to Hogwarts the next day, arriving just before dinner. She was so tired, but didn’t want to sleep, fearing that when she closed her eyes, she’d see Lucius Malfoy. Krystal hadn’t told anyone how bad the dreams were. She’d told Remus that she saw them hurting her. She didn’t tell him that she saw them beating her, then raping her before they slit her throat. Shakily, she walked down the Entrance Hall, rubbing her eyes.



She entered the Dining Hall, and sat down next to Sirius at the table. He looked over at her, giving her a smile, before getting a good look at her exhausted face.

“Jeez, you look awful, Krys,’ he said, surprised. “Really tired.”

She smiled grimly back. “Thanks Sirius, way to boost a girls self esteem,’ she said, with no real venom.

“I’m not real hungry,’ she realised, feeling slightly nauseous as she looked at the food. “I’m going up to bed. I’ll see you later.”



She heard him call out to her as she walked out of the dining hall, but didn’t turn back. She just couldn’t be with other people. She felt like curling up in bed and never coming out. She dragged herself up the stairs to the common room, and waved distractedly a the friends who called out greetings. Throwing herself on her bed, she stared up at the curtains, thinking she would just lay here for a minute then get a shower. Her eyes closed, and she fell straight asleep.



Krystal let out a small moan of terror when she awoke in the dark hours later, sweaty and breathless. She’d woken in the middle of the nightmare, frightened. Getting out of bed, she tip toed to the bathroom, making sure she didn’t wake the other girls. She stripped her almost soaked clothes off, and got in the shower, not bothering to turn the hot water on. Scrubbing at her body, she tried desperately to remove the lingering feeling of their hands on her.



She was shivering when she dressed, putting on a t-shirt and pyjama pants and creeping downstairs to a hopefully empty common room. It was deserted, much to her relief. It was just after midnight now, and she curled up in the corner of the couch, shaking and staring at the fire, wondering how on earth she was going to ever go to sleep again.



She was surprised half an hour later, when she heard footsteps on the stairs.

“Hey!’ said a startled male voice. ‘I was looking for you earlier. What are you doing up this late?’ Remus came over to the couch and smiled at her.

“Can‘t sleep,’ she said quietly, as he moved to sit next to her. ’What are you doing up?’

‘Couldn’t sleep either,‘ he said lightly, not mentioning that he’d not been able to sleep as he had been worried about her.

He’d decided to come down to the common room, not wanting to wake his friends with his unrest. He looked closely at her now.

“Sirius was right, you do look awful,’ he said, concern in his voice. “He told me that you saw Malfoy last night. Did you have a nightmare?”



She nodded, so tired she didn’t know if she could form a coherent sentence.

“What can I do to help?’ he asked, worried by her pale face and hollow looking eyes.

She shrugged. “Nothing, I guess,’ she mumbled, laying her head on the arm of the couch and looking at him.

He looked at her for a minute, then stood up. He ran up the stairs, and she sighed, looking back into the fire, willing herself to stay awake.



She was looking at the ceiling trying to count the cracks when she heard him returning. He was carrying a silvery thing in his hand, and as he sat next to her, she could see it was some sort of material. He looked at her, his expression determined.

“You are always there for me when I need you, Krys. I’ll be damned if I won’t return the favour. Put this on,’ he said, handing her the fabric.

She took it automatically and felt cool smooth material under her fingers.



“Is this an Invisibility Cloak?’ she asked, watching as her hand vanished under it.

He nodded. “It’s James’. I pinched it from his trunk just now.”

Krystal looked up at him, surprised. “Why do I need to wear it?’ she asked, putting it around her shoulders and looking down as her torso disappeared.

“Because I don’t want anyone to see you going into my room,’ he said. “It’ll just start them gossiping.”

She stared at him, questions in her eyes.



‘Krys, I sleep much better after the full moon when you’re with me,’ he said, flushing a little as he admitted it. “I thought maybe, since you’re tired and hurt, that it might work for you too. If you want, I mean, if you don’t think it will help….”

She cut him off, drawing the coat around her. “No,’ she said, standing up and smiling at him. “It‘s worth a try.”

She always felt safer around him, even when she was asleep. Maybe it would work.

He smiled, and fixed the Cloak so her feet were hidden. ‘Come on,’ he said, leading the way.



They crept into his room, trying not to make a sound and wake the others. Remus drew the curtains around his bed, and got in, looking up at her as she took off the Cloak.

He shrugged, whispering, “We’ve done this before, you know,” when he saw her hesitation.

‘Yeah, but one of us has always been unconscious,’ she said, with a soft laugh as she sat on the bed.

‘And Madame Pomfrey has been a great chaperone,’ she thought.

This was different: they were in the privacy of his bed now, not a busy hospital wing.



“Pretend I’m unconscious then,’ he replied, pulling her down next to him. “I will be soon enough. Come on Krys, you need to sleep, I need to sleep. Don’t you trust me?”

She sighed, and swung her legs into the bed, pulling the covers over them.

‘Of course I do,’ she said, looking at him.



He smiled. “So, um, how do you want to do this?’ he asked, realising only now how small his bed was with two of them in it. They were going to have to get pretty close and he suddenly wondered how he was going to hide his usual morning erection. He felt a flutter of concern, then decided he was too tired to care right now.



She lay on her side facing away from him, reaching back and pulling him towards her until his arm was laying over her waist. He wasn’t pressed up against her, but he was very close and could feel the warmth of her skin. He closed his eyes, as he heard her whisper, ‘Thank you’ into the dark. Her breathing became even almost immediately, and he felt the tension leave her body. It was only then, he allowed himself to fall asleep.