Meant to Be

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Chapter Eight



The next morning, Remus‘ lips were making their way over Jess‘ stomach when there was a loud knock at the door.

‘Shit!’ he whispered, stopping his progress to look up at Jess, who sat up quickly, also with a curse.

‘Get my clothes,’ she whispered, jumping out of bed. He quickly scooped them up and handed them to her, kicking her shoes under his bed.

‘You’d better get some pants on,’ she said quietly with a smile as she headed for the bathroom. ’Or whoever that is will think they’re getting lucky.’

Remus shook his head at her, grinning as he grabbed his pants and pulled them up, willing his erection to disappear.



The knock came again and he called out, ‘Yes, just hang on a minute, please.’ Doing up his fly very carefully, he unlocked the door and opened it enough to see out.

‘Severus,’ he said with a frown, noticing his erection deflated quickly at the sight of the man. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘I’ve bought you your potion, Lupin,’ said the dark haired Potions Master. ‘I will be occupied later so this was the most convenient time.’ He looked down at Remus’ bare chest with a raised eyebrow.

‘Thank you, Severus,’ said Remus, taking the potion off the other man. ‘I’m feeling a little tired today so I had a bit of a sleep in.’

He could see Severus trying to see past him into his room and shifted so he could close the door.

‘Was there anything else?’ he asked, and Severus shook his head.

‘Thank you again then,’ he said, closing the door quickly.



He waited a minute, then opened the door up to check that Severus had actually left. He wouldn’t put it past the man to hang around if he thought there was something amiss.

He was gone, and he shut and locked the door, calling out, ‘Jess,’ softly. The bathroom door cracked open and a fully dressed Jess poked her head out.

‘All clear?’ she said quietly, coming out of the room when she saw him nod.

‘Severus bringing my potion,’ he told her, holding up the smoking goblet. Jess screwed up her nose.



‘Ugh!’ she commented, bending over and searching under his bed for her shoes. ‘It smells disgusting.’

Remus grimaced and agreed. ‘It is disgusting,’ he said, then took a large gulp. He made a face then drank the rest of the potion fast. ‘But it helps.’

He coughed a little then grabbed a glass and filled it with water. Jess watched him drink the water as she put her shoes on.

‘Anything that makes it easier for you,’ she said with a smile.



She stood up and stretched. ‘I should go and get some breakfast.’ Remus shook his head, swallowing the last of his water.

‘Hang on,’ he gasped as he put the glass down. He moved swiftly over to her and grasped her around the waist, moving backwards until they fell back onto the bed. Jess laughed and he kissed her hard.



‘Good morning, gorgeous,’ he mumbled against her lips, smiling down at her.

‘Morning,’ she said, grinning back. ‘That really didn’t go according to plan, did it?’ He gave a muffled laugh.

‘One more night,’ he said, his mouth moving down to her throat. ‘Then we can sleep as long as we like; do it wherever we like for almost two weeks, without worrying about being caught out.’

Jess smiled and said, ‘It sounds like heaven.’

‘Yes it does,’ he agreed, then groaned as she pushed him off her.

‘And now, I’m going to breakfast before we are missed,’ she said, standing up.

‘God, how did you become the mature one in this relationship?’ he said, crankily. ‘I’m the older and supposedly more sensible one.’

Jess laughed and blew him a kiss. ‘Maybe you’re having a mid life crisis, old man?’ she suggested, slipping out the door quickly when he threw a pillow at her.



After breakfast, Remus walked slowly back to his room for a rest. Jess had insisted he rest today to prepare for his transformation that night. She went for a walk, rugging up in a jacket to wander around the snowy grounds. She’d reached the lake when she heard a throat being cleared softly.

‘Good morning, Miss Cooper,’ Professor Snape said quietly when she spun around.

Jess let out a relieved breath when she realised it was a teacher, even though Severus Snape was far from her favourite teacher.

‘Morning, Professor,’ she said with a smile.

‘Getting some fresh air?’ he said, moving closer to her. Jess felt a little uncomfortable alone in the man’s presence, but felt it would be rude to leave abruptly.

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I’m leaving soon for the holidays so I thought I might have a break from study for a while.’

He nodded and stopped right next to her.

‘Your Potions marks are adequate,’ he commented, looking amused at her raised eyebrow. Her Potions marks were perfect. ‘But I have heard you are taking extra Defence Against the Dark Arts classes with Professor Lupin. I thought students sorted into Ravenclaw house were supposed to be intelligent.’



Jess’ frown deepened and she narrowed her eyes. The way he said Remus’ name was like he was describing something disgusting, and his insult to her made her temper rise.

‘Well, thankfully, Professor Lupin doesn’t share that attitude and agreed to help me raise my marks,’ she said a little angrily.

‘Yes,’ he said, staring at her with his black eyes. ‘I’m sure that Professor Lupin has been very…attentive to you. I was wondering…did you have a tutoring session with him last night?’

Jess’ felt like her insides had frozen and she swallowed. ‘No,’ she said firmly. ‘I did talk to him briefly about the theory behind the Patronus Charm for an essay but it is the holidays - for teacher’s as well.’

‘Mmm,’ he said, turning back towards the castle. He took a step then turned back to her.



‘You wear an unusual perfume,’ he commented, his eyes boring into her. ‘Quite distinctive. Gardenias?’

‘I don‘t know, I‘m afraid,’ she said warily. ’I just like the smell. I haven’t really thought about the particulars. I can give you the name of it if you would like some for yourself.’

The corner of his mouth curled up and he said, ‘It’s strange. I thought I smelt the same scent in Lupin’s room this morning.’

Jess’ jaw tensed, but she tried to look puzzled. ‘They are a lovely flower,’ she said with a shrug. ‘I’m sure there are many people in the castle who enjoy the scent. I’m going for a walk before it gets too cold. Goodbye Professor.’



Jess forced herself to walk for the next hour, cursing Snape. She wondered why he had such resentment towards Remus and, as soon as she thought enough time had passed, she headed back to the castle and knocked on Remus’ door.

‘Jess,’ he said with a smile when he answered. He’d obviously been asleep and she felt a fresh irritation at Professor Snape.

‘Hi, Professor Lupin,’ she said, hoping he’d get the hint and not think she was playing like yesterday. ‘Could I talk to you in your classroom for a minute?’

He frowned then nodded. ‘Of course, Jess,’ he said, taking her cue. She turned and walked down the stairs, Remus following, pulling on a shirt.



‘What is it?’ he asked, leaning against his desk, his expression concerned.

‘I just spoke to Professor Snape,’ she said quietly, sitting at a desk. ‘He was really interested in our tutoring sessions. And what kind of perfume I use.’

Remus frowned and let out a frustrated breath. ‘Git!’ he said angrily, standing up. ‘I should have known he’d try and poke around in my business.’

‘He doesn’t seem to like you very much,’ she commented and he almost growled.

‘No,’ he said. ‘He hates me; he always has. He’d love to get something on me to get rid of me.’



Jess looked a little taken aback by the animosity in his voice. ‘You’ve known him a long time?’ she asked and he looked over at her.

‘Since we were at school,’ he told her. ‘He hated me and my friends and took every opportunity to get us into as much trouble as possible.’ He sighed loudly and walked closer.

‘Does he know?’ he asked and she shook her head.

‘He suspects there is something going on, but he’s not positive what it is or whether it really does involves me,’ she said. ‘He was fishing, but I don’t think he was put off by me not giving him anything.’



Jess bit her lip and frowned. ‘Look, maybe going to your place isn’t such a good idea,’ she reluctantly said. ‘Both of us disappearing on the same day…’

Remus swore and shoved his hands into his pockets. He glared at the floor for a few moments then looked back up at her.

‘Unless you go now,’ he suggested, coming closer. ‘You could go to my place today and I’ll come tomorrow. We won’t be leaving together that way.’



Jess stared at him, thinking. ‘You don’t mind me being in your house by myself,’ she asked, relieved he’d thought of a solution.

He smiled and said, ‘I’ve got nothing to hide. It’s the best way I think, Jess. And I’ll have a word with Snape.’

‘Do you think you should?’ she said and he nodded grimly.

‘This has been a long time coming, honey,’ he said. ‘Listen, you should pack and leave soon. Bring your stuff here and you can Floo to my house through my fire place. I’ll join you late tomorrow.’

Jess nodded and stood up, saying, ‘I’ll get my stuff.’ She gave him a smile and left.



Remus took a deep breath through his nose and tried to push away his anger. He left the classroom and walked to Snape’s private room in the dungeon’s and banged on the door. ‘Lupin,’ Snape said snarkily when he opened the door. ‘To what do I owe the pleasure?’

‘We need to have a chat, Severus,’ Remus said firmly, and Severus raised an eyebrow.

‘I can’t imagine what we would have to talk about, Lupin,’ he said and tried to close the door.

‘Jessica Cooper,’ Remus said and the door opened again to reveal Snape’s smirking face.



‘So she went running to tell you about our conversation?,’ he said. ‘Interesting.’

‘No,’ Remus said, pushing past the man to stand in his room. ‘She came to me to tell me she no longer required extra tutoring,’ he said with a glare. ‘When I asked her why, she told me that she was concerned that some people were getting the wrong idea about the amount of time we spent together.’

‘Or perhaps, the right idea,’ Snape interrupted.

Remus clenched his jaw and glared at him. ‘I’m also giving Malcolm Spencer and Carrie Lewis extra assistance, and Harry Potter will be taking additional classes next term,’ Remus snapped. ‘Are you going to be chasing them down and hinting about inappropriate behaviour?’



‘You’re very defensive, Lupin,’ said Snape, leaning arrogantly against the door way. ’Jessica is an attractive young woman. And you are spending a lot of time with her. Rumours begin with less provocation.’

‘I’m not defensive, Severus,’ he retorted. ‘I’m angry that a student who needs help feels she can’t ask for it because of your dirty little mind. I’m giving Jessica extra classes at Dumbledore’s request and there is nothing untoward going on. And I don’t appreciate the accusation.’

Snape just stared at him and Remus knew he wouldn’t give up. ‘Think what you will, Severus,’ he said, walking back through the door. ‘But back off the students. If you have a problem with me, be enough of a man to confront me about it.’

He left, seeing Severus’ angry face as he did.



Jess was waiting in his room and stood up when he walked in. ‘It didn’t go well,’ she guessed, seeing his face.

He slammed the door shut behind him then walked swiftly over to her and kissed her hard.

‘Remus,’ she gasped, pulling away from him after several seconds.

‘He is such an ass,’ he said, pulling her back to him. ‘Don’t worry about him, Jess.’

‘Alright,’ she said. ‘Just like you aren’t worrying about him.’

She felt his tense shoulders relax a little and he pulled away, looking down at her with a small smile.



‘He can’t prove a damn thing,’ he said. ‘We just have to be very careful.’

Jess frowned and nodded. ‘I should get out of here,’ she said, moving towards the fireplace. ‘We can talk about this later.’

He nodded and she stood in the fireplace. ‘Ready?’ he asked and she nodded.

He threw down some powder and green flames burst into the air. He called out the name of his house and Jess disappeared.



Remus sighed. He couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to be with Jess, but if Snape kept this up, they may have to stop seeing each other until she finished her NEWT exams.

‘I should stop this anyway,’ he thought. ‘If I was any kind of mature, sensible person, I’d let her finish her exams then we can be together without hassle.’

But the thought of seeing her every day but not being able to be with her made his stomach twist unpleasantly.

‘We’ll be careful,’ he told himself. ‘Very careful. Unless we’re caught in the act, no one will be able to prove what’s going on - no matter how suspicious they are.’



His transformation that night went as expected and he spent the next day resting. He awoke very late in the afternoon, stretching and grimacing when his muscles complained. As he dressed, all he could think about was getting to his home to be with Jess. He smiled when he thought of her waiting there for him and suddenly just needed to be with her. Stepping into the fire place, he threw down some powder and Flooed to his house.



Remus slid out onto the floor and brushed the soot off his clothes. ‘Jess?’ he called, as he looked around.

He grinned when he saw several bunches of flowers scattered around his sparse living room. Sniffing, he smelt something delicious and made his way to the tiny kitchen. He saw Jess stirring a pot on the stove, earphones in her ears, wriggling her ass to some unheard music. Standing in the doorway, he watched her for a minute, warmth flooding through him at the sight of her in his kitchen, cooking for the two of them. Despite his fatigue, he was becoming aroused watching her: it was warm in the house, and she was only wearing a pair of his boxer shorts and a tight thin strapped singlet that clung to every curve of her body.



She turned around and saw him, gasping and jumping back.

‘Shit, Remus,’ she said, ripping her earphones out and putting a hand to her chest. ‘You scared the hell out of me.’

He smiled at her and she grinned back, moving quickly to him and jumping into his arms, wrapping her arms and legs around him and kissing him. Remus caught her and responded enthusiastically, groaning when her tongue ran over his. His hands moved under her ass to hold her and he pressed her against the door way, continuing to return her heated kiss.

‘God, I get hot when you kiss me like that,’ he mumbled against her lips. She grinned and pushed her groin against him.

‘All you have to do to make me hot is be in the same damn room,’ she whispered.

Her lips moved from his, to his cheek and neck and he groaned again. How could he have ever thought he could give her up - even for a little while?



‘Oh,’ Jess gasped, tearing her mouth away from him and letting her legs drop. She moved quickly back to the stove and stirred the stew again, then tapped the burner off with her wand.

‘This is ready if you want it now,’ she said, then felt his arms around her waist.

’You know, I could get very used to coming home to a greeting like that,’ he said. He kissed her neck and Jess smiled, turning in his arms.

‘How did the transformation go?’ she asked, a slight frown on her face when she saw his pale one.

‘It was fine,’ he said, kissing her forehead. ‘Same as always.’

‘You look exhausted, Remus,’ she said softly, stroking a hand over his face. ‘Have some dinner and I’ll run you a hot bath after.’

She tried to move out of his embrace but he held her tight. ‘Thank you, Jess,’ he whispered, holding her face and kissing her gently. ’I’m not used to having someone look after me.’

She smiled then cleared her throat. ‘You should sit,’ she told him. ‘I’ll get our dinner.’



He grinned and sat down, watching her get them a couple of bowls of the food and sit next to him, warning, ‘It’s only stew and I’m not a great cook, so keep your expectations low and we should both survive this.’

Remus laughed and tasted the stew, screwing up his face. Her mouth opened in horror before he grinned.

‘It’s good, Jess,’ he assured her, and she laughed, smacking him on the arm.



They ate, talking about what Jess had done the night before.

‘You had no food,’ she berated him. ‘So I went to the shop and stocked your cupboards - we won’t have to leave the house at all unless we want to. And I got some flowers - just because I like flowers.’

Remus smiled at her. ‘Give me the receipt,’ he said. ‘And I’ll make sure you get the money back.’

She looked a little startled. ‘No,’ she said, matter of factly. ‘It’s fine. I’m eating the food as well, and the flowers are for me.’ He still looked mutinous and she put her spoon down.

‘Remus, I don’t know if I mentioned this, but I’m loaded. I don’t need the money back. I don’t want the money back. Consider it a Christmas present if you like.’



Remus was still frowning but nodded. Jess took her plate to the sink then disappeared into his bathroom. When he finished his food he made his way in there as well.

‘Bath,’ she said with a smile, turning the taps off. ‘Get in and relax. I’ll clean up.’

‘Aren’t you going to join me?’ he asked, blocking her way.

Jess laughed. ‘Remus, you look like you’re having trouble staying upright, I don’t think you’re capable of much more than a bath and bed tonight, but…’

She moved over to him and started to undo his buttons. ‘I can help you get ready for your bath.’

She grinned and slid his shirt off his shoulders, kissing him softly, letting it grow as her hands moved, swiftly removing his clothing. When she was finished, she moved him to the bath and pulled away, smiling when she heard him groan.

‘In,’ she said, gesturing to the bath . ‘I’ll go clean up.’

She smacked him on his bare ass as she left the room and smiled when she heard his laugh.



He got into the bath, sighing a bit as the hot water relaxed his sore muscles. A grin crossed his face as he lay there. If he’d ever felt this content before, he couldn’t remember it. Half an hour later, he got out and wrapped a towel around himself, looking for Jess. He found her reading a textbook in his bed, and slid in next to her.

‘I didn‘t say Merry Christmas,’ she said, letting the book drop to the floor before rolling over and stretching.

‘Merry Christmas to you too,’ he murmured, moving over her and kissing her. The soft kiss turned into a make out session until they were breathing hard and their hands were roaming all over, ridding each other of her clothes and his towel.

‘This wasn’t supposed to happen,’ Jess whispered, then moaned as Remus’ fingers sank into her body. ‘You’re too tired.’

‘I don’t feel very tired,’ he mumbled, then rolled them over so Jess was on top of him. ‘But just in case, maybe you should be on top.’



Jess smiled and quickly moved, letting him slide slowly inside her until he was completely encased in her body. They both closed their eyes at the sensation and were still for a few moments before Jess began to move slowly. Their breathing got more and more laboured and Remus sat up, grasping her head and kissing her with shaking lips.

‘You feel so good,’ he moaned into her mouth and he heard her murmur an agreement. He knew he was close.

‘Jess...’ he said warningly but, when he heard her cry out and felt her body tensing, he let go, their cries of pleasure mingling in the air.