Fire and Water

Lots of UST in the next couple of chapters but hang in there - the sex is coming soon.



Chapter Nine



Remus opened his eyes slowly, feeling as if he needed another couple of hours sleep. He groaned softly, closing his eyes again as he rolled over, and bumped into something soft and warm. Opening his eyes again quickly, he looked right into Krystal’s sleeping face, startled until he remembered why she was in his bed. He felt a little awkward: his suggestion that she sleep with him had been the result of little sleep and much concern. ‘And,’ he realised now, ‘not necessarily a good idea.’

This epiphany came as he felt himself getting hard as he looked at her.



Ignoring his physical discomfort, he folded his pillow under his head so he could see her face better. He had never had the chance to watch her like this; uninterrupted, and in private. As he lay there, he stared; taking the opportunity to look at her as much as he wanted for a change.

‘She’s so beautiful,’ he thought, not for the first time, as she stirred a little, frowning in her sleep, before her face relaxed again. She was laying on her stomach, her head resting on her hand, and turned towards him. He could smell her hair, and the scent of the soap she used, and he felt himself twitch.



A lock of hair had fallen over her cheek when she moved, and he couldn’t help himself. Reaching out, he gently moved it off her face, pushing it behind her ear, his thumb stroking her cheek softly. She moved again, and he hastily removed his hand. She sighed and her tongue slipped out of her mouth to wet her lips, before she again was still.



He watched her mouth for a moment. Would she wake up if he kissed her - quickly, lightly? For a few seconds, he was very tempted just to lean over and press his lips to hers, only restraining himself with the thought of how she might react if she did wake. She’d never trust him again.

‘And,’ he thought. ‘If I am ever lucky enough to kiss her, I would like her to be awake.’



By now he was so hard he was hurting and his breathing was fast and irregular. He got out of bed, trying not to disturb her. He pulled the curtains tight, and made his way to the bathroom, turning the shower on and stripping quickly.

For a moment he let the water wash over him, closing his eyes against the sudden tightness in his chest. He felt surprisingly emotional, and close to tears. Breathing deeply until the feeling had gone, he grasped himself and stroked firmly, bringing himself to the edge quickly, and, with a soft moan, he came, Krystal’s face in his mind.



His breath came in bursts, and his heart was racing. Leaning against the shower wall, he stood for a while, letting the water wash away the mess he’d made. He still felt a bit shaky, and was confused about what was going on in his head. It was a very intimate experience, waking up alongside the girl he fantasised about.

‘I guess that’s what’s wrong with me.‘ he decided. ‘That and the need for a few more hours sleep.‘

He reached for his soap, and quickly washed, drying off and dressing.



When he slowly opened the curtains around his bed, he was surprised to see Krystal look up at him from the pillow, still laying on her stomach. He smiled at her, closing the curtains behind him. She looked a little disorientated, so he guessed she’d only just woken up.



“Hi,’ he whispered, sitting back on his bed.

“Hi,’ she echoed, staring up at him, as if she’d never seen him before.

“You alright?’ he said, lying down next to her on his side, so he could talk to her without waking the others. She nodded, her eyes wide, watching him in a way that made his chest begin to ache again.

“I didn’t have any nightmares,’ she said, her voice a little husky from sleep.

He smiled, saying, ‘That’s good. Do you feel better?”

She frowned, “Kind of,’ she said. “Not as tired anyway.”



She didn’t tell him that she was feeling really strange, having woken up in his bed. It felt too intimate: as if a line had been crossed, and they couldn‘t go back.

She had a lump in her throat and swallowed hard to try and move it.

“Krys…?’ he said, and she could see the worry in his face.



She shook her head, trying to tell him to leave it. He reached out and put his hand on her arm, as she realised just how close he was to her, feeling heat spread through her body. Her face flushed as she also realised she was staring at his mouth.

Quickly she looked away, but he grasped her chin in his hand, and turned her face to his.

“Krys…,’ he said again, his voice low and deeper than usual, his breath coming faster as his eyes slipped to her lips.



A rattling noise made them jump and they both looked up to see Sirius’ grin fade and his eyes widen as he saw them. Remus’ sat up and shook his head urgently, putting his finger to his lips, trying to warn Sirius not to say anything. Sirius nodded, and said loudly, “Oops! Sorry Remus, I’ll just leave you to finish up.”



Remus stared at him, horrified and Sirius grinned, winking at Krystal as he closed the curtains. He heard Sirius tell James that Remus was ‘learning more about his body’ and his face turned bright red. He heard a muffled laugh from Krystal and turned to see she had buried her face in his pillow, her shoulders shaking with laughter. Remus cursed under his breath, calling Sirius names that made Krystal shake even harder as she tried to muffle her giggles.



The strange moment between them was put to the back of their minds, but not forgotten, as Krystal, under the Invisibility Cloak, went back to her room. She pulled off the Cloak, startling Lily as she came out of the bathroom.

“Where have you been?’ her friend asked.

Krystal sighed and told her everything, including the intense moment they’d shared before Sirius interrupted them. Lily seemed to find this exciting, rather than confusing as Krystal had, and clapped her hands together.



“I bet he was going to kiss you,’ she squealed.

Krystal felt a shiver down her back, but shook her head. “I don’t know, Lily,’ she said, frowning.

“Did you want him to kiss you?’ Lily asked, her green eyes looking at Krystal shrewdly. Krystal looked at her friend. “I think I did,’ she admitted, with a small smile, which faded quickly as a thought hit her.

“You don’t think he knew I wanted him to kiss me, do you?’ she said, flustered.

Lily shrugged, and said, “Maybe that’s not a bad thing, Krys. Maybe you two should sit down and talk about this.”



Seeing Krystal’s head shake negatively, she decided to lay it on the line. “Krystal. You really like him, you want to be more than friends. If he really was going to kiss you today, then he must feel the same way. Tell him,’ she said firmly, standing up and giving her friend a hug. “What have you got to lose?”

Krystal looked up. “Our friendship, Lils. I couldn’t stand losing him, don’t you understand? I can’t tell him.’ She blinked, standing as well. “I’d rather keep what we’ve got, than lose it all.”



Sirius didn’t get a chance to talk to Remus until break, pulling him aside after DADA. “Well?’ he asked.

Remus looked around, checking if anyone, in particular Krystal, was nearby. He saw her dark brown ponytail bobbing up and down next to Lily’s red one down the corridor and turned back to Sirius.

“She was trying to stay awake in the common room last night,’ he said hastily. “She was scared. I thought if she wasn’t alone, she might not have the nightmares. Nothing happened.”

Sirius looked at him thoughtfully. “Why didn’t you tell her to get into bed with Lily?’ he asked, mildly.

Remus frowned. “I don’t know,’ he said slowly. “I guess I wanted to be the one to help her.”

Sirius smiled, saying, “And it had nothing to do with you wanting to be close to her? Come on, Remus. Why don’t you just tell her how you feel?”



“Because what if she doesn‘t feel the same?’ Remus said, his voice raising a little.

“I really care about her, Sirius. And I’m attracted to her; ridiculously attracted to her, but if she doesn’t feel like I do, our friendship will be over. I’ll lose her.”

Sirius looked taken aback by his outburst: Remus wasn’t prone to shows of temper. “Remus, what if she does, though? What if she does feel the same?’ he asked quietly.

Remus shook his head. “Until I see any hint that she might feel like I do, I won’t take that chance, Sirius.”



Fortunately, the Fifth Years had little time to worry about anything but study as the OWL exams loomed before them. Krystal spent some time with Severus studying for potions, apologising for neglecting him a little over the last few weeks. He shrugged, telling her he understood.

She watched him as he ran through lists of ingredients, asking her to tell him which potion they were for. Lily had told her she was concerned that Sev was hanging out with some real jerks, who were really into the Dark Arts. She had noticed changes in her friend: he was quieter, and withdrawn.



“What potion would you be making with those ingredients?’ he asked, looking up at her. She started a little; she’d not been listening.

“Um, a…, um, Strengthening Potion?’ she guessed wildly.

He looked at her with a frown. ‘Well, that’s right, but you weren’t even listening, were you?’ he asked accusingly.

“Sev,’ she said. ‘Why do you hang out with those losers?” Severus looked startled, then annoyed.

“They are my friends. I don’t ask you why you choose to hang around with arrogant prat’s like Black and Potter, and their little gang.”

“Sev,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to fight with you. But you are a good person. Why don’t you let everyone see that part of you?‘



He didn’t answer her, and she tried again. ‘They’re horrible, evil little cockroaches, Sev. They’re all into the Dark Arts. You know they’ll end up in Azkaban. You deserve better than that.”

Severus looked at her, his black eyes boring into hers. “I don’t want to talk about this, Krystal. Please, just leave it alone.”

Her jaw clenched, but she nodded, watching him as he looked back down at the textbook.



Everyone was nervous on the first day of exams, Lily and Krystal not eating, instead testing each other for their Charms exam which was straight after breakfast. Remus too was testing Peter, who was still pretty clueless.

James and Sirius, as usual, were ridiculously confident, annoying everyone else by mucking around and talking loudly.

Krystal finally turned to them and said, irritably, “If you two don’t shut up, I’m going to take these sausages and shove them right up…”

But what she would do was lost, as Professor McGonagall stood and asked the Fifth and Seventh years to stay in the Hall for their first exams.



Two hours later, Lily and Krystal were walking together out of the room, wanting some fresh air before their practical Charms exam. They sat under a tree, leaning back against the trunk, immediately opening their textbooks for some last minute practice. Remus watched Krystal from the stairs where he and the other Gryffindor boys were sitting.

He hadn’t had a chance to speak much to her in the weeks since that morning in his bedroom. They’d spent time together studying and chatting casually over meals, but they had not been alone once; both frustrating him and making him feel a sense of relief that he didn’t yet have to deal with how he was feeling. He saw Krystal pointing her wand at a rock, levitating it into the air, and her eyes met his. He smiled, but looked away quickly.



Krystal was practising levitation charms, when she saw Remus watching her. He smiled and looked away. Krystal’s mind went blank and the stone fell to the ground.

‘Great!” she exclaimed, angrily, causing Lily to look at her sharply. “It’s fine,” she said, in answer to Lily’s unspoken question. “Lets just go back in.”



Despite her distraction, she thought she did well in her Charms exam. She was much more confident about her Muggle Studies exam was that afternoon, as her parents had combined the best of both worlds in their home - Muggle and wizarding. She was starving now that her nerves had eased, and she and Lily went to get lunch. The Marauders were already sitting at the table eating. Krystal and Lily slipped into the seats next to Alice, who was sitting next to Remus.



“How did you go?’ she asked, looking up from her food. Lily rehashed all her answers, causing Peter to look up at one point and say, “Oh, no!”

Krystal chuckled a bit at the look on his face, hearing Remus doing the same. She looked at him, and he smiled.

“Did you go alright?’ he asked, over Lily and Alice’s heads.

Krystal nodded, asking, “You?” He nodded as well, then turned to answer Sirius, who had just asked him a question about Muggle transport.



Several hours later, the Fifth years were sprawled around their common room, all with text books open in preparation for Potions the next day. Lily, undisputed Potions know it all, had been testing Krystal, Mary, Remus and Peter most of the evening. James and Sirius flicked through their books for about an hour, occasionally asking each other questions but mostly just lying around. Peter yawned, setting the others off, making them all laugh. They said good night, going to their rooms to get ready for bed.



It was late when a terrified scream woke the Gryffindor students. The boys fell out of bed quickly, grabbing their wands and running downstairs, where they saw some of the older students already there.

‘What’s going on?’ said James in a panicked voice.

They shook their heads, one of them saying, ‘We can’t get up the stairs to the girls‘ dormitories, they’re enchanted.” But as he spoke, the Head Girl came down the steps.



“It’s alright, one of the girls had a nightmare. Pressure of exams,’ she said, but Remus felt concern flood him.

“Krys…,’ he said softly as the older boys moved back upstairs, as the Head Girl, Kelly, came into the room, her eyes coming to rest on Remus, who she recognised as a prefect.

“You’re Remus, aren‘t you?’ she asked, looking at the remaining boys.

“Yeah,’ he said, a little startled.

“Come with me, please. The rest of you can go back to bed,’ she said, turning and pointing her wand at the stairs. James and Peter headed back up the stairs to their dorm, but Sirius lingered for a moment, his brow creasing in concern when he caught Remus’ eye.



When Remus stepped on the stairs to the girls‘ dorm, they didn’t collapse as they usually did. He followed the seventh year girl to a room near the top of the tower.

“This is my study,’ she said. She opened the door and he saw Lily crouching on the edge of a sofa. She turned when she heard the door creak open, and Remus saw a shaking and sweaty Krystal curled into the corner, her head on the armrest, eyes strangely blank.

He pushed past the Head Girl, crouching down in front of her.

“Krys?’ he said, feeling panic rising in him. She didn’t respond, and he turned to Lily. ‘What happened?’



Lily shook her head, her green eyes glistening with tears. “She was tossing and turning and begging someone to stop. Then she went stiff, and screamed. We were trying to wake her up for ages, but she wouldn’t. She won’t talk, I don’t think she knows we are here.”

Kelly stepped forward. “I think I should get Professor McGonagall…” but Remus shook his head.

“No. I know what’s wrong. Just let me stay with her for a while. Please?’ he added, seeing their hesitation.

Kelly nodded, saying, ‘Alright, but I’ll be back soon.” She put an arm around Lily and led her from the room.



Remus turned back to Krystal. “Krys, it’s me. It’s alright, sweetie; he can’t hurt you here. You’re safe.” He stroked her hair, talking in soothing tones to her until he saw her blink and her eyes began to refocus. She looked at him, and her face collapsed.

Remus quickly moved so that when she began to cry, he was holding her, cradling her in his lap. She sobbed into his chest, all the fear and anger she’d been holding onto that had never been completely acknowledged came to the surface and bubbled over.



They remained like that for some time, long after Krystal had cried herself out. Remus was still stroking her hair, her head on his shoulder, legs across his lap. Kelly had been and gone, deciding it was best to leave them as whatever Remus had done was working. Finally, Krystal tilted her head so she could look up at Remus’ face.



‘Sorry,’ she whispered.

He frowned and looked down at her. “Don’t be silly,’ he scolded her, putting both arms around her now.

“You should go to bed, I’ll be alright now. We’ve got exams tomorrow,’ she argued, her voice still cracking.

“Not a chance,’ he whispered, and he kissed the top of her head. “Go to sleep, Krys. I’m not going anywhere.” She moved her head and looked at his determined face.



She smiled a small smile. ’Lie down, then,’ she said, pushing at his side. He moved until he was lying on his side on the couch. She lay down next to him, facing him. She put her arms around him and nestled her head into his chest. He smiled into her hair, putting his arms around her and pulling her close, holding her until he felt sleep take her; only closing his own eyes when he was sure she was asleep.



Kelly woke them the next morning, the older girl blushing a little when she saw them entwined. Krystal and Remus had no embarrassment though, feeling closer than ever after the night. There was none of the awkwardness or discomfiture of the previous occasion they had woken up together. Instead, there was a new feeling to their friendship, it felt deeper, more mature. And a flirtatiousness and energy surfaced; one that had always been simmering but never really acknowledged or allowed to grow.



Four days later, the DADA theory exam was their next to last, and after they came out of the hall, Krystal and Lily joined some of their friends by the Great Lake to get some sunshine and fresh air, before their practical later that day. Lily sat next to Krystal, watching her friend turn her face up to the sun, silently envying her ability to tan, not burn as she did. They heard a commotion from up near the castle, and turned their heads to see James and Sirius in the middle of the action, as usual.



“What are they up to?’ Lily said, annoyed. She still hadn’t warmed to James, although she was civil to Sirius. She got up, feeling that, as a prefect, she should intervene.

Krystal said lazily, “Go get ‘em, Lil,’ before yelping as Lily pulled her to her feet.

“They’re your friends, you can help,’ she said, stalking off up to the castle ahead of her.



Krystal’s mouth fell open when she reached the circle of students. James had Severus on the ground in the grip of a curse. She heard Lily yelling at them, and pushed her way through the crowd to her. She was shocked. James and Sirius had never been so blatant or so public in their dislike for the boy. Peter as usual, was egging them on, but Remus was sitting under a tree, frowning.



Lily yelled at them again, but this time it was Sev, now hanging in the air, that answered back, yelling that he didn’t want Lily’s help, calling her a Mudblood. Shock ran through Krystal, as she looked at Lily, who also looked stunned. She and James shouted at each other, before she strode off angrily.



Krystal looked over at Remus, who was staring at her. Angry that he hadn’t tried to stop the others, she strode forward, grabbing James arm as he tried to pull down Severus underwear.

“That’s enough,’ she hissed at him. He shook her off, but, anger rising now, she forgot her wand, flicking her hand surreptitiously at him and disarming him, Severus falling to the ground.

“Enough, James,’ she said angrily, her eyes glowing a silver colour now. The crowd started to disperse, and James looked at her, his angry expression fading as he saw her face. She glared at him then shot Sirius and Peter a dirty look before following Severus into the castle.



Lily and Krystal sat with the other Gryffindor girls on the train back home two days later, Lily refusing all Sev’s attempts to apologise to her. He’d tried to explain to Krystal that he didn’t mean to insult Lily like that, but Krystal advised him to give her time - it was a lot to forgive. Privately though, she thought that Sev had just bought about the end of their friendship.



Lily was also furious with The Marauders, as was Krystal. She had steered clear of them over the last couple of days of school; even Remus, who had tried, like Severus, to apologise for not stepping in to stop the others. She and Lily spent time together, Krystal comforting Lily as she cried over the loss of her friendship with Severus; joining her in ranting about James and Sirius.



They spent all their time together over the first couple of weeks of the holidays. It was particularly hot, so they spent their days lazing around eating ice blocks, or at the local pool, where Lily met a boy she liked. Krystal felt like a third wheel, inviting Sev over a few times rather than join Lily and her new boyfriend. Remus wrote often, apologising each time, and she found she couldn’t stay mad at him, eventually writing back a week before the end of the holidays, accepting his apology, but telling him that if it happened again, she wouldn’t be so forgiving. Severus was her friend, and she didn’t want to see him hurt or embarrassed like that again.



Three days until the end of break, it was a particularly hot day. Lily had arranged to go to the pool with Krystal, finally giving in to Krystal’s complaints that she never saw her anymore. Krystal had tossed and turned in bed for half an hour, before deciding against sleeping in, figuring the sooner she got to the pool, the sooner she’d be cool.



She stripped and was changing when she heard a soft knock on the door.

“Hang on, she said, reaching around to clip up her bikini top. ’Alright, I’m decent.’

She looked into the mirror to the doorway behind her, and saw Remus standing there, looking a little like someone had smacked him in the face.



Her eyes widened and she spun around. “What are you doing here?’ she asked, a smile breaking across her face at the sight of him.

He blinked several times, and looked down at the carpet, saying in a rush, ‘I’m here to stay for a few days. My dad’s going away for work, and my mum has to go look after my gran; she broke her leg yesterday, and she’s a Muggle, so it takes ages for her to get better. So my mum rang your mum to see if she could keep an eye out for me, and your mum invited me to stay. So here I am.”

She laughed at his rambling explanation and moved closer, surprised when he stepped back.

“What’s wrong with you?’ she asked, confused by his refusal to look at her.

“You’re not dressed,’ he muttered, his teeth gritted tight.



She looked down, remembering she only wore her swimmers; a bright blue bikini that she had to hide from her father. She went a little pink herself, buoyed a little by his reaction to her and reached over to grab the tank top she’d slept in, slipping it quickly over her head.

“Better?’ she asked, with a grin as she saw him look up at her.

“No,’ he said, with a loud exhale. “But I might be able to get a sentence out now.”

She smiled a little shyly at his words as he stepped forward and gave her a quick hug, feeling his temperature rise for reasons that had nothing to do with the hot day.

“Mum didn’t tell me you were coming,’ she said, letting him go.

“It was late when my mum rang last night. We don’t know a lot of adults who are like us, and my parents were starting to freak out when they thought of your parents.”



He sat on her bed, watching as she moved to her dresser and rummaged around.

“They were ready to let me stay home and just ask your mum to check up on me occasionally, but your mum said I should come and stay here.’

He was trying unsuccessfully not to watch her barely covered ass as she bent over to pull out the bottom drawer. His lip curled into a smile, even as he bit back a groan. Was she deliberately doing this to him? His heart leapt at the thought.

‘Is that alright?’ he asked. ‘That I stay? I know you were mad at me…’



“Yeah!’ she said, standing up and spinning around, holding some clothes in her hands, not seeing Remus quickly raise his eyes to her face. “Of course it’s alright. You’ve never stayed over before. It’ll be fun.”

She pulled the shorts on over her bikini bottoms as she spoke, Remus getting a glimpse of her stomach as she fumbled with the zipper.



He closed his eyes, wondering how he was going to get through three days of this without jumping her. When he‘d regained a little control, he opened his eyes again, and immediately wished he hadn’t. He caught her swapping her shirt, revealing the incredibly small bikini top she was wearing; but more interestingly, the expanse of lightly tanned breast above the top.



‘She’s always been comfortable with me, but this is ridiculous,’ Remus thought.

Either she didn’t realise he was a member of the opposite sex (and a teenaged one at that), or she was trying to give him a heart attack. He felt heat rushing to his groin and decided to excuse himself before she noticed his condition.

“I should go and sort out my bags. I’ll see you in a minute. When you’re not trying to drive me crazy,’ he said, muttering his last sentence under his breath, so distracted by his own frustration that he didn’t notice Krystal’s eyes slide down to his ass as he left the room.



Krystal was eating breakfast when Remus finally came down. “Breakfast, Remus?’ Mrs O’Connor said, turning to him with a smile.

“Thanks, Mrs O’Connor,’ he said a little shyly, as she put scrambled eggs on a plate for him.

“Spending the day studying, Krys?’ her father asked, looking at his daughter with a grin on his face as he took a drink of juice.

“Of course, daddy,’ she answered in a dutiful voice, her eyes wide and innocent. He laughed, then went back to his paper.

“Did you bring swimmers?’ Krystal asked Remus. “Lily and I are going to the pool today - to study.’ She glanced at her father, who snorted, and stood up.

“Lucky you did well in your OWL’s my girl,’ he said, giving her a kiss on the head. He kissed his wife, and waved at Remus then left for work.



“Krys, Lily rang earlier…” her mother began, but Krystal cut her off.

‘Let me guess. She can’t go - the boyfriend wants to do something else.”

Mrs O’Connor smiled sympathetically and shrugged, walking through to the laundry.

“Lily has a boyfriend?’ Remus asked, thinking that James was going to go off his head. “It’s a summer fling, that’s all. He’s a Muggle,’ she said, grumpily, then smiled as she looked at him. “Oh well, you and I can go by ourselves.”

“Um, I didn’t bring swimmers,’ he said, positive he didn’t want to spend the day looking at her in that bikini. His body would explode.



“You must have some shorts you can wear,’ she said, refusing to take no for an answer. She stood up and collected their empty plates and washed them quickly.

“Come on. Let’s go look,’ she said, dragging him by his hand up the stairs. She had him dressed and ready in minutes, and in no time they were walking through the gates of the pool.



They found a quiet spot to leave their stuff and Krystal stripped down to her swimmers. “Come on!’ she called, as she ran to the pool and bomb dived into the water, getting a warning from the lifeguard on duty, and many admiring looks from the younger men. She laughed and waved at Remus, who took his shirt off, and dived more sedately into the pool. The water was freezing against his hot skin, and as he surfaced, he swore loudly, getting a dirty look from the same lifeguard.



Krystal giggled as she sank beneath the water, surfacing slowly closer to him. She had gotten a good look at him after he took his shirt off, and was feeling a little warm. His chest had broadened and the muscles in his stomach moved under his skin in a way that made her hot. When he’d left her room earlier, she couldn’t help letting her eyes fall to his ass, feeling a swooping feeling low in her stomach.



“Do you do laps?’ he said, moving towards her.

“No. That would require expending precious energy and I don’t see the need for that,’ she said, lazily, letting herself float on her back.

He bit his lip, seeing her as close to naked as she could get in public. He ducked under the water, holding his breath as long as possible, trying to distract himself. When he came back up, she was watching him.



‘I can beat that,’ she said, taking a deep breath and duck diving under the water, giving him a look at her cute butt, making him smile. He timed her using the watch she’d given him, surprised that she was staying under so long. She popped up right in front of him, gasping for air.

They compared times, Remus keeping his eyes averted from her heaving chest, until she said, impatiently, “Would you please look at me?”



He sighed loudly, and looked at her, determinedly keeping his eyes on her face.

“Is there a problem?’ she asked, sinking down until the water was just under her chin. “Not if you stay like that for the day,’ he mumbled.

‘What?’ she said, frowning.

“No. No problem,’ he said, with a smile at the look on her face.



“Good,’ she said, ducking under the water quickly, and he felt his legs get pulled out from under him. He sank under the surface, coming up quickly, with a cough. He saw her laughing, and swam towards her, catching her foot as she tried to swim away. He pulled her towards him, and pushed her down, under the water. He felt her kick his legs and his knees buckled, his own head sinking under as well.



They resurfaced together, Krystal grabbing him around the shoulders and leaning heavily on him, forcing him back under the water, until his hands found her waist and tickled her. His head popped up and he saw her laughing. She wriggled as she tried to get away from him, but he wrapped his arm around her to hold her, continuing to tickle her with the other.



He stopped as he felt her wriggling begin to effect him, but kept his hands resting lightly on her waist. Her arms tightened around his shoulders, as her giggles subsided. She let herself float in the water, her body bumping against him gently.

‘You don’t play fair,’ she complained, when she could talk properly again.

“You can talk,’ he retorted, speaking before he thought. “Look at what you’re wearing.”



She looked at him, startled. He blushed as a grin spread across her face.

“You like it?’ she said, a different light flickering in her eyes now. ’My dad hates it.’

“I can see why,’ he mumbled, a little grumpily, avoiding her question.

She went red, as her smile broadened. He shook his head, laughing a little.

“Blue doesn‘t suit you at all,’ he said cheekily, before he ducked under the water and grabbed her around the legs, lifting her up and out of the water and throwing her back through the air. She screamed, but came up spluttering and laughing. She ran her hand over the water, sending a spray into his face. He retaliated, and they splashed each other until the lifeguard came over and told them to stop. Remus laughed when Krystal poked her tongue out at the man, and left the pool; the lifeguard’s eyes watching her the whole way.



They spread their towels out and lay in the sun, talking about their OWL results, which were very similar, and what they’d been up to during their holidays so far. Krystal thanked Remus again for her birthday present - a beautiful crystal butterfly.

‘I thought of you when I saw it,’ he told her, trying not to look directly at her. She was lying on her back, and he was on his stomach - uncomfortably aware of her body next to his.

‘Butterflies always seem to be moving, even when they’re on a flower, their wings are fluttering. Reminds me of you: never able to be still.’ He looked down meaningfully at her feet, which were tapping against each other.



She laughed and rolled onto her stomach, bumping into him. As she wriggled back onto her towel, he saw the cleavage her tiny top revealed and groaned audibly.

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, as she stilled.

He shook his head. ‘Nothing,’ he fibbed, feeling sweat break out on his forehead. Krystal smiled at him, and put her head down on the towel, closing her eyes. Letting out a breath, Remus did the same, not able to stop himself staring at her for a moment.



Her face had thinned a little, he realised, and her hair was nearly past her shoulders again. He was very close to her and he could see a few faint freckles spread across her nose. Smiling a little, his eyes slipped down to her lips, and he couldn’t help wondering again what they would feel like under his. Feeling a tightening in his groin, he tore his gaze away, sighed and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on anything else.



Krystal heard his sigh and opened her eyes. He was facing her, his eyes closed. She allowed her eyes to wander over his face, noting the small changes that had taken place over the past month. His light brown hair was longer, hanging past his collar now. His jaw was firmer, squarer, and slightly rough. There was a maturity in his face now; it had completely lost any boyish quality it had previously contained. She swallowed hard when her eyes moved to his mouth; her own going dry as she thought how easy it would be to lean over and kiss him. Feeling a heat low in her belly, she frowned.



‘What are you frowning about?’ he asked softly, startling her. Flushing, she looked up at him, wondering how long he’d been watching her looking at him. She shook her head, feeling flustered.

‘Nothing. I, um, I’m just hot. I’m going back into the pool,’ she said, pushing herself to her feet and walking back to the pool, not hearing his soft curse as he watched her, his eyes wandering over her curves.

‘You‘re hot, alright,’ he said to himself, as he stared at her legs.

‘She was looking at my lips,’ he realised with a slight smile. ‘Maybe this thing isn’t so one sided anymore.’



He pushed himself to his feet as she slid into the water.

’I need cooling down as well,’ he thought as he quickly moved to the water, jumping in and sinking to the bottom, before pushing himself back to the surface. Krystal shook her head as he hit the water, having admired his arms and chest before he jumped into the pool.

‘He‘s going to drive me out of my mind,’ she thought to herself.