Practice

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Chapter Nine



Remus’ hands came up of their own accord and he put them on her waist, marvelling that they went all the way around.

‘You’re so little, Em,’ he murmured. ‘I love it. I love how small you are. Makes me feel stronger or something.’

She smiled and pulled his shirt over his head. ‘You like feeling like a macho man?’ she murmured and he chuckled, letting his hands slide down to her hips.

‘I guess I do,’ he said softly then leaned forward to press a kiss against her ribs. ‘Are you scared?’



He looked up at her, his face still resting on her and saw her shake her head.

‘I’m a little nervous,’ she admitted. ‘But I’m not scared. I want to do this, Remus.’

He stared at her for another few moments, seeing the absolute certainty in her eyes. ‘Do you?’ she continued. ‘You’re going to be as stuck to me as I will be to you. Are you sure it’s me you want?’

Remus smiled broadly and nodded. ‘That’s the only thing I am sure about,’ he said softly then stood up and kissed her.

Softly, letting it grow naturally as their hands both went to his pants, working together to undo his fly and pull them down. She pushed him back onto the bed and he laughed.



‘Bossy little thing, aren’t you?’ he said and she grinned.

‘I know what I want,’ she retorted, climbing onto the bed and holding herself over him. ‘You’re an alpha male, aren’t you? When you’re near transforming time? You like to be in control.’ He nodded, she’d been doing some reading, and she smiled.

‘Well, I’ll have to have my way with you while I can then.’

Her mouth fell to his neck and she bit him hard, making him wince. ‘There,’ she murmured, lips shifting down his body. ‘I bit you. You’re mine now.’

Remus closed his eyes when she sucked a nipple into her mouth. ‘I think I was always yours, Jack,’ he mumbled then moaned when she nibbled him.



‘Damn right,’ she whispered as her hand wrapped around his cock. ‘I warn you, Remus. I can be pretty possessive myself. You’re not the only one that might get cranky if I smell someone else on you.’

She stroked him and he growled, both in lust and pleasure at her possessiveness. Emma smiled then lowered her head to him, licking him thoroughly first until he was begging her to suck him. She did and he gripped her head tightly. After several seconds, he pulled her away, taking some deep breaths to try and control himself.



‘I never did get to finish what we started last summer,’ he said, flipping her over too easily. ‘I want to taste you. Properly.’

He held himself over her and looked down. ‘Em, this is it. Once I do this, there’s no turning back. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop it once it’s got your taste.’

‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘I’ve been thinking about this for a year, Remus. Will you just stop teasing me and do it?’



Remus grinned then kissed her, his mouth following a similar path to hers as he found lots of hot spots on her body, memorising each one for future reference. When he trailed kisses up her thigh, he almost lost control, wanting to just crawl inside her, but he paused, fighting down the desire. Emma spread her legs further apart, desperately wanting him to do…something to ease the aching inside her. Remus smiled in satisfaction, a little wolf coming through, as he gazed at her and breathed in her scent. He flicked his tongue at her clit and heard her gasp. Feeling a surge of need, he stroked her firmly, lapping at her then sliding his fingers inside her, first one, then another, then one more as he tried to stretch her a little in preparation for her taking him.



Emma was thrusting her hips up frantically, making little mewing noises in her throat. Instinct was driving him now and he sucked her clit hard. He was glad she’d put a Silencing spell in place earlier when she screamed, grabbing his hair and yanking hard on it as she held his face harder to her. Her clit throbbed under his tongue and her body clamped down hard around his fingers. Remus groaned into her, making sure he lapped up all of her arousal as his cock ached and pulsed, eager to be inside her.



Her body completely relaxed, and he kissed his way over her again, chuckling a little at how limp she was. He licked a nipple and she moaned a little, and he nipped at it, making the nub tighten.

‘You’re going to kill me,’ she whispered hoarsely.

‘God, I hope not,’ he said, kissing her throat and letting his teeth scrape over her skin. ‘I want to do that again.’

Raising his head, he saw her grin and he couldn’t wait any longer. ‘Can I kiss you?’ he asked, letting his lips graze her jaw. ‘You want to taste yourself?’



She blinked then nodded and he crushed his lips to hers, kissing her hard and fast as he felt the tip of his now painfully hard cock nudged the entrance to her body. At the touch, her legs parted further and he moaned against her lips at her willingness to continue.

‘I’ll try to go slow,’ he muttered, shaking a little as he felt her softness around the head of his erection.

‘I’ve got a pain potion,’ she murmured, kissing his chin. ‘Do it.’



He looked down at her and saw the trust in her face. Pressing slowly into her, he kissed her tenderly, not wanting her to only remember the pain. When she was wriggling under him, he clenched his jaw and pushed harder, feeling the barrier break and his cock become encased in her. Emma tensed and bit her lip to hold back the tiny cry of pain that rose involuntarily.

‘Em?’ he asked shakily, the sensation of her body clamping around his almost too much for him.



‘I’m ok,’ she whispered. It hadn’t hurt as much as she thought it would and he felt good in her. It felt right.

‘I fit, Em,’ he said softly, kissing her gently. ‘We fit together perfectly.’

She felt good bumps break out all over her and she smiled, tears rising in her eyes. He knew she’d been worried about his size and wanted to ease her mind straight away. Touched, she tried to cover her emotion. ‘Course we do,’ she said and he smiled, kissing her again as he moved, withdrawing a little then pushing slowly back into her. There was a slight sting, but it felt more good than painful and soon, Emma was moving with him, finding a rhythm that worked as they felt their tension rising until it was unbearable.



‘Em, I can’t wait anymore,’ he gasped then felt her tighten all around him. ‘Fuck, I really want you to come, baby. I want to feel it.’

His words sent a wave of emotion and lust through her and she cried out as she felt herself fall. The second he knew she was there, he joined her, almost howling his pleasure as he came deep inside his mate, a powerful tingle sweeping over them as he claimed her completely as his. Emma felt the warmth from his body flooding through her and unconsciously, gave part of herself to him. She’d given herself willingly - and so became entwined with him. They were mated.



Remus fell onto her, taking several seconds to get himself under control again. Tears were threatening to spill over and he was shaking with emotion as he buried his face into her neck. He’d felt it - the moment they bonded, just after their releases while they were still riding the waves of pleasure. She was inside him now, like they’d melted together and he wondered if she felt it as well.

‘Did you feel it?’ she whispered and he raised his head to look at her. ‘I felt it, Remus.’

She looked a little surprised. She wasn’t sure whether she’d feel their bonding and, in all honesty, had forgotten completely about anything except how frigging fantastic he was making her feel.

‘I did too,’ he said softly, kissing her and smiling. ‘I guess it was real. We’re mated now, Em.’



Emma smiled, a little shakily, at him. He rolled over so he wasn’t squashing her and pulled her close.

‘Are you ok?’ he asked and she nodded.

‘You?’ she returned and he smiled.

‘Yeah,’ he murmured, reaching up to her face and stroking her cheek. ‘That was amazing, Em.’

‘Uh huh,’ she said, sliding her leg over the top of his and wriggling closer. ‘Do you feel different?’

Remus thought for a minute, absently caressing her face.



‘I do,’ he said softly. ‘I feel…like I’ve found something that was missing; something I didn‘t realise I needed until I found it again.’

She stared at him then smiled. ‘That’s it,’ she agreed. ‘That’s what it feels like.’

‘For you too?’ he queried, surprised.

‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘I didn’t think I’d feel anything but I did. I guess it was really meant to be.’

Remus smiled, continuing to stroke her face. They lay there for a long time, just gazing at each other, touching each other gently. It seemed like hours before Remus cleared his throat.



‘I love you, Em,’ he whispered.

Emma smiled, tears making her eyes shine. ‘I love you too,’ she whispered back, leaning over to press her lips to his.

‘Really?’ he asked, his face lighting up.

He’d realised when she’d left two weeks ago that he loved her as much more than a friend now, but was sure she wouldn’t feel the same. Now, not only were they mated, she loved him.



‘Really,’ she said with a giggle. ‘The night before I left, when you told me how scared you were you’d hurt me, I realised how much I loved you. That’s why I left. I got a bit scared myself I guess and I needed time to think. I wanted to be sure about how I felt because I knew that we couldn’t just break up if it wasn’t working. I knew once we did this, it would be “till death do us part” and I had to be sure before I committed.’

‘And you are sure?’ he asked, knowing it was too late now.

‘I am,’ she said confidently and he kissed her.

‘Tell me you love me again,’ he demanded, rolling a little so he was lying across her chest.



Emma giggled and wrapped her leg around him as her arms circled his shoulders. ‘I love you, Lupin,’ she said with a grin and he let out a loud ‘whoop’ of excitement, making her laugh.

He sat up and looked down at her. ‘We should get married,’ he exclaimed and she laughed harder.

‘Oh, yeah,’ she said in amusement. ‘I can imagine my parents when we turn up and tell them that not only did we have sex after they told us not to, we are now mated for life and legally married.’

‘Yeah, my parents might have a little problem with that as well,’ he said with a frown. Then he looked back over at her. ‘I don’t care.’



He jumped out of bed and knelt on the ground, naked. ‘Emma Jack,’ he said, taking her hand. ‘Marry me.’

Emma giggled then lost her smile when she saw he was serious. ‘Are you for real?’ she asked, sitting up and frowning when he nodded.

‘We’re mated, Em,’ he said earnestly. ‘We’re stuck with each other now - for life. We would only be making it legal.’

‘I suppose,’ she murmured, thinking.

When she’d made her decision to sleep with him, she’d accepted the condition that, in doing so, she’d by tying herself to him for the rest of her life. Marriage was only a legal bonding, they already made the commitment.



‘Em?’ he asked and she smiled.

‘Alright,’ she agreed and he looked stunned.

‘You’ll marry me?’ he said and she nodded.

‘Yeah, I will,’ she said, slightly disbelievingly.

He dove back onto the bed and they both laughed then their lips met and for a long time, there was very little talking.



***



The day of Remus’ transformation, a week before they returned for their final year at Hogwarts, they returned home to face the music.

Remus had lied to his parents when he went to meet Emma in London, telling them he was visiting James and Sirius. He’d owled them that first afternoon and apologised for lying and telling them the truth - that he was with Emma and they would be staying away until his next transformation. He didn’t tell them where they were, knowing they’d come after him.



They arrived at Remus’ house, having owled Emma’s parents, asking them to meet them there. When they walked in, it was obvious both sets of parents were furious. Emma tightened her grip on Remus’ hand and he squeezed back.

‘Hi,’ he said and got glares in return.

‘Remus Lupin,’ said his father, standing up. ‘I have never been more disappointed in you.’

Emma frowned and opened her mouth to defend him but Remus shook his head. ‘Just wait, dad,’ he said softly. ‘I have a feeling you’ll revise that statement in a few minutes.’ There was silence then…

‘Tell me you didn’t,’ Mrs Jack said tearfully, looking at Emma.

‘I did,’ she said and her mother started to cry.

‘Mum, please,’ she said, going over to the woman and putting her arm around her. ‘Mum, it’s alright.’



‘You have a connection now,’ the older woman sobbed. ‘What if you want someone else? You’re so young, Emma. How can you possibly make this kind of decision?’ ‘Remus, I can’t believe you’d do this,’ Mr Lupin said. ‘You know that now Emma is tied to you for life. If you really cared for her, you would have never let her do this.’

‘It’s done now,’ Emma said then looked over at Remus. ‘We’re mated and we can’t take it back. We don’t want to take it back. I love Remus, mum. And…’

She looked at Remus for help and he said, ‘And I love Emma. We didn’t just do this because we have no self control. We thought long and hard about it and we wanted this.’

He paused then looked at Emma who nodded. ‘We’re married. We were bonded a week ago at the Ministry of Magic. We’d already made the commitment - marrying just made it legal.’



All four parents looked stunned then Emma’s father, who hadn’t said a word, stood and walked out of the house, slamming the front door behind him. Mr Lupin also stood up, shaking with anger.

‘I cannot believe you two could be so irresponsible,’ he fumed. ‘I can’t talk to you right now.’

He also stormed out, going upstairs. Mrs Lupin looked from one teenager to the other. ‘You’re really married?’ she asked faintly and Remus nodded, moving over to Emma, who stood up.

‘We are,’ she said, looking at her mother, who looked stunned still. ‘I’m sorry that we’ve disappointed all of you but this was a decision only we could make. You couldn’t help and we’ve done what’s best for us.’

‘We are sure,’ Remus added. ‘We would always have been connected and we love each other. We want this. We wanted to be bonded like this. It just happened earlier than we expected.’



The two women sat quietly, not sure what they could say. ‘We know this has been a shock but there really is nothing anyone can do about it now,’ he said. ‘It’s happened. We’re married and we’re mated.’

Mrs Jack winced. ‘Mum,’ Emma said, seeing her mother’s grimace. ‘We don’t expect you to accept this - not right away. But we did hope you’d try to understand.’

Remus could see Emma was getting upset and took her hand, all his protective instincts close to the surface so near to his change. His mate was hurting and he would do anything to protect her.



‘I think we should go and get something to eat,’ he said softly. ‘Give everyone some time to settle down and we can talk later.’

He looked at his mother. ‘I’ll see you later, mum.’

She nodded and he led Emma out of the house, apparating them to the nearby park. Emma sank onto the ground under a tree and buried her face in her hands. ‘Dad wouldn’t even talk to me,’ she muttered and he sat down next to her, putting his arm around her.

‘Baby, don’t cry,’ he said softly, pulling her close to him. ‘Em, honey, it’s ok. They’ll come around.’



She didn’t respond and he gripped her chin, making her look at him. ‘Do you regret this, Emma?’ he asked and she immediately shook her head.

‘No,’ she insisted. ‘I don’t regret it. I just wish our choice didn’t hurt them so much.’

He sighed and put his arms around her, hugging her tight. ‘So do I,’ he whispered.

He hated that his parents were disappointed in him but he loved Emma more.

‘They will get used to this. It was a shock, that’s all.’

She nodded and slid her arms around her husband. ‘Tell me you love me,’ she said into his chest. ‘Make this worth it.’

He raised her face and kissed her. ‘I love you, Emma Lupin,’ he said with certainty. Emma smiled at his use of her new surname and put her head back on his chest.

‘Worth it,’ she murmured.