Dyslexic Heart One: The First

It was Friday. On Friday nights the halls were usually quiet. Most of the teachers considered it a much-needed time to recover from a week of dealing with students. Most of the students considered it a much-needed time to recover from a week of dealing with teachers. There were always a few troublemakers trying to sneak out after curfew, but as midnight neared, the silence was nearly an actual presence, one that disliked being disturbed.


In a long corridor of darkened classrooms, one candle burned. Remus Lupin sat hunched over the desk at the head of the classroom, his quill scratching over the parchment. He corrected mistakes, and added encouraging comments. The candle on the corner of the desk was burning low, and he glanced at it, deciding that he\'d have to get another soon. Or cast a spell on it. He was loathe to move. As long as his concentration was on the papers in front of him, he could almost forget about the pull of the moon. It would be full in the next couple of days. He could feel it, like an ache in his bones, warning him of his impending doom. He lost himself in the next paper as much as he could.

The other disruption of the silent darkness that pervaded the sleeping castle was Percy Weasley, making a point of striding briskly and efficiently on his prefect\'s rounds. Too slow was dawdling, too fast was slapdash; he strove for precision. Competence. Correctness. It was his last circuit of the night and he hadn\'t heard a sound for at least an hour, so when Percy noticed a light glinting from a classroom that by all rights should be empty, he rushed to investigate, flinging the door open, ready to bring the transgressors to justice.

When he saw Professor Lupin grading papers instead, he deflated somewhat. \"E-excuse me, Professor. I was on my late rounds and saw the light and I thought...\"

Remus, startled by the sudden invasion, jumped up, knocking his chair over. He managed to restrain himself from brandishing his wand at the boy. \"Merlin! Percy, you surprised me!\" He took a moment, closing his eyes to calm his nerves. He breathed deep and slow, and cursed the fact that he could smell the boy from across the room.

The teacher\'s dramatic response stunned Percy briefly speechless. Surely it was out of all proportion to a door being opened, even unexpectedly at a late hour? Blinking, he stepped forward. \"I\'m sorry, I just thought that it was students causing trouble when I saw the light... did you knock anything over? Can I help?\"


Remus held his hand out in a blocking motion. \"No, no, Percy, it\'s all right, I\'m just...\" On edge, because it\'s close to the full moon, and I\'m near turning into a ravening beast. \"...tired.\" He sighed, and picked up his chair from the floor, moving to lean against the front of his desk. \"It\'s all right, really. You did exactly as you\'re supposed to. I\'m sorry, I shouldn\'t have reacted like that.\" He gave a small apologetic smile, feeling badly for acting like a fool in front of a student.


\"I. Er. Did fling the door open rather hard.\" Make yourself look like a stammering idiot in front of a professor, that\'s always a good idea. He wasn\'t quite sure what to make of the new Defence Against Dark Arts instructor, and being alone with him felt distinctly uncomfortable. Not that he felt terribly comfortable with most people.


\"Don\'t worry about it, Percy.\" Remus smiled. \"Oh, I was meaning to talk to you about your last essay...\" He turned around to rummage on his desk.


Ah. The paper on nixies. Percy thought he\'d done rather well with that, and frowned, mildly distressed. \"Was the bibliography not complete enough? I know I should have given page numbers for all the quotations...\"


\"Actually, yes, but not quite.\" He picked up the scroll, and unfurled it to a specific line. \"I know all your resources, and I\'m not sure how you came to this conclusion through the information provided in them.\" He strolled towards the boy, scanning the paper for the proper paragraph. Remus was glad for something to concentrate on other than the ripe smell of the boy in the room with him. There was too much wolf on the surface for him to feel comfortable. He gave passing notice to the fact that one candle wasn\'t enough to light the whole room adequately His finger skittered over the parchment at the area he was referring to. \"Right here.\" He pointed, holding it to the light.


Percy leaned close to see the reference being pointed to. \"Oh! I suppose it is a bit of a jump automatically to equate a rusalka with a glaistig... it just seemed like all the reports were identical, so the protective measures that are good against one should work against the other.\" Nervously, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Rusalkas and glaistigs weren\'t nixies precisely, but there were so many similarities it seemed almost negligent not to mention them. Why bother writing about something if you weren\'t going to be thorough about it?


Remus nodded. As he moved to roll the parchment up, his shoulder brushed against Percy. The movement would be unremarkable normally, but Remus was not normal. The heightened state of his senses made him hyper-aware of the movement, and his expression flickered before he could control it. He cleared his throat and took a step away, concentrating hard on rolling the scroll up.


\"Was that... was I drawing a conclusion on too little evidence, Professor?\" Percy leaned close to study his expression, a little anxiously. He could usually figure out what people\'s facial expressions meant if he\'d known them long enough, but he hadn\'t learnt Professor Lupin\'s yet. It was somewhat like a code; everyone\'s was a little different.


\"Oh.\" Remus mentally slapped himself for letting himself become so
distracted. Percy just smelled so... nice. Young... ripe. The fact that the boy was leaning toward him like that was not helping. He looked so eager. He \'slapped\' himself again. \"Yes... but no. They\'re from different climates, so there\'s some differences. We\'ll be looking more closely at the water spirits in a few weeks.\"


\"Will you be bringing in any specimens for practical study? I know an Undine or a Kelpie would be too dangerous, but some of the lesser sprites... although those are closer to Elementals, aren\'t they?\" Babbling. Just lovely. He gave up trying to puzzle out the Professor\'s expression, it was too dimly lit anyway.


Remus cleared his throat, and tried to think past the animalistic instincts. \"There\'s actually a lot of things we can learn from the Elementals...\" The boy was leaning even closer. He placed a hand on his shoulder, to keep Percy from falling against him.


He blinked at the unexpected touch, trying not to jump. It startled him, but for some reason it didn\'t feel as intrusive as such things usually did. My, Professor, what warm hands you have. \"But I didn\'t think Elementals were considered Dark creatures...? Although I suppose it would be hard to know where to draw the line at times.\"


\"Bringing a Dark creature into the classroom when a lesser one would do
isn\'t prudent.\" Remus was very aware that he was still touching Percy. At least he\'d stopped moving forward. The longer his hand stayed on the boy\'s shoulder, the harder it seemed to become for Remus to remove it. This is not appropriate, his mind let him know.


\"But surely if it\'s too inoffensive a creature, it wouldn\'t be taken
seriously?\"


\"The water spirits are not to be taken lightly.\" Remus\' gaze moved slowly over Percy\'s face, drinking in the soft boyish lines. He was a seventh-year, Remus knew, but he looked younger, at least until he opened his mouth. \"They\'re usually unpredictable.\"


\"But surely that can be said of just about anything? Or anyone?\" Percy felt like he spent most of his life trying to learn how to predict what other people were going to do.


Remus looked a little shocked by Percy\'s insight. \"You\'re quite right.\" His hand patted the boy\'s shoulder before he released him. The loss of contact seemed to leave Remus feeling cold.


Percy smiled at the approval, but found the air of surprise that went with it to be a bit insulting. \"It\'s a matter of figuring out probabilities, yes?\"


Remus found himself smiling fondly back at Percy. \"Yes, yes it is.\" The boy was so clever.

\"Which actually means that people and creatures aren\'t so unpredictable, statistically speaking. But that\'s not very helpful when you\'re confronted with an exception.\" Then again, if there are too many exceptions, you\'re not calculating the probabilities properly. Sloppy reasoning. Lazy thinking. Percy bit his tongue to stop the train of thought.


\"If I brought an exception into my classroom I\'d be canned for sure. I can\'t risk that.\" Remus smiled again, looking at Percy a little oddly, before turning to place the essay in his hand with the stack on his desk. \"I\'m not going to dock any marks, since we haven\'t actually learnt about your subject matter yet. It was bold of you to write on a unique topic.\"


Percy smiled shyly, blushing a little and staring at the floor. \"I\'m not usually considered bold. Really, it just seemed to make sense to me.\"


Remus chuckled, smelling the boy\'s blush, even with his back turned. \"It
takes a certain amount of confidence to write about something you\'ve
researched entirely on your own.\" He turned back to Percy. The shy little smile caught him off-guard, and he made a tiny sound in the back of his throat, but managed to cut it off almost immediately. He chastised himself for his lack of self-control. He could not afford to lose control, especially with the weight of the moon making his skin feel far too tight.


\"Surely not, or I wouldn\'t have been able to do it.\" Forcing a laugh, Percy tried to make a joke of it.


\"Oh, Percy. Don\'t put yourself down like that.\" He gave a smile, and a small shake of his head. Remus leaned against the edge of a student\'s desk, near Percy. \"You are a Gryffindor.\" He said, with a little wink.


Standing a bit formally, Percy made an effort to smile and have it look
natural. \"My brothers say that\'s because the Sorting Hat didn\'t bother to look any further than my hair.\"


The devastating effect those words must have had on Percy felt nearly like a physical blow to Remus. He couldn’t help himself, and reached out to give a comforting touch against the boy\'s cheek. \"That\'s not true. The Sorting Hat can see a heck of a lot deeper into you
than your brothers.\"


The brush of fingers against his cheek made Percy shiver, and he
determinedly fought down examining why. It was almost soothing, but trying to figure out why it should be soothing was perplexing enough to be a little agitating. \"You sound very sure.\"


\"I had my own concerns when I was younger, too.\" He said, smiling fondly. Repulsive monsters such as you do not deserve to attend Hogwarts…Percy\'s shiver made him fight to repress one of his own. \"Someone much wiser than I told me the same thing.\" It’s all right, Remy… stop crying, dammit. If Snivellus was telling the truth the Sorting Hat would have had you out on your arse. It can see much deeper into you than that slimy git ever could, and it put you right where you belong. Remus\' hand moved to brush a lock of curly red hair back from the boy\'s face, without consciously meaning to.


The hand in his hair did feel intrusive, but only for a fleeting moment and he realised he craved more. Almost involuntarily, he leaned into the touch. \"Is this \'Mentorly Advice Speech #7\'?\"


Remus chuckled. \"No, but perhaps it should be.\" His voice was a little
quieter than it had been. He could smell the boy\'s reaction to his touches. Hear his heart speeding up. It almost made him dizzy.


\"Oh? Are you thinking of writing a book?\" Trying to remain at least
outwardly calm, Percy favoured Professor Lupin with another nervous smile, trying to force himself to meet his eyes. \" \'101 Things to Say to Problem Students\'?\"


\"Percy, I hope you\'re not suggesting that you\'re a problem student.\" Remus studied his face.


\"Well, not technically, at least. I mean, I\'m Head Boy.\" As always, merely saying it made him stand straighter.


\"Good.\" He smiled at the boy, still toying with his hair.


Percy hated people touching his hair. He always hated people touching his hair. But this... it felt good. \"Doesn\'t necessarily mean I\'m anyone\'s favourite, of course. Just that I\'m good at keeping order.\"


\"It means that the entire staff has confidence in you.\"


\"To be a by-the-book git who\'ll obsess over every detail, yes. Doesn\'t mean they like me.\" Not that it mattered terribly if people liked him, as long as they didn\'t pester him. But they always did.


\"That\'s not true at all. It means they trust you to make good decisions, and feel secure that the students can go to you if they\'re not comfortable talking to a staff member.\" Remus looked at Percy, concerned. How could this boy have such low self confidence?


\"Students, go to me?\" Percy laughed and shook his head. \"They don\'t respect me.\"


\"Probably not the older ones. They don\'t respect anyone. But they should, Percy. You\'re an excellent Head Boy.\" He said the last, cupping the back of Percy\'s head and gave him a gentle jostle, as if to try and knock the sense into the boy\'s head.


The touch made Percy gasp aloud, and his eyes widened. This was... he had no context for a touch feeling so magnetic. \"N-no, the younger ones are just as bad. After all, it\'s the older students\' example they follow.\"


Percy\'s gasp did naughty things to Remus. He knew he should just tell the boy to leave right away, but the pull was too strong. He was so nervous and turned on, the scent of it was almost overpowering. He fought to keep the shreds of control he still possessed. He stood, and the free hand rested on Percy\'s hip, tentative. \"It can\'t be all of them. Most of the kids are too afraid of the older students...\" he said, distractedly.


\"I-I don\'t really inspire fear.\" He swayed forward unconsciously. Percy was trying not to analyse why the proximity was making him feel calm, instead of nervous. \"Or much else, other than contempt, really. I\'m used to it.\"


Remus captured his forward movement and used it to pull him close enough to almost touch. \"The little ones are afraid of the funniest things. You should see them confronted by a boggart. I think those are the only things you let yourself believe you inspire. You can\'t read people\'s minds, Percy.\"


\"Minds can\'t generally be read, but faces can.\" Percy stared at him, focusing absently on his mouth. In theory.


\"Faces are very deceiving.\" He looked down into the boy\'s face from inches away. So. Very. Tempting.


\"Children usually aren\'t very good at masking their expressions.\" And I\'ve had a little time to guess at the motives of the ones in my House.


\"They\'re children, Percy. They don\'t know how to match their feelings with expressions. They don\'t even really know what their feelings are...\"


Percy raised an eyebrow. \"What are we talking about now?\" What did feelings have to do with anything?


Remus gave him the warm smile that meant everything, and nothing at all. \"Children. And feelings. Why do you ask?\"


\"That seemed like a rather sharp turn in the conversation there.\" Percy
winced inwardly. He\'d said something strange again, hadn\'t he?


Remus continued smiling. \"I didn\'t think so. Is there something on your
mind, Percy?\" He was fully aware that he was practically embracing his
student, but couldn\'t bring himself to let go. Unless Percy actually gave him a negative sign, and so far he\'d been nothing but eager. Remus flushed at how incredibly inappropriately he was behaving, but didn\'t move, and his smile didn\'t falter.


\"I, um, ah... when did feelings come up, anyway?\" Shitshit the absolute wrong words and just what the hell is happening here? He flushed darkly but found he couldn\'t look away from the hand resting on his hip. It wasn\'t fair. Professors were supposed to be stern, forbidding, and unapproachable. Not appealing. Especially at such dizzyingly close range.


Remus listened to Percy\'s heart beating faster and faster. He closed his eyes, and smelled the blush hot over Percy\'s cheeks.


When Professor Lupin closed his eyes, Percy\'s brow wrinkled in confusion. \"S-sir?\"


\"Mmm, yes?\" He asked, eyelids fluttering open to look into Percy\'s eyes. His thumb traced the outer shell of the boy\'s ear, idly.


Whatever Percy had been about to say vanished at that not-at-all-ambiguous touch. \"Oh,\" he breathed, almost a sigh. The eye contact made him a bit edgy, but far less than usual.


\"Oh.\" Remus cursed himself to the depth of hell, but even that couldn\'t stop him from leaning to touch his lips to the boy\'s. What he really wanted to do was run his tongue over the soft pink lips, to see if he tasted as good as he smelled. He was proud of himself for keeping even that paltry amount of self control.


Percy whimpered, hands tentatively wrapping around the older man\'s waist, and leaned clumsily into the light kiss. It was almost relaxing if he didn\'t let himself worry about why he was reacting so differently to this touch.


Remus felt a weight lift off his shoulders as the boy gave him something concrete to let him know he wasn\'t forcing himself upon an unwilling victim. He wrapped both hands around the back of Percy\'s neck, cradling his head, and kissed him more thoroughly. He did taste as sweet as he smelled. Perhaps even sweeter. His tongue slid slick over the boy\'s lips, and between them. A quiet moan came from deep within his chest.


Percy leaned against him breathlessly, head spinning. His arms seemed to belong to someone else, someone braver and rather more forward, more
normal, as they tightened around Professor Lupin\'s Remus, if he\'s snogging you at least think his given name waist, pulling him closer. Whoever\'s arms they were, Percy seemed to have acquired his tongue as well, for it was darting out to lick at the one pressed to his lips.


Remus was a little surprised by Percy\'s enthusiasm. Surprised, and glad for it. He pressed his body tightly against the boy\'s, and their mouths moved
together. He plunged his tongue into Percy\'s soft, wet mouth, savouring the taste of him. His fingers slid into the red curls, moving his head to a better angle for kissing him.


With a muffled gasp, Percy tried to control his disproportionate surprise. It was of course a matter of empirical fact that people did, in fact, plunge their tongues into other people\'s mouths. It was also not unreasonable to think that such an act might follow... even be expected to follow... the play of tongues that had just occurred. But the overwhelming reality of it made his knees tremble to the point where it seemed the embrace was the only thing keeping him vertical.

Remus broke the kiss with a gasp, and closed his eyes, resting his forehead on Percy\'s for a moment. This was so wrong. Percy\'s hot skin under his nose did not help matters. His kissed the boy\'s forehead, and cheeks. His thumbs stroked little circles on his scalp. \"I need to sit...\" He muttered.


Percy blinked up at him, making another useless attempt to read his
expression. In the candlelight his face was marked with flickering shadows, and he let himself watch them. Did I do something wrong?


Remus grabbed the nearest chair and sank into it, pulling Percy down to
straddle his lap. He wrapped his hands around the boy\'s waist, smoothing up and down his sides. \"Okay?\" One hand moved to slide a thumb over Percy\'s bottom lip.


Sliding into his lap pliantly, Percy stared down at the hand tracing the contours of his mouth. \"Oh. Er. Yes.\" He blinked nervously. He must not be acting too unforgivably strange, then. His hands suddenly seemed to be ridiculously clumsy and he had no idea what to do with them. For lack of a less foolish or intimidating option, he rested them on Remus\' shoulders, which had the added benefit of aiding his balance.


Remus smiled, and brought Percy\'s face toward him for another kiss.


Closing his eyes, Percy leaned into the kiss with somewhat more confidence. It was a good deal easier to manage without having to worry about your knees giving way under you. And the tongue business was far less of a shock when you were the one starting it, Percy found, in another of those sudden moments of unheard-of forwardness. And indeed, having your tongue in someone else\'s mouth was a far more sensual experience than the bare description made it sound. No wonder it was so popular.


Remus was glad they were seated when Percy slid his tongue into his mouth. He was certainly not expecting it. He growled against Percy\'s lips, and the hand on his hip slid around to cup his arse, pulling Percy more snugly against his body. The other hand slid between them, sliding down the boy\'s chest. He felt so delicate beneath his hands. He sucked greedily on Percy\'s tongue.


The strong reaction made Percy shudder violently and press harder against him, one hand drifting up cautiously to investigate his hair. Me, he\'s doing this to me, he wants me...


Remus gasped, and played with the boy\'s bottom lip, sucking, and pulling on it with gentle teeth. His hand slid beneath Percy\'s robes searching for skin, and he wondered if it was as soft as he\'d hoped. He moaned again, and used his hand on Percy\'s arse to make his body slide against his groin.


\"Oohh...\" With another convulsive shudder, Percy arched to his hand, faint gasps escaping unheeded.


Remus\' breath came faster; the sounds the boy was making were like music. Each moan felt as though it was pulling things low in his belly. He unclasped Percy\'s robes, tossing them onto the desk nearby and pulled up his shirt, so he could nuzzle and lick the soft pale skin.


With a choked cry, Percy leaned back to give him more room. \"That... That\'s nice,\" he stammered. It wasn\'t as if he hadn\'t experimented before. But it hadn\'t really impressed him. Of course, none of the experiments had involved any sort of drawn-out kissing, or having such focused attention paid to body parts that weren\'t often mentioned in crudely scrawled lavatory graffiti. Apparently it made a difference.


Remus chuckled. \"Good...\" It was a rush of air over the damp stripe of skin his tongue had just caressed. His lips found Percy\'s nipple, and he sucked hard on the flesh.


Squeaking incoherently, Percy clutched his hair, surely too tightly. Percy\'s fingers tugging on his hair made his insides do a little flip, and he gasped. His tongue swirled over the little nub, and he ran the
edges of his teeth over it, a gentle scrape. His hand kneaded the boy\'s
arse. He loved the feeling of pliable flesh in his palm.


\"Oh yes, oh please...\" At the light tug of Remus\' teeth at his nipple, Percy moaned low in his throat, almost a sob, arching up to his mouth. He thought vaguely that he ought to be doing something beyond just sitting there, but he couldn\'t quite think for long enough to decide what.


Remus slid both hands up the so-soft skin of Percy\'s back, and he leaned him even further backward so his lips teeth and tongue could lavish affection all the way down to Percy\'s stomach. So very warm and soft. The barely-there dusting of red curls made Remus groan. \"Mmm, Percy, you\'re so beautiful...\" He murmured, sliding back up to roll his other nipple between his teeth.


\"You\'re delirious,\" Percy managed, between panting gasps and desperate
trembling. \"M\' well groomed is all.\" The words were badly slurred by
punctuating moans.


Remus chuckled at him, and cupped his face in his hands, pulling him forward to kiss him again, tongue exploring the boy\'s mouth, teeth nibbling on lips. Fingernails dug lightly into Percy\'s back.


Percy bent into the kiss with a little squeak, still feeling like he ought to be doing something rather than just hedonistically basking in the touch of hands and tongue. He clutched the shoulders of Remus\' robe, sucking firmly at his tongue, experimentally nipping at it lightly.


Remus growled, beast-like, and pulled Percy hard against him. \"Fuck...\" he breathed, and felt bad for swearing in front of Percy, but only for a fleeting moment. Though this was fantastic, Remus needed more. He wrapped hands around Percy\'s thighs, and lifted him up. He sat Percy down on the desk, and pushed him back to lay down. He yanked Percy\'s shirt up again, and smoothed hands over his chest and stomach.


The deep growl made him shiver again, and he moaned softly at being pressed down against the desktop. It was hard and smooth, but there was a roughness under his hand. He traced it. \'J R\'. Someone\'s carved initials. He started mentally scanning the list of students for a \'J R\' until Remus\' hands gripped his waist tightly enough to regain his attention. Peering up a bit awkwardly, he tried to make out Remus\' face, but they were too far from the single small candle for him to see anything but the gleam of eyes.


Remus pulled Percy toward him so he had a thigh on either side of his
waist. He tucked fingers into the boy\'s waistband, and leaned forward to lick and nibble at Percy\'s navel.


Breath catching in his throat, Percy found it impossible not to press
against him, impossible not to grasp Remus and pull him down and rub against him as restlessly as a cat in heat. He only hoped he wouldn\'t start yowling like one. He didn\'t seem to be reacting predictably.


Remus moaned as Percy moved eagerly against him. He pressed his hands
against Percy\'s hips to still him, and began undoing his trousers.

\"Please... oh, I... just don\'t stop...\" Percy\'s eyes were half-closed in the dim light, and his breathing was rapid and shallow.


Remus yanked Percy\'s trousers off, glad of the boy\'s confirmations. He
couldn\'t be that evil if Percy was urging him on, could he? He caressed
Percy\'s length through the thin pants, wrapping his fingers almost fully around it.


Sucking in a raspy-feeling breath, Percy bucked up sharply into his hand. \"Oh, oh more....\" This was more along the lines of his previous experience in terms of the mechanics of the act, but entirely different in the effect it was having. Too many variables, he thought vaguely.


Remus smiled, and slid Percy\'s pants off, freeing his cock. He slid hands up and down the boy\'s thighs, occasionally rubbing over his navel, less frequently brushing against the base of his cock and over his balls.


Whimpering, Percy tried to thrust against his hands. \"Please, oh god please touch me...\"


Remus chucked at Percy\'s insistence, and gripped his cock in one hand. He slid fingers up the shaft, twisting around the tip, and back down.


Percy\'s eyes widened and he cried out softly. \"Oh... that\'s so... oh god...\" his head tipped back, eyes closing.


Remus grinned, and drew a fingernail lightly down Percy\'s thigh to bring his gaze back to what he was doing. He leaned forward slowly, before swirling his tongue around the tip of Percy\'s erection, and swallowing his cock whole.


Shuddering at the nail-scratch, Percy tried to take a deep breath, but
sputtered when his attempted inhale was met with a shrill cry coming out. \"Oh hell,\" he breathed almost reverently, one hand reaching down to rest in Remus\' hair.


Remus bobbed his head on Percy\'s cock. The sounds the boy was uttering were making him squirm. He slid a hand up Percy\'s long body to twist and pull on the boy\'s nipple, caressing it between thumb and forefinger.


Groaning, Percy writhed under his touch, a part of his mind distantly
instructing him that thrusting up would be a bad thing, for all his body was screaming to.


Remus did wicked things with his tongue as he slowly slid his mouth off of Percy. He replaced his mouth with his hand, slick with saliva. On each up-stroke he swirled his thumb about in little circles.


Whimpering and squealing, Percy grasped Remus\' shoulders firmly. \"Too... too much, I...\"


Remus froze, smiling, though the ambiguous smile had more than a little
naughtiness in it. \"Would you like me to stop?\"


\"Nooo, but...\" Percy laughed weakly. \"If you keep that up, stopping will be a moot point in about thirty seconds.\"


Remus chuckled, he considered Percy for a long moment. \"Do you have
experience with this?\" he asked.


\"Not very much.\"


Remus smiled. \"How much?\"


\"Er. Some. After lights out, in the showers, that sort of thing.\" Not like there\'s any shortage of guys quick to persuade themselves that a hand-job or getting sucked off doesn\'t make them queer as long as they get off. He didn\'t want to think about it.


Remus nodded. \"Have you ever been penetrated, before?\" He asked, grinning.


Percy flushed deeply. \"Ah. Er. Not... not really? We were going to, but...\" he trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.


\"It\'s okay to be nervous about that. It\'s a big step.\" Remus smiled,
smoothing the hair back from Percy\'s face. He smoothed his hands over
Percy\'s chest, fingers playing with his nipples.


\"Wasn\'t that I was nervous, just...\" He looked down, stammering. \"I don\'t think we were doing it right. It was just... it wasn\'t working.\" It had been an awkward event involving clumsiness and a large amount of soap, called off when a sudden startled movement caused him to bang his head on the tiles hard enough to see stars.


Remus blinked. \"What... were you doing?\"


Percy really didn\'t want to tell him about the falling and hitting his head bit. \"Er. I wasn\'t aware there was a vast array of possibilities.\"


Remus chuckled. \"There\'s a few different positions, at least.\"


\"Um. I, uh, suppose...\"


\"Don\'t worry. You have lots of time to learn it all.\" His fingers swirled over the boy\'s chest, toying with the smattering of red curls.


\"I suppose. I just...\" He smiled nervously. \"I really loathe not being able to do things properly.\"


\"You\'re a perfectionist.\" He smiled. \"It\'s all right to be unsure,
sometimes.\" He grinned.


\"Not where anyone can see,\" Percy muttered. \"My brothers have charming,
athletic, and witty sewn up. I need to be the one who does things right.\"


\"Percy... you don\'t always have to do things right. That\'s not even
possible.\"


\"Doesn\'t mean I won\'t try.\"


Remus shook his head. He leaned forward to kiss Percy. \"One day you\'ll find someone you don\'t have to be perfect in front of, and then you\'ll see that you\'re putting too much pressure on yourself.\"


Well, there\'s a dismissal if I ever heard one. \"Someday my prince will come?\" He raised a cynical eyebrow.


Remus nodded, smoothing a hand through Percy\'s hair. He felt bad for using him like this. Percy leaned against his hand, eyes closed, enjoying the touch in a quiet sort of way even as a sour prickle settled in his belly. Things didn\'t seem to be progressing pleasantly anymore.


Remus kissed him on the forehead and cheeks again, tenderly. \"I\'m sorry, Percy. I shouldn\'t have done this...\"


\"...I... understand. You don\'t want to deal with someone who doesn\'t know what they\'re doing. I can\'t blame you.\" He smiled weakly.


\"No, no! That\'s not it at all!\" Remus looked shocked by Percy\'s conclusion. \"Your first should be... with someone you care about. Not... your teacher.\" Remus felt completely horrid, saying it out loud.


\"That sounds rather like a romantic notion... I\'m not very given to those.\"


Remus smiled at him. \"It\'s not too romantic. You just have to care about them, not be completely in love, hearts and flowers and the like.\"


\"I don\'t think I\'m capable of hearts and flowers.\" Valentine\'s Day sort of annoyed him, because hearts didn\'t look like that.


Remus chuckled. \"Don\'t worry about that. You\'ll find someone you\'re
compatible with. You\'re still young, and gorgeous.\"


Percy gave him a dubious glance. \"Not in the reality I\'m in, I\'m not. Well, young. The other parts, not so much.\"


\"Percy, stop it. You\'re fantastic. It\'s not your fault that the people at school can\'t see that...\"


Peering at him, Percy smirked cynically. \"I think I heard one of the
Hufflepuff Beaters saying the same things you\'re saying to me when he was dumping his girlfriend.\"


Remus blinked at Percy, at a loss. \"Percy, I...\"


\"You\'re not obliged to be interested in me, but don\'t insult my
intelligence.\" It was hardly new for someone to decide they\'d rather not spend time with him, but they didn\'t bother with vague compliments when they did it, they just went away. He crossed his arms across his chest and looked at the initials on the desk again. There was a Jennifer Roberts in Hufflepuff, had she done it? She was a second-year, though, and they were carved awfully deeply.


\"I am doing no such thing.\"


\" \'You\'re still young, you\'re attractive, someday somewhere you\'ll find a Special Someone\'? Honestly.\" Why was he saying these things? Why not just leave, or ask Percy to leave?


\"Percy, it\'s the truth.\"


\"I\'m not a sobbing fourteen year old being asked to return a promise ring. You don\'t need to condescend to me. If you aren\'t interested, you aren\'t interested.\"


\"I\'m your teacher.\"


\"No more so now than when you were pinning me to that desk. Which I was
rather enjoying, but I suppose must have seemed rather dull and pedestrian to you.\" Maybe it had been Jason Richards from Ravenclaw. He seemed too well-behaved to commit vandalism, though.


Remus looked a little surprised by the statement. \"Not at all. I just... I can\'t do that. To you... I can\'t.\"


He raised an eyebrow. \"Can\'t? You seemed fairly capable earlier. If you
aren\'t interested in me, at least do me the courtesy of saying so.\"


\"I can\'t be your first time, Percy. It\'s just wrong.\" Remus sighed.
\"You\'re gorgeous... I would love to, but I just can\'t do it, Percy.\"


Huh? \"You\'re not making any sense, you realise.\"


\"I know.\" Remus sighed.


\"Do you think I\'m mentally incompetent?\" He gripped the edges of the desk tightly. Judith Rubenstein? She didn\'t seem quite the type either.


\"No, Percy. Quite the opposite.\"


The \'R\' was two-thirds the length of his thumb. It must have taken a while to carve. \"Incapable of making decisions?\"


\"No.\"


\"So spare me the hearts and flowers twaddle. It\'s insulting.\" How could this \'J R\' have managed to carve his or her initials without being caught?


\"It\'s not that, Percy. Really.\"


Percy raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.


\"Percy, please...\"


\"We\'ve established rather definitively that you\'re physically functional and I am in full possession of my faculties and fully capable of giving or withholding consent. So please. If you don\'t want me, that\'s one thing, but making all manner of excuses instead of being honest is unfair.\"


\"Percy...\" Remus frowned. \"You don\'t really want me. You\'ll regret it.\"


\"...so you don\'t think I\'m mentally competent.\" Maybe it had been Jeff
Riardon from Slytherin, he was clever enough.


\"I... you\'re just so young...\"


\"Not that young. I\'m seventeen. Legally able to enter into binding
contracts.\"


\"That\'s still so young.\" Remus shook his head.


He traced the letters with his fingertip. \"You make it sound as if I were twelve. That\'s not very complimentary, you know.\"


\"I can\'t help it. Percy. I\'m a lot older than you.\"


\"You\'re probably the youngest teacher here... and I won\'t repeat some of the rumours I\'ve heard, but they didn\'t involve seventh-years.\"


\"Well, they aren\'t me...\"


\"And I\'m not twelve. Or fourteen.\" The wood inside the letters wasn\'t worn smooth yet. It must have been done recently. No wonder he hadn\'t noticed it before.


\"If you were, we wouldn\'t be here right now.\" He made an vague
all-encompassing gesture.


\"Indeed. I\'m actually considered sufficiently competent to wield some
measure of authority myself. How shocking, for someone so young.\"


Remus sighed. \"I\'m sorry.\"


\"It\'s... not like I\'m not used to being condescended to and insulted. But you\'ve managed to find a new way to do it; I suppose I should appreciate the learning experience.\" J. R. J. R. J. R.


\"I\'m sorry. I never should have started this... I shouldn\'t have.\" He shook his head. \"I\'m sorry I hurt you, Percy, but I can\'t be your first time.\"


\"Is that meant to be some noble heroic way of phrasing that you don\'t want to bother shagging someone who doesn\'t know what he\'s doing? Even if you don\'t think I\'m capable of making my own decisions, have enough respect for me not to try to pretty up rejection into something I should appreciate.\"


\"Percy, stop this! I\'m not rejecting you, I just won\'t fuck you!\" He
immediately regretted the harsh wording.


He wriggled his finger against the letters, pressing the rough wood.
\"Perhaps my dictionary has a different definition of rejection than yours?\"


\"If I was really rejecting you, I doubt you\'d still be here talking to me.\"

J. R. J. R. J. R.\"Is that some sort of vague threat?\"


\"No, it\'s not.\" He sighed.

\"Are you expecting me to thank you for implying that I\'m mentally impaired?\"


\"I am not implying that.\" Remus growled in frustration. \"I\'m not. I just will not fuck you. You are aware that there are other things to do, right? So I am not rejecting you. Right?\"


Raising an eyebrow, Percy looked at him skeptically. \"I have
experienced a number of furtive hand-jobs and awkward oral sex. I won\'t say it was unpleasant, but scarcely a peak experience.\" And it\'s not as if I\'m the one who brought it up. I wasn\'t even thinking it until you started in about it.


\"I\'m not furtive, nor awkward. You weren\'t complaining before...\" He raised his eyebrows at Percy.


\"And you weren\'t telling me to find someone else before, either. That\'s
hardly a convincing way of expressing interest in someone.\"


\"It\'s not likely that we\'ll be having a lasting relationship, I hope you didn\'t think that...\" Remus looked confused.


Who said anything about relationships?Percy coughed and laughed. \"You\'ve certainly got a high opinion of yourself.\"


Remus sighed.


\"What else would you call it, for you to think I\'d be utterly smitten by your touch?\"


\"Percy, I\'m not sure how many times I can be misunderstood in one evening, but I think you\'ve broken the record.\"


There it was... the \'you\'re peculiar\' speech. Percy wondered idly what
version it was going to be this time. \"What do you mean, then?\"


\"I wanted to know if you entered into this with expectations I wasn\'t
intending to fulfil. Not to accuse you of being \'smitten\'.\"


\"Forming emotional attachments is hardly one of my strong points.\"


Remus shrugged. \"I was just checking. I don\'t generally like to assume
things, when I can ask for clarification.\"


\"Nice to know you think I\'m mentally competent to be relied upon for some things.\" He looked at the tip of his finger. It felt like he\'d gotten a splinter but he couldn\'t see one.


\"I do think you\'re mentally competent, Percy. I\'m just afraid you\'ll regret this.\"


\"And how does that not mean \'I don\'t think you\'re capable of making this decision\'?\"


\"I\'m not sure, but it doesn\'t.\"


\"It rather explicitly does, as well as implying you\'ve a better
understanding of me than I do myself.\" Percy studied his fingertip closer but he still didn\'t see a splinter.


Remus frowned. \"I...\"


\"It\'s insulting to insist that you know better than I do when it comes to personal choices.\"


\"I\'m sorry. Make your choices, then...\" Remus eyed him, carefully.


\"Girls my age are pushed into dynastic marriages all the time by people who think they know what\'s best.\" Tentatively, Percy lifted a fingertip to trace the curve of Remus\' cheek. \"Are they too young to make their own choices, and ought to appreciate the guidance of their elders?\"


\"No, I think they shouldn\'t get married until they\'re old enough to choose.\" Remus sighed. \"It\'s different.\" He blinked at Percy as the boy touched his cheek.


\"Either way, it\'s someone else making that decision for you. I\'m very glad not to be faced with that, but I\'m not much fonder of the implication that I\'m not capable of saying \'yes\' either.\"


\"So. Do something about it, Percy. Say yes.\" Remus raised his eyebrows
again.


Percy leaned in close, close enough that their noses were touching. \"So you can refuse me again?\" He placed a hand on Remus\' chest. \"Do you find it gratifying, to humiliate me like that? Is that something you have a taste for?\" He was shaking, and he\'d lost track of why.


\"Do you honestly think I would do that?\" Remus asked, watching Percy\'s
reaction carefully.


\"What am I supposed to think?\" He didn\'t step away, or move his hand, but he didn\'t stop shaking either. \"Unlike you, I\'m willing to admit that you understand your mind and motives better than I do. Which is why I\'m asking if you had some special desire to see me grovel rather than stating it as a fact.\"


\"I don\'t want you to grovel. I just didn\'t want to take advantage of you. Apparently I shouldn\'t have worried...\"


\"So it\'s not taking advantage of me, to make me argue over my mental
competence?\" He pressed his other hand to Remus\' cheek, still leaning close.


\"I wasn\'t intending for you to argue...\"


\"What were you intending, then, when you pulled away from me and said I\'d find someone else?\"


\"I don\'t want to be your first time. I intended for you to be all right with being intimate, minus penetration...\" Remus turned pink as he spoke.


\"How very calculating. Is there some reasoning behind this line in the sand? If it was some moral scruple, I really should say that once you\'ve bent me over a desk you\'ve lost that particular high ground.\"


\"For me, that\'s where the line is.\" He gave an elegant shrug. \"I\'m very
sorry if you can\'t understand that.\"


It still felt like he\'d gotten a splinter. \"My objection is to you insisting you\'re doing me a favour by rather high-handedly refusing something I may or may not have decided I wanted.\"


\"I\'m sorry. I really didn\'t mean to offend you.\"


\"Wouldn\'t you be offended, to be told you didn\'t have the right to make your own choices?\" Percy stood even closer now, pressing against him.


\"I would...\" Remus said, watching Percy moving closer. He didn\'t move an inch.


\"Wouldn\'t you be even more offended if you were apparently expected to be appreciative of being relieved of the onerous burden of free will?\" He rubbed his thumb against Remus\' cheek, hand sliding from his chest to his shoulder.


Remus rolled his eyes at Percy\'s over-dramatic word choices. \"Yes, I
would.\" He closed his eyes at the touch, but didn\'t move.


\"Then why are you so apparently startled that I found it offensive, as well as embarrassing on a deeply personal level?\"


\"I, obviously, didn\'t think it through so thoroughly.\" Remus admitted.


\"You weren\'t exactly listening to what I had to say, either,\" Percy said quietly, fingertips tracing little circles against the side of Remus\' neck.


\"No, and I should have. I\'m sorry, Percy...\" The light touches made him
shiver.


\"Are you?\" There was a quaver in his voice. Percy wasn\'t used to being
apologised to, not with any real sincerity.


\"Yes. I mean... I instigated this, I should at least have listened to your opinion on it.\" He sighed, closing his eyes again.


\"I\'m...\" Percy leaned against him, lips brushing his ear. \"I\'m not handsome or charming, I\'m not athletic or popular. But I know my own mind. That\'s the thing I have. And I won\'t let anyone take that from me.\"


\"I really do think you\'re gorgeous, Percy.\" Remus said, quietly. \"I won\'t try to do that again.\" He assured him.


\"I... flattering my appearance isn\'t going to mean anything.\" He ran the tip of his nose up the side of Remus\' neck before gently biting his earlobe. \"I already know very well I\'m not the good-looking one.\" He pulled back just enough to look at Remus\' face, barely visible in the dim room, and studied his features. \"Well?\"


\"All it means is that I find you attractive...\" He gasped at the bite.
\"Well, what?\" Remus smiled.


\"Well what now, I suppose.\" Percy smiled anxiously.


Remus grinned at Percy. \"You wanted to make the decisions. So, you decide what happens next.\" He stroked fingers along Percy\'s freckled cheek.


Rubbing his face into the touch, Percy shivered. \"You didn\'t exactly help my self-confidence, you know,\" he mumbled. What happens next? He wasn\'t even sure how they\'d gotten to what had happened first.


\"I know. How many times do I need to apologise for it?\" He grinned at the boy, kissing his cheek.


\"Just sort of inhibiting.\" He laughed nervously, resting his cheek on
Remus\' shoulder.


Remus hugged the boy against him, stroking his hair. \"It\'s all right.\" He enjoyed holding Percy like this. It was incredibly satisfying just to embrace him.


The closeness made him shiver again, in a good way. Percy wriggled closer, arms slung around Remus\' waist, and tilted his head to lick at his neck again before venturing another tentative nip.


Remus made a satisfied \'Mmm\', sound, and squeezed Percy. \"That\'s nice...\"


\"This...?\" Percy nipped a bit harder, hands dropping to cup Remus\' arse and pull him closer.


\"Ah! Oh yes, that...\" Remus ground his body against Percy\'s.


\"Aaahh...\" Percy\'s eyes widened as the friction reminded him very clearly that his robes were across the room, his trousers were crumpled under a desk and likely wrinkled horrifically already, and his shirt was hanging open. \"S\' not exactly fair, is it? You\'re dressed and I\'m...\" He tugged at his shirt collar with his teeth.


\"Yes, well, that can be fixed...\" Remus finished disrobing Percy before
removing his own clothing. \"Better?\" He gave a little shrug.


Percy hoped it was dark enough to hide his blush. It must be, it was dark enough for his view of the other man\'s body to be shadowy and somewhat vague. He stepped close again, more nervous than ever, and pressed close, hands skimming lightly down his sides.


Remus grinned, loving how Percy smelled when he blushed, it was almost
sweeter than the obvious scent of arousal. He let Percy explore his body with light fingertips. \"That tickles.\" He smiled.


\"Is that bad?\" He pressed the palms of his hands flat against Remus\' hips and brushed them up, crossing around his back and pulling him close. The sensation of that much skin was almost too much and Percy moaned aloud.


\"Mmm. No, it\'s good...\" Remus tilted Percy\'s head to the side, and
lavished attention on his neck, licking, sucking, and nibbling hungrily.


Gasping harshly, Percy craned his neck to give Remus more room, nails
starting to dig into his back, \"That... oh, that feels so good, I never...\"


Remus growled, and writhed, pushing his back harder into Percy\'s nails,
before moving down Percy\'s chest. He left little pink marks in the wake of his teeth and lips.


Yelping, Percy clutched his shoulders, knees wobbling dangerously. \"Oh, oh please...\"


Remus gripped Percy\'s hips, and kissed him ferociously on the mouth. \"What do you want?\" He growled, voice husky.


\"Oh, fuck, anything,\" Percy moaned, grinding hard against him.


Remus moaned, loudly. \"Tell me, Percy...\" he growled, biting at Percy\'s
throat. \"I need to hear it.\"


Whimpering at the bite, Percy shuddered, eyes squeezed shut. \"...fuck me...\" he whispered.


Remus shivered at the words. \"Are you sure, Percy?\" he asked, even as he was accio\'ing the lotion from his desk.


\"I want...\" he swallowed hard, eyes still closed. \"...want to do it
right. Not some awkward and uncomfortable tumble with someone who just wants to be able to say they\'ve actually done it.\"


Remus looked almost pained. \"Are you sure, Percy? I can\'t do this, unless you\'re sure. You have to say it.\" He smoothed hands over Percy\'s hair, looking him in the eyes.


Tilting his head into the light touches, Percy stared at him, dry-mouthed and shivering. \"I\'m sure,\" he whispered. How many time was he going to have to say it? Was this something he was supposed to just know?


Remus gazed at him, and took a deep breath in and out. \"On the desk, on your back...\" He instructed, punctuating the order with a deep probing kiss, and spread his robes out over the desk.


Staring at him intently, Percy obeyed with slow, deliberate movements. It felt like hair on his body was standing on end. His head was spinning, a giddy feeling of hyper-awareness somehow making everything seem unreal.


Remus climbed up, settling himself between Percy\'s knees. He ran fingers lightly over Percy\'s stomach and legs. \"If you want me to stop at any time, tell me to, and I will, okay?\"


\"If I didn\'t think you would, I wouldn\'t have asked you.\" The delicate touch seemed magnified, Remus\' fingers hot on his skin.


Remus cast a quick protection charm, not taking any chances, and slid his hands around Percy\'s length, squeezing and tugging gently.


Sucking in a shaky gasp, Percy thrust spasmodically into his hand. \"Oh
yes... oh yes, oh please...\"


Remus moaned. The boy writhing beneath him was the most fantastic sight he\'d seen in a very long time. He grabbed the lotion, and scooped a healthy dose out of the jar. He smoothed one hand up and down Percy\'s thigh, the other coating his cock with the slick substance. Remus pulled Percy\'s legs over his shoulders, and settled himself, kneeling. \"Try to relax...\" He said quietly, guiding his cock to press against Percy\'s entrance.


\"I... can\'t help being a bit nervous. But that doesn\'t mean I don\'t want...\" What little light there was, was behind Remus, reducing him to a silhouette in Percy\'s vision.


\"I know, I know. It\'s all right. Just try to relax.\" He leaned
forward to kiss Percy softly on the lips. He slid hips forward, pressing the head of his cock gently past the so-tight ring of muscle.


Percy gasped into the kiss, trying to will the tension out of his body,
hands resting on Remus\' shoulders. It felt odd and awkward, and perhaps a bit uncomfortable, but not really painful.


\"Mmm... you\'re doing good, Percy...\" He gasped, sucking on the boy\'s bottom lip. He sheathed himself fully inside him, slowly and gently, and realised he\'d stopped breathing. He took a deep shuddering breath. \"Fuck...\" He breathed. \"You... okay?\" he asked, concernedly.


\"Oh,\" he murmured, dazed. \"I... oh.\" He reached up to rest a hand on Remus\' cheek. \"Oh yes...\" The discomfort was rapidly fading, although it still felt a bit peculiar. But it was starting to feel rather nice as well.


Remus turned his head to place a kiss on Percy\'s palm. He slid halfway out, and, back in again, a little faster this time. \"Oh, Percy... yes... fuck, you\'re fantastic...\" He growled deep in his chest, and met their mouths again, tongue probing deep in Percy\'s mouth.


Whimpering, Percy sucked at his tongue, pressing up against him a little awkwardly, but eagerly.


Remus moaned into Percy\'s mouth. He placed a hand on the top of his thighs, and on the next thrust, pulled their bodies together more powerfully. The sensation sent shivers up Remus\' spine, and he had to contain a howl of pleasure.


\"Oh...\" With another choked gasp, Percy buried his face in the crook of
Remus\' neck. \"Yes, oh please yes, more...\" He was babbling and didn\'t care.


Remus shuddered and pressed into Percy, faster and more shallow. \"This
okay?\" He gasped, between harsh breaths.


\"Oka...? Oh, god. So... oh yes.\" He writhed up against him, gasping.


Remus knuckles turned white as he clenched Percy\'s thighs. \"Oh, fuck...\" He practically whimpered. Remus\' knees were starting to hurt from grinding against the desktop. He stopped moving for a fraction of a second to re-adjust his position, and slammed back into Percy harder than he\'d intended.


Percy cried out shrilly. \"Ohguh... ohh oh do that again...\"


Percy\'s reaction made Remus\' eyelids flutter. Who was he to deny the boy pleasure...? He slammed into Percy, hard, and fast. \"Oh, fuck... Percy... ah!\"


Panting shallowly, Percy rocked up to meet his thrusts. \"I... oh yes...\" He bit the side of Remus\' neck sharply.


\"Fuck! Ah!\" He shuddered violently. One hand moved to wrap around Percy\'s cock, and he thrust in time with the movement of his fist.


With another shrill cry, Percy bucked up into his hand, nails raking down his back.


\"Ah shit, Percy...\" His hand squeezed tightly, letting Percy fuck into
his fist. He pounded into him, furiously, moaning loud, and long.


Shuddering, Percy bit the side of his neck again, hard, moaning desperately around the mouthful of skin. He clutched Remus\' arse hard, gasping in near-surprise when he climaxed.


The combination of the delicious young boy biting his neck, clutching his arse, and coming all over his stomach was too much for Remus, and he cried out. He pumped into him a few more thrusts, and nearly yelled as he came, sheathed deep inside Percy.


Panting and dazed, Percy stared up at him, painfully self-conscious again.


Remus took a moment to catch his breath. \"Fuck, Percy... god... You\'re
fantastic,\" he muttered, kissing the boy\'s cheeks, and lips tenderly.


Blinking, Percy returned the light kiss, trailing a fingertip down the side of Remus\' face. \"That was... wow.\"


\"It was.\" He breathed, almost reverently. He smoothed damp curls back from Percy\'s sweat-shined forehead.


\"Do you still think I shouldn\'t have?\" He smiled weakly.


\"God, no!\" Remus choked out, and abruptly came to. \"I mean, maybe... no. I\'m glad you did...\" He snorted. \"Eternally grateful might be the right phrase.\"


Percy blinked. \"Should I not be asking you things right now?\"


\"That... is probably a very good idea.\" He smiled weakly.


\"I just. Well. Don\'t really know how to act... like this.\"


\"Don\'t act, Percy, just... be.\" He laughed, feeling rather lighthearted, despite the fact that he\'d just dashed several school rules, and a near-universal moral law, to pieces.


\"I\'m not sure how to do that.\"


Remus pressed a finger to his lips. \"Shh. Listen to your heart beat...\" He said, eyes lighting up gleefully.


\"My...?\" He looked up blankly, trying to figure out how to do that. It
didn\'t make sense.


Remus pressed his hands over Percy\'s ears, watching the boy, with a gleam of a smirk adorning his face.


The hands over his ears were even more confusing and Percy looked up at him, baffled.


After a long moment Remus laughed out loud, and shook his head. \"Honestly, Percy...\"


\"What?\" He sounded vaguely affronted.


\"You need to become at least a little more in tune with your body.\" He
grinned, sliding off the boy. \"It\'s late, you should probably be back in your dorm,\" he stated, quirking an eyebrow at Percy.


\"I. Er.\" He blushed again. \"It would be a bad example, if I ignored things like curfew, yes.\" Well, as versions of the \'you\'re peculiar\' speech went, that was at least brief.


Remus smirked, and nodded at the boy, crossing his arms over his chest.


Overwhelmingly self-conscious again, Percy slid off the desk and began
gathering up his clothes. \"Is... is getting dressed again afterwards always more uncomfortable than undressing before?\"


Remus chuckled, and cast a cleansing charm on the both of them before Percy actually started dressing. \"Yes. Definitely. If you\'re in someone\'s bedroom, though, dressing isn\'t usually an issue.\"


\"I suppose I\'ll find that part out at some point.\"


\"I can\'t imagine you won\'t,\" Remus said, mildly.


Percy raised a sceptical eyebrow, shaking out his trousers and trying to at least smooth out some of the wrinkles before stepping into them.


Remus laughed. \"What is that look for?\"


\"The offhand way you say that, as if I were especially desirable.\" He held up his shirt, frowning a little at the state of it.


\"You are...\" Remus said, smile faltering only for a moment. He was
discouraged by Percy\'s low self confidence.


Raising an eyebrow again, Percy shook his head. \"I\'m... myself. \'Convenient and always game\',\" he said with a bitter little smirk.


\"Pardon?\" Remus asked a little shocked by the words.


\"Told you I had some experience.\" He blushed.


Remus raised eyebrows at him. \"You make it sound like a lot.\"


\"I suppose it depends on how you quantify it. And what you\'re counting.\"


Remus slipped on his clothes and bundled his robes in his arms, watching Percy the entire time. \"Go to bed, Percy. Perhaps we\'ll meet again when you can hear your own heartbeat.\" He kissed the boy on the cheek, and exited the room toward his quarters.