Oh, God. Hello, friends. It's been awhile, hasn't it? I apologize most sincerely for my absence; as usual, life got in the way of things. However, with my daily routine becoming more, well, routine, I have the time I need to really get back into this story. So, without further ado, here is the long awaited fifteenth chapter.

I was walking on clouds. Honestly, it was difficult to contain myself. It had been almost two weeks, and I still felt giddy when I looked at Remus. Honestly, it was amazing that nobody had caught on yet, but still, our secret remained. Remus and I were...something, and that something was ours and ours alone.

Outwardly, nothing had changed. We were together only as frequently as we had been before all of this began, and, to the average person, our friendship was exactly as it had been before. Of course, we'd both become exceptionally skilled at coming up with excuses as to why we were in each other's quarters so late at night. As for my sudden change in mood? Coffee. My excuse was some very exceptional coffee. Thankfully, my addiction was evident enough that this was an acceptable explanation.

On this particular evening, Remus and I were sprawled like teenagers across the sofa in my quarters. Well, I was sprawled. Remus had opted to sit like a normal person as he made progress in his book, and I was draped across his lap, all but purring as he absentmindedly ran his fingers through my hair. The fire crackled, and I couldn't think of a more perfect scenario. That is, until something rather hard abruptly came into contact with my brow bone.

"Shit!" I cursed, sitting up quickly and causing Remus' book to fall to the floor. However, this caused more of an issue, as I managed to smash my head into Remus' nose, causing a rather unpleasant crunching noise and an incredible amount of pain on my part. "Remus, is your nose made of iron? Merlin!"

"Evidently not, since you just broke it," he quipped, clutching his nose with one hand and feeling around for his wand with the other. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment as if to refocus them, then reached for my own wand.

"I've got it, Remus." I climbed atop his lap and used my free hand to steady his chin, holding it firmly as I muttered the charm. His nose crunched one more time and he groaned slightly. I grinned and patted his cheek. "Fixed."

"I could get used to having a personal healer," he chuckled, his hands falling naturally at my waist. I raised an eyebrow.

"If you think my services are free of charge, Mr. Lupin, you are sadly mistaken."

"Oh? And what is your fee, Healer Fraser?" he asked, smiling slightly. I smirked back at him and leaned in, sighing ever so slightly as our lips made contact. I still wasn't completely accustomed to the more physical part of our relationship, but I was certainly a fan of it.

Trying to be sneaky and minx-like, I reached up to undo Remus's tie, pulling slightly. However, being the brilliant woman that I am, I instead managed to tighten it to the point where it was literally choking him. Remus pulled away abruptly, yanking at the fabric and unceremoniously dumping me onto the floor. My bottom hit the ground with a loud thud, and Remus took in an enormous intake of breath as he finally freed himself from the tie. We looked at each other for a moment, me on the floor and him with a face as red as any tomato, before bursting into laughter.

"I guess we just weren't destined to be one of those couples," I remarked, rubbing at my sore bottom. Remus snorted.

"I could've told you that, Lottie. You're far too clumsy for us to be that coup- ouch!"

"It takes two to tango, Lupin!" I hissed, watching as he leaned down to rub the kneecap that I had just smacked. "You are equally as responsible for the comedy that is our intimate life as I am."

"I mean, you are the one who choked me," he noted, wincing at the look I gave him. "Some people enjoy that, though! Some other bloke would've been really into that!"

"I appreciate the effort," I said, gingerly patting his knee. I looked around my quarters from where I sat. "Huh. I can really appreciate how much of a slob I am from this angle. Remus, would you care to join me in appreciating my slobbiness?"

"But of course," he responded dryly, taking a seat next to me on the ground. He easily wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and I settled comfortably into the space there. He leaned over to press a kiss to the side of my forehead, and I smiled involuntarily. "You really are a slob, you know."

"One of my many, many charms," I noted, and he chuckled. We were both silent for a minute, comfortable. "Remus?"

"Yes, Lottie?"

"Will you tell me a story?" He laughed quietly, and I felt the vibrations in his chest.

"What kind of story?"

"One about a brave young werewolf and his adventures," I requested with a grin, and Remus sighed. He seemed to think for a moment.

"Alright, Little Lottie, I'll tell you a story. Once there was a young werewolf, who may or may not have been brave, depending on who you asked. His name was-"

"Reginald!" I interjected. Remus shot me an amused look.

"Yes. Reginald. Now, Reginald had a few very good friends. Their names were, ah, Cyrus, Paul, John, and...Lucy. John and Lucy were married, and had just recently given birth to a lively baby boy named Horace. Now, on this particular day, John and Lucy were preparing for the first trip they would make without baby Horace since he had been born; they were off on a brief anniversary trip, and they had enlisted Reginald, Cyrus, and Paul to watch the baby while they were gone.

"'Please don't feed him adult food while we're gone,' Lucy pleaded, handing the baby to Reginald with some difficulty. Reginald took the baby and opened his mouth to speak, but Cyrus cut him off with a grin.'"

"'Come on, Luce, you know adults won't eat Bertie Bott's! It's basically the same thing as that mush you've been giving him. They even have a baby food flavored bean!' Lucy groaned at Cyrus' antics while the men chuckled, used to this sort of nonsense, as they'd been friends for years. After several attempts at a goodbye, John and Lucy finally left the house, leaving the three men alone with tiny baby Horace."

"Now, Reginald had never been left alone with a baby before, nor had Cyrus. Paul had some experience, but seemed incredibly nervous whenever Horace ended up in his hands. Still, the three managed pretty decently. That is, until they were faced with quite a challenge: the dirty nappy."

"'Merlin, Horace,' Cyrus groaned, his nose plugged as Paul held the baby at a distance, a look of disgust on his face. Poor baby Horace was screaming like no other, and the three men were at a loss."

"'Maybe we should Floo Marlene?' Paul suggested loudly over the baby's cries. Reginald shook his head; Marlene had her own children to worry about. 'What about Alice and Frank?'"

"'They're on a mission,' Reginald noted, gingerly taking Horace from his friend. He gagged slightly as the smell hit him. 'We're on our own, lads.'"

"'I'm not equipped for nappy changing,' Cyrus sniffed, backing away slightly."

"'Some godfather you are!' Reginald laughed. Cyrus flushed."

"'Fine. Give him to me!' Reginald chuckled as he handed over the baby. Cyrus looked at the child suspiciously before gently laying him down on the kitchen counter."

"'That's disgusting,' Paul complained."

"'Shut up and hand me the clean nappy, will you?' Armed with several Muggle baby wipes and a fresh white cloth, Cyrus pulled back the diaper. Now, my dear, to put it delicately, Horace had shat up a storm, and the three men were entirely unprepared to deal with the consequences. Paul retreated to the toilet in order to vomit, Cyrus let out a girlish scream, and even brave Reginald felt a bit woozy. Still, Cyrus soldiered on. He attempted to gently slide the shit-filled nappy out from under young Horace's disgusting bum, but Horace wouldn't let the process be that easy. No, young Horace chose to reach his tiny hand into the nappy, suitably coat it in his own filth, and reach up into Cyrus' hair."

"Now, you don't know this, but Cyrus was overly fond of his own hair; he used more charms and products on it than any woman I've met to this day. Imagine his horror when his young godson ran his shit-covered fingers through those well maintained locks. It took everything Reginald had not to laugh out loud at the look of complete and utter defeat on Cyrus' face as he registered what had just happened. He glanced at his friends for a moment before stepping away from the baby and turning on his heel. He disappeared with a pop, and Reginald and Paul exchanged a look of concern."

"Moments later,Cyrus had returned, though he had brought someone back with him. A very bedraggled looking John had been dragged back; his trousers were still undone, if you catch my drift, and he looked very much as though he wanted to murder his friend."

"'Honestly, the three of you couldn't figure this out?' John grumbled, flicking his wand and cleaning up the mess that Cyrus had made. The three other men hung their heads in shame. John opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped when he caught sight of Cyrus' hair. 'Hold on. Is that-'"

"'Shit?' Paul supplied, a grin forming on his face."

"'Because it's definitely shit,' Reginald added, barely containing his laughter. John looked between his friends, from Reginald and Paul's looks of glee to the look of absolute murder in Cyrus' eyes, before busting into the heartiest laugh any of them had heard from him in ages.

"'I taught you well, my boy,' John chuckled, hoisting young Horace into the air. Horace, pleased at both the disappearance of his filth and the appearance of his father, gurgled happily, clapping his hands excitedly against his father's head. The friends enjoyed a good laugh over this for months to come, and all was well."

"I liked it," I murmured sleepily, eyes closed as Remus ran a finger gently over my eyebrows, smoothing them down. "Was Reginald ever allowed to babysit again?"

"Only once," Remus replied quietly, launching into another story involving some very unfortunate faeries and a very adventurous young baby. I found myself being lulled gently to sleep by the sound of Remus' voice, steady and soothing, as the fire crackled before us.

I woke the next morning on my sofa, a quilt pulled up over me and a throw pillow under my head. I blinked once, then twice, then once more for good measure as I took in my surroundings. It was clearly morning, and Remus had left at some point during the night. I stretched out my arms and felt a piece of parchment against my knuckle. I pulled it to me and read.

L,

Had to leave you without saying goodnight; you were snoring quite terribly and I didn't want to disturb you. I'll be having a lesson with Harry in the morning, but I would love to meet you this evening for supper and perhaps some grading of exams. Romantic, right?

Yours,

R(eginald)

I grinned stupidly at the note. A day to myself? I had no grading to do, as I'd managed to catch up quite a bit recently. I looked around my quarters; maybe I should clean.

Or not.

No, I thought, a much better use of my time would be to visit my mother. It had been ages since I'd seen her, and she was sure to be home at this time. Home, it was.

"I'm sorry, but I don't allow strangers to Floo into my home."

"Mum," I complained, trying to push past her in order to get out of the fireplace. She stopped me.

"Really, though, have we met? You almost look like my daughter, but that would be silly, since she NEVER VISITS ME ANYMORE."

"Mum, come on," I groaned. There was soot in my ear, and i desperately needed to get it out. It was remarkably uncomfortable.

"No, you certainly can't be my daughter," she continued, glancing over me. "My daughter isn't nearly this thin, her hair is much shorter, and she would never show up unannounced after months of not being here."

"I have Honeydukes."

"Welcome home, Lot!"

"So tell me," Mum started, sipping at her tea. "Anything new and exciting? I do love your letters, but I always feel like they're missing all of the juicy gossip."

We were sitting at the kitchen table, each with our beverage of choice. We always seemed to end up like this, just chatting the day away as if we'd never actually been apart. It was starting to rain outside, and I was so incredibly content.

I thought deeply, wondering if I had missed anything important. While I loved my mother, I wasn't quite ready to tell her all about Remus; I'd fill her in when the time was right. Still, there had to be something….

"I was offered a teaching position," I blurted out suddenly. I had nearly forgotten about that. My mother raised an eyebrow over her teacup. "In France. It would begin in the fall, and I would be teaching healing arts."

"So you're moving to France?"

"I'm not sure yet," I responded, avoiding her gaze as I refilled my coffee. "There are some things to consider."

"Like what?" she pressed. "Lottie, this is an incredible opportunity. Surely they can't offer you anything like that at Hogwarts?"

"They can't, but-"

"But nothing! You'd be ridiculous to pass this up," she sniffed, taking a sip of her tea.

"I'm just not sure I'm willing to make so many changes," I replied uncomfortably. "I mean, France is such a change! I'd be away from you, away from Jenny-"

"Away from your lovely gentleman friend?" I choked on my coffee. "Jenny's Aunt Dottie came for a visit last week and mentioned a rather handsome date for the wedding - you did mention to Jenny how sorry we were that we couldn't be there, right?"

"Yes, Mum, I told her," I assured her. "But it's not like that. Remus-"

"Remus?" she interrupted, excited. "Is this the professor you're so close with?"

"Yes, but Mum, he's only a friend. You know how Dottie is! I had to save him somehow and-"

"Is he why you won't go to France?"

"No, Mum! There are countless reasons. And I haven't even made a decision yet!"

"Well, you know, Lottie-"

"We aren't together-"

"I just thought I raised you smarter than to sacrifice your career for a man," she finished, studying me carefully. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"You know, Mum, being a Ravenclaw doesn't mean you know everything."

"Your father's tried to tell me that a hundred times," she responded, waving me off. "But, as he often is, he's wrong. You might not want to tell me everything, but I don't need you to! Refill, dear?"

So there we have it. After a very, very long hiatus, Lottie's back. As 50 reviews have, indeed, been reached, I'll be posting a short companion piece as soon as I can. I'll try to have the next chapter soon, as well!