Chapter Three: In My Lady's Chamber

Dinner was everything that could be expected of a meal at Hogwarts, lavish, filling and excellent. They lingered over the various courses having more wine and letting their conversation wander where it wished, as they simply enjoyed spending time in each other's company.

Once the final course was consumed, and the coffee cups emptied, Remus stood up and extended a hand to Minerva. With a puzzled look on her face she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

Remus answered her unspoken question with a grin. "Don't you remember? You promised to teach me how to dance."

Though she allowed him to pull her away from the table and slip an arm around her waist, she frowned at him and said, "I did no such thing."

The werewolf placed a hand in the middle of her back and took her hand in his before pausing and looking expectant. "Really? That's not the way I remember it."

Raising an eyebrow, she stared back at him primly and stated in a dry tone, "Well, it's hard to know which is more faulty then, your hearing or your memory."

With a soft laugh, Remus slid his hand slowly down her back enjoying the feel of the rich fabric and the living woman beneath his fingertips. "Hmmm…well, I don't think there's really much wrong with either, but I won't argue the point. I'll simply make my request again. Will you teach me how to dance, Minerva?"

With a pause before answering, she slipped her hand behind his body to hold his back securely as well, pressing her fingertips into the taut muscles ever so slightly.

"This is silly. There isn't any music, and I don't have a wireless. I can't teach you to dance without music." She tilted her head and gave him a slightly chiding smile.

With solemn eyes, he nodded and released her hand, placing his own lightly against her cheek. "Then perhaps you could teach me something else…" he whispered softly. Without waiting for a response, he bent slightly, though they were much of a height, and kissed her on her slightly parted lips. It was a soft and gentle kiss, and he could feel her hesitancy in returning it.

When he pulled back, she immediately looked down and away from him. He let the knuckles of his hand lightly brush against her downcast cheek as he spoke quietly. "When we were in the garden, you said that I seemed alone…that I'd lost so much. I have a feeling that the same thing is true for you as well. Perhaps, at least for tonight, we could be there for each other in a way that no one else has been for a very long time."

Slowly she raised doubtful eyes to his, though she knew that this same thought had teased her from the back of her mind when she'd originally invited him up for dinner. Now that he stood here before her, so open and willing, all she could think about was how young he seemed, and how inappropriate a union between them would be.

"Remus…I was your teacher. I'm so much older than you. Are you sure that you want…" Her voice trailed off, and she just stared at him with a hint of longing in her eyes.

He smiled tenderly at her and an echo of that longing shown in his own eyes. "The operative word is "was", Minerva. You haven't been my teacher for many many years, and yes, I do want you…very much."

His hand caressed her hair, and he drew a finger down along her cheek and slowly outlined her lips, making them tingle.

"However, if you'd really prefer to simply have another glass of wine and spend the remainder of the evening sitting on the sofa talking about whatever comes to mind, I won't argue with you. I'm grateful for your company, and I've enjoyed the time that I've spent with you today more than any I've spent with anyone for as long as I can remember."

Still she found herself hesitating, suspended between what she longed for and what she felt she should do. As she opened her mouth once more, he gently pressed a finger to her lips to still her words aborning.

"Before you speak, I want you to do something for me."

Slowly she nodded, and he removed his hand.

"Don't think about tomorrow or what anyone else might think proper…just think about the two of us, right here and now…and what you truly want to do…for yourself. Then, for once in your life, give yourself permission to do it."

Time held itself suspended for a moment as they simply stared at one another, drinking in the depth of longing that spilled outward from deep within. Then, with a slight gasp, she threw her arms around his neck and drew him firmly against her, pulling him into a kiss much deeper and more passionate than the one they'd shared a moment before.

His arms slid more securely around her slender form and molded her body to his allowing no hint of space between them as they both met in perfect accord. Minerva shivered at the intensity of the embrace. No one had held her with such desire in a very long time.

As he finally released her lips to gasp for air, he laughed low in his throat and kissed her forehead…her cheeks…the tip of her finely pointed nose…then as she laughed in return, he pressed his lips to the crook of her neck, and sucked on the soft flesh with a fierce hunger that turned her laughter to a deep throaty moan. Her body arched against his, pressing itself as tightly against him as it was possible to get.

"Minerva," he whispered huskily against her skin. "As lovely as this gown looks on you, I suddenly have a tremendous urge to see you without it."

A smile crossed her face as she realized that she'd been thinking much the same thing about him. Though a faint shiver of doubt coursed through her at the same time, to cool her ardor slightly.

"You do realize that gravity and time haven't exactly left me at my very best, I hope," she murmured low against his shoulder with a tone that teased, though the meaning behind her soft words was very serious. This was the moment where he'd truly have to accept that he wouldn't be making love to a thirty year old woman. Though she'd always kept herself in good shape, she had no illusions that she could pass for thirty or even fifty ever again.

He met her slightly shadowed eyes with no hesitation. "I know. I'm not exactly a perfect specimen myself you know. Werewolves tend to need to chew and claw under the influence of the full moon, in the absence of other prey, that instinct is turned inward. You'll see…if you're willing." Now it was his eyes that held the concern, and she tried to banish it with a soft kiss.

Then without another word, she took him by the hand and led him into her bedroom.

Low slanting light bathed the room in golden brilliance as the last rays of the summer sun set fire to the deep green draperies and gilded the twisted mahogany posts of the large beckoning bed.

Once inside the room, Remus took the lead and pulled her over to the bed and pressed her down to sit on its side. Then he sat himself down behind her. As she turned her head to see him, curious as to why he didn't face her, she could feel his questing fingers begin to pull the pins from her hair one by one.

"All day long, all I've really wanted to do was run my fingers through your hair," he murmured quietly, while he made quick work of releasing her imprisoned locks from bondage. Once free of restraint he spread it all out across her back like a carpet of ebony lit from without by shimmering sparkles of gold. Gently he gathered it up in handfuls and pressed it to his face, inhaling the sweet smell of lilac that permeated the soft mass.

"You have the most beautiful hair…you do know that, don't you?" he whispered, as he stroked it gently, allowing it to slip smoothly through his long fingers as he played with its strands.

She let a pleased smile play over her features as she enjoyed the feeling of his fingers sliding through her hair. "Yes, it can be awfully heavy and difficult to manage, but I'm well aware that it's my best feature, for all that I need to keep it bound up most of the time."

"Ah, but that's part of the mystique. I doubt that I'd have found it half so enticing if I'd been able to see it swinging free at will. Releasing it from its pins was half of the allure, I assure you." He chuckled softly and she shivered as the sound swept through her like a cool breeze raising the hair on the back of her arms.

His fingers ceased playing with her hair, gathered the fragrant mass together, and laid it gently over one of her shoulders. Then before she could question him as to his intent, he began unfastening her gown making short work of the buttons and hooks that held the cloth together.

As he began to ease the soft fabric down over her shoulders, he bent over and kissed the exposed flesh, saying softly, "As for it being your best feature, I'd say the verdict was still out on that one. There are too many other features that I still have to explore before I can make a decision there."

She shivered as he slipped her arms out of the sleeves of the dress and pulled her back against him letting his mouth continue to taste the flesh along her shoulders and the top of her arms. With a sigh, she let him turn her body in his arms and lay her down on the bed to slide the gown off and drape it over a nearby chair.

"So I'm to let you rate what feature you judge to be my best, am I?" she said softly as he slipped off her shoes and ran his fingers up the sides of her legs lifting the soft white shift as he moved upward seeking the edges of the stockings that encased her legs in sheer silk and kept them from the warmth of his touch.

His eyes sparkled with mischief as he looked down at her. "Well, your hair is still definitely in the running, but I think it's going to slip in the standings next to your legs."

Surprised she lifted herself up on her elbows and raised incredulous eyebrows. "My legs? Remus, no one has ever complimented me on my legs before, I assure you."

"Then all of your previous lovers must have been struck dumb at the sight of them. Most people wouldn't notice, I suppose, with the long enveloping skirts that you always wear, but Minerva, take it from me…you have lovely legs. Long, shapely, smooth to the touch."

His questing fingers found the tops of her stockings as he extolled her virtues and slowly he began to slide them down and off, tossing them carelessly aside in favor of once more sliding warm hands up the smooth flesh of her calves and thighs moving gently from the outside to a more intimate touch on the inside of her thighs, stroking and caressing the fragile skin softly with his fingertips, and causing her heart to begin beating at a much higher rate than normal.

Minerva smiled up at the man who loomed so fascinatingly above her and reached out a hand to pull him down atop her. Then she rolled him onto his back as she kissed him deeply, finally pulling back to suck gently on his bottom lip and nibble at it with sharp teeth. "So far all this play has been far too one sided. If you can strip the clothing from my body and be so forward as to rate my personal features, then I think turnabout is only fair, don't you?"

The smile that lit Remus' face glowed from ear to ear. "Oh, absolutely. Why should I have all the fun? Please…strip away."

"All right, I will." She smiled in return and then paused to remove her glasses and set them aside before beginning to unfasten his robes and wrestle with removing them from his body while he lay there and watched in fascination as, unbeknownst to her, the strap of her shift slid lower and lower down her arm, revealing more and more enticing glimpses of the breast beneath the light garment.

Finally with a slightly frustrated huff, she sat back on her heels and stared down at him solemnly. "I'm afraid this isn't going to work. I simply can't manage to remove your garments with you lying there like a beached whale. You're going to have to help me…at least a little."

"A whale, am I?" He smiled but his smile held more hint of desire than of teasing as the look in his eyes changed from playful to hungry in an instant. An answering stab of sudden need drove deeply into her as well as the two of them stared unspeaking at one another, frozen in place, half clad on the bed.

"I think I have a better solution," he spoke softly as he removed his wand from the pocket of the robe that he still mostly wore and spoke the standard removal spell over them both. Instantly their clothing was whisked from their bodies to appear in a neatly folded pile on the floor near the bed.

A gasp was wrenched from Minerva at the suddenness of the disrobing. She only got a brief glimpse of the hard male body beneath her before she was crushed firmly against it and time stretched out its arms and pulled her in. Minutes slipped away unnoticed as newly exposed skin was explored thoroughly in every possible manner.

Scars were traced with delicate fingers; orbs of tender flesh were kissed and caressed with loving care. Lips were pressed to every inch of available skin and souls were lifted to new heights of ecstasy as two people found solace and caring within the deeply hidden parts of each other.

Much later in the comfort of the dim bedroom, with the soft light of the waning moon gifting everything with its bright touch, Remus tightened his arms around the sleeping woman within his grasp and nuzzled her neck softly.

A soft sigh of contentment escaped from her as he rubbed his slightly bristly chin against the cool smoothness of her hair and marveled at being here in this bed together.

Her low voice took him by surprise, and he turned away from the uncurtained window to look down into her softly smiling face.

"That was wonderful you know."

His eyes smiled into hers. "Yes. It was."

Sensuously she stretched her body out along his like the cat she often became and grinned impishly. "So…what's my best feature?"

A low laugh escaped his lips and happily he let his fingers begin once more to trace the pleasant contours of her flesh.

"I suppose I'd have to say your generosity, and your willingness to give so deeply of yourself would probably top the list."

As she shifted around slightly to stare at him in amazement, he grinned. "Of course, your breasts aren't bad either…and those legs…mmmm."

A sharp laugh rent the quiet night and she slapped playfully at his broad chest. "Oh, stop it. I see that my hair has indeed fallen from favor though."

Remus' hand slid down the length of her back and cupped her derriere firmly, pulling her lower body against his as he lowered his head to suck gently on one silver outlined breast.

"Well," he murmured between light kisses. "You can hardly blame me for being swept away by the bounty that I found lurking out of sight behind all that heavy material. You keep your most impressive valuables well hidden, Minerva."

Sliding one leg slowly up along his, she ran a gentle hand through his hair and down over his shoulder and back to rest easily on his own nicely muscled rear end.

"Well hidden indeed, I must admit that it's been quite some time since I brought them out for anyone else to admire and play with."

Remus raised his head from her breast and stared down at her for a moment before leaning over and kissing her softly once more. "Then I'm honoured to be gifted with such treasure. Though I'd have to say that I never would've guessed that they'd lain fallow for long. I can almost imagine you having a string of lovers that stretches from here to Australia. No wonder you were disappointed that your conference was only as far away as Edinburgh."

A playful tone lit her voice as her hand slid around from fondling his backside to slip slowly down over the lightly furred muscles of his chest. "Well, perhaps I do have a string of eager suitors from foreign lands. Simply because it's been a while, doesn't mean that I've forgotten how you know. I think it's rather like riding a broom. Once you really learn…you aren't too likely to forget."

Her caressing hand had gently wended its way down the expanse of his chest by now and was stroking lower to run tantalizing fingers along the once more well hardened length of him, eliciting deep groans of pleasure from his throat. Swiftly he flipped her over onto her back and loomed above her. "Perhaps we should sharpen up our skills together once more then," he whispered huskily.

Reaching up to pull him down on top of her, she answered with a soft sigh, "I think perhaps we should."

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With a serene smile on her face, Minerva lifted her skirts above her trim ankles and descended the staircase gracefully to greet the two male figures that stood in the entry hall below.

"Welcome back, Albus…Severus."

Both men looked up at her greeting and one of them smiled in return.

"Hello, Minerva. It's good to be back." The Headmaster stated pleasantly in answer. "Did anything much happen here while we were away?"

She paused to think. "Well, Remus stopped by while you were gone. I believe he left a package for you, Albus."

"Yes, I got it, thank you. I was sorry to have missed him, did he stay long?"

"Oh, for a few hours. We had dinner together, which was quite a pleasure."

"Did you throw him a bone then?" The low sneering voice of the Potions master joined the conversation.

Minerva regarded the darker man over the rim of her spectacles. "Actually I laid out a rather nice feast for him, Severus," she stated in a mildly reproving tone.

"Hmmpf," Snape snorted shortly. "I doubt that he appreciated it…though I'm willing to bet he devoured it whole. The man always looks as if he's about to keel over from hunger."

A reminiscent smile teased her lips. "Oh, I rather think he enjoyed it, and yes, he did seem quite eager. I think we were both a little hungry."

Snape glowered at her once more. "Actually I'm surprised that he doesn't spend more time hanging around here. The free food alone should be an enticement."

"Well, perhaps he'll stop by more often now that he knows he's welcome."

Snape snorted once more. "Welcome," he spoke in a tone of disgust. "Speak for yourself, Minerva."

Her smile brightened. "Oh, I am, Severus. I am."