A small one shot, set during OotP - introduces an OC but is otherwise canon. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please note - the conversation right at the end was inspired by the story of Remus and Tonks, as published on Pottermore.

"Emmaline, this place is creepy. Why do I have to stay here? Why can't I stay with you?"

"Keep your voice down!" whispered Emmaline as she looked anxiously at a drawn curtain. Penelope, confused, did as she was told. "I told you, my house isn't safe - I'm going away for a month on Order business."

"But I don't understand. Can't you just use magic to make it safe?" she asked quietly feeling frustrated.

"I could, and they could use their magic to make it unsafe. Listen to me, Penny. I know you think you're mature -"

"I am mature!"

"You're only 21 years old -"

"I just turned 24!"

"Penny. This is the safest place for you right now. I'm sorry but I have no time to argue this again. Let's go down to the kitchen. I need to introduce you before I leave."

Penelope followed her sister through the eerie corridor and down a steep staircase. The house was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was dark, dirty and old. It looked like it had once belonged to a wealthy family, but had been horribly neglected for decades.

To her surprise (and relief) the kitchen was brightly lit and much warmer and cleaner than the rest of the house. She noticed two men sitting at the long dining table. Both were tall and lean, but that's where the similarities ended. One was extremely handsome, with black hair and refined features. The other had long brown hair that was speckled with grey. He had a kind looking face, but he looked exhausted. The men looked curiously at Penelope, who stared back with equal interest. She had never meet wizards before - the only witch she had ever met was her sister.

"Emmaline," said the man with black hair. "What a pleasant surprise. How have you been?"

"I've been better," she said shortly. "Listen, Sirius, I have to go. I'm preparing for a mission. This is my sister, Penelope. She is going to be staying here until I can find safe accommodation for her. I'm sorry I don't have time to explain. Penelope can fill you in."

Penelope noticed that Emmaline only addressed the man with dark hair - Sirius, she had called him - but completely ignored the other man. Before she could dwell on that thought, Emmaline turned to face her, her expression softening.

"I don't know when I'll be able to visit, but I'll try to come soon. Do not leave this house under any circumstance, do you understand? No matter what you find out, or see, please understand that you are safe here," she said gently, before pulling her into a tight hug. Her voice trembled as she added, just loud enough so that no one else could here. "You're safe, even if it doesn't feel that way. I love you, Penny. You're the only family I have left."

Penelope hugged her back, forcing herself to stay strong for her sister's sake.

"I love you, Emma. I trust you. Please, be careful out there," she whispered back. Too soon, Emmaline pulled away from her and with a final goodbye, left Penelope alone with the two strangers. The kind faced man looked at her with polite curiosity, though Sirius was openly staring at her.

"Penelope is it? Well, don't be shy. Take a seat," he said, indicating to the chair opposite him.

"Thank you," she said quietly as she sat down.

"I'm Sirius Black and this is Remus Lupin," he said.

It was Penelope's turn to stare. Sirius? Remus? What utterly bizarre names.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," said Remus, smiling politely. Penelope could not help but smile back.

"I'm Penelope Vance," she said awkwardly. "I'm so sorry to intrude - it must be quite an inconvenience, but Emma insisted that I stay here."

"Oh, it's no inconvenience at all," said Sirius, a small smirk playing on his lips and he reclined back casually his chair. "You know, I didn't know Emmaline had a sister. I don't remember you from Hogwarts, although do you seem pretty young. What year did you graduate?"

"I - I didn't go to Hogwarts," she said, surprised that he could possibly mistake her for one of them.

"Oh? Don't tell me - a young witch of your refined sophistication, you must have gone to Beauxbatons?"

Penelope blushed at the compliment, but she had no idea what he was talking about.

"No - I - I'm normal. I'm not - I'm not a witch," she said, suddenly feeling self conscious.

Both men looked extremely surprised.

"You're a muggle?" exclaimed Remus while Sirius stared at her with wide eyes.

"What's a muggle?" she asked.

"A non-magical person," he clarified.

Penelope nodded, and the two men looked at each other, as though unsure what to think.

"Is that bad?" she asked uncertainly.

"No," said Remus quickly. "It's just, er, unusual that you would be at Order headquarters. Why did Emmaline bring you here?"

Penelope paled considerably as her memories of the previous night returned to her.

"I - I was attacked - well almost attacked. I escaped just in time. Emmaline said it's because they - the Death Eaters, I think she called them - want to silence her. It isn't safe for me at home any more. That's why I'm here."

Both men seemed startled by this news. Remus sat up straight.

"Do you know who it was?" he asked.

"Not - not who. It was a - a monster," she said fearfully. "A were - were -"

"A werewolf?" said Remus, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Penelope nodded, shuddering as she remembered the vicious creature.

"It was horrible," she said, blinking back tears. "If Emmaline hadn't given me an illegal Portkey for emergencies, I'd probably be dead."

Sirius stood up, walked around the room and sat besides her.

"Penelope. Penny - can I call you Penny?" he said gently, looking her straight in the eye. She felt a flutter in her stomach. He truly was extremely handsome. "You needn't worry. You're safe now. No one can reach you here. Now, why don't you come with me and I can show you your room?" he asked.

Penelope felt herself blush as he offered her a hand. She took it, and for some strange reason she felt oddly safe, even though he was a complete stranger to her. He smiled at her knowingly and he led her out of the kitchen. He did not let go of her hand until they reached the third floor and he stopped outside a door by the landing.

"You can have this room. It's the cleanest, and just across the bathroom," he said as he let go of her hand and opened the door. Penelope was relieved to see the surprisingly clean and cosy looking room, with a comfortable looking bed and extensive wardrobes.

"Hmm, there's more dust than I remember," he said as he ran a finger across the dresser. He reached his hand inside his pocket and - to Penelope's excitement - he pulled out a wand.

"Is that your wand?" she asked, unable to mask her awe. "It does magic?"

Sirius grinned.

"Haven't you seen Emmaline do magic before?"

"Rarely. I'm sure you've noticed, she's a bit stuffy. She seems to think the less I know, the better," she said resentfully.

"Well - watch this," he replied. With a twirl of his wand the dust in the room vanished - but he didn't stop there. He used his magic to open the curtains and change the bedsheets. Then with a flick of his wand, he conjured a beautiful bouquet of flowers and arranged them for her in an antique vase that sat on her bedside table.

"Wow!" she said, her eyes wide in wonder. "That's amazing!"

She reached out her hand apprehensively, and was surprised to find the flowers felt real. She turned to face Sirius, with a newfound excitement at the prospect of living at Grimmauld Place.

"What else can you do with that?" she asked, hungry for more.

"I'm saving the best for later," he said, winking at her. "I'll let you get used to your room, maybe have a rest, use the bathroom if you need to. Last night must have been exhausting for you. Come down to the kitchen when you're ready. We will have lunch soon."

"Thank you, Sirius," she said earnestly, deeply appreciative of how considerate he was of her feelings.

Sirius was grinning when he returned to the kitchen. Remus raised an eyebrow.

"You're awfully cheerful. What are you so happy about?"

Sirius slipped into a seat opposite Remus, still grinning broadly.

"She's pretty," he said simply. "Don't tell me you didn't notice?"

Remus frowned.

"I can't say I did. But I did happen to notice that she is terrified and vulnerable right now."

"Nothing some TLC couldn't fix," replied Sirius, smirking. "She isn't difficult to please. Show her a wand and she turns to putty. She'll be desperate for me in no time."

"I see Azkaban hasn't mellowed your obsession for women," said Remus bitterly. Truth be told, he had noticed that Penelope was quite lovely, and he'd wanted nothing more than to hug her, and tell her that things will fine. Of course, that could never happen. He would have to sit back and watch as Sirius took that role instead.

"Sirius. I think it might be best if she isn't told what I am," said Remus seriously. "She's scared, and I don't think knowing that she is sharing a house with a werewolf will help."

Penelope took her time becoming better acquainted with her room. It was certainly old but it was clean and cosy, and like the rest of the house, it looked like it would have been rather grand at some point in its history. Penelope was startled by a knock on her door. A woman with bright pink hair was standing at the doorway with a small suitcase that Penelope recognized as her own.

"Penelope? I'm Tonks. Emmaline had me collect some things for you from your place," she said as she used magic to levitate the suitcase on to the bed. "I didn't know what to pack so I got you a little bit of everything. I can go back if there's anything else you need."

"Thank you," said Penelope as she opened the suitcase.

"Emmaline insisted I pack you some books - that's some interesting titles you've got there. I especially liked the look of -"

"The Phantom of the Opera!" exclaimed Penelope in relief as she pulled out the battered, well read novel. "Dracula! The Count of Monte Cristo! Oh thank you! This is just what I needed. I read them for comfort, when I'm feeling especially down, or - or -"

"Scared?" offered Tonks gently.

Penelope nodded meekly.

"It's okay to be afraid. But you're safe here now. You understand that, right? No one can find you here."

Penelope smiled.

"I do. Thank you. I appreciate how nice you've all been. Really, I do."

Tonks left Penelope alone to unpack her belongings, which she did as quickly as she could. Something about the house gave her the creeps, and she wanted to return to the kitchen as quickly as possible.

She walked past the entry quietly, remembering what Emmaline had told her (she desperately did not want to know what would happen if she made too much noise). She stopped abruptly at the bottom of the kitchen staircase, a snippet of conversation caught her attention. She could see that Tonks and Remus were in the kitchen, their backs facing her, so neither of them had noticed she was there.

"How was last night?" asked Tonks.

Remus sighed loudly.

"Exhausting," he said.

'Snape brewed you the Wolfsbane potion, didn't he?"

"Yes. I'm grateful, of course, but even so, the transformation is agony. The full moon is never easy."

Penelope gasped before she could stop herself. Remus and Tonks both started and turned to look at her. She paled as she stared at Remus, horrified.

"You're - you're a - a -" she stuttered.

Tonks stood up quickly as Remus simply stared at her, looking stricken.

"Penelope, it's okay. Remus is -"

"He's a werewolf?" Penelope cried hysterically. She shaking uncontrollably.

"Yes, but -"

Penelope didn't stay long enough for Tonks to finish. Still shaking, she turned around and ran back up the stairs. A werewolf! A werewolf at Grimmauld Place! What was Emmaline thinking? She was meant to be escaping werewolves, not living with one! She ran towards the front door, her hand firmly clasped in the handle, when a pair of strong arms grabbed her and pulled her away. She screamed.

"Penny, stop screaming. It's me, Sirius!"

She stopped struggling and looked up into his concerned eyes.

"Sirius?" she repeated. Just as she started to feel calm - safe - someone else started scream.

"FILTHY MUGGLE! HOW DARE YOU DEFILE THE HOUSE OF MY ANCESTORS!"

Sirius let her go and ran towards a painting - a screaming painting - and tugged against the curtains that had been closed just a moment ago. Penelope stared, dumbstruck, as Sirius pulled, but the curtain wouldn't budge. She was so engrossed that she did not even notice Remus running up the stairs until he was helping Sirius. Together, they managed to pull the curtains closed, silencing the painting instantly.

"My mother," said Sirius bitterly, pushing his hair away from his face. Penelope hardly noticed him. She was staring at Remus, who was looking at her apprehensively.

"Penelope," he said quietly. She flinched as though he had yelled at her. Sirius, frowning in confusion, stood by her side. She shifted towards him, as though to shield herself from the werewolf.

"Penelope, please. I won't hurt you," he said. He sounded so earnest that she wanted to believe him, but the image of the werewolf pouncing towards her in her living room forced itself to the front if her mind, and she shivered involuntarily.

Sirius, who seemed to have realised what had happened, turned to face her, lifting up her chin gently with his hands.

"Penny. Remus is nothing like that werewolf who tried to attack you yesterday. There are good and bad werewolves, just like there are good and bad witches and wizards, even muggles. Remus locks himself up on the full moon so that he can't hurt anyone, even if it means hurting himself instead. He also takes a potion that allows him to keep his mind during the transformation. He's completely safe. Think about it. Would Emmaline have brought you here if she didn't trust him?"

She remembered what Emmaline had told her - that she was safe here, no matter what she found out. But then she remembered something else.

"Then why did Emmaline ignore him?" she asked, sounding braver than she felt. "She only spoke to you."

Sirius frowned.

"Emmaline has learned prejudice since joining the wizarding world. She doesn't like Remus, but she does trust him."

She looked uncertainly at Remus. She noticed with a pang of guilt how hurt he looked. He certainly looked harmless, but she still couldn't help but feel anxious around him. It was all too new, too fresh. Until yesterday, werewolves were something fictional - like vampires, or zombies - but now she not only narrowly escaped being killed by one, she was living with one.

She turned back to Sirius and nodded. He smiled at her encouragingly.

"That's the spirit. Come on," he said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and steering her back towards the kitchen, Remus trailing closely behind them. Instinctively, Penelope stuck close to Sirius' side as she tried to ignore the fact that a werewolf was standing right behind her.

The days passed slowly. Fortunately, Remus was busy with work for the Order, and usually left early in the morning and returned late in the evening, so she rarely saw him. Sirius proved to be rather entertaining, and endearingly flirtatious. It turns out that the house belonged to his magical parents, which he inherited along with a bizarre and surly little creature that was apparently a house elf. As such, much to her disappointment, Grimmauld Place had neither a television nor a radio - indeed, it wasn't even connected to the power supply.

One morning, a fews days into her stay, she discovered a radio in the kitchen. Sirius was still asleep, and was unlikely to wake for another hour or so, and Remus would have already left by that time. Curious, she tried to turn it on, but she couldn't figure out how. There was no power plug, and she couldn't find an on button. She sat like that for a while, becoming increasing frustrated, when -

"You'll need a wand to turn that on."

Penelope started and was surprised to see Remus standing in the kitchen door way. He looked much better than the last time she had seen him, and even as her heart raced, she couldn't help but notice that he looked quite handsome.

"A wand?" she repeated nervously.

He nodded, and pulled out his wand from his robes and Penny eyed it cautiously. He seemed to notice her apprehension.

"Do you want to try?" he asked her, holding out his wand to her.

"Really?" she asked brightly, surprised that he would offer. She had desperately wanted to touch a wand, but knew that it would incredibly rude to ask. Besides, they would probably have laughed at the silly muggle thinking she could do magic. "Will it work?"

He smiled knowingly as he took a seat opposite her.

"Probably not," he admitted. "But you don't actually need to cast a spell to get the radio working, it just needs a wand to touch it, so you might be lucky."

She accepted the wand cautiously, taking care not to touch him, hoping that he didn't notice the way her hand was shaking. She was still afraid of him, but his bribery had temporarily won her over. The wand was surprisingly light, and was a warm brown colour.

"You look surprised?" he asked.

Penelope frowned.

"I thought it would feel different. It just feels like a - a piece of wood."

"The wand itself isn't magic. It's simply a tool that allows a witch or wizard to channel their own magic."

"Oh. So that's why I can't feel anything? Because I don't have any magic?" she asked, feeling deflated.

"Indeed. That wand is nothing more than cypress wood and a unicorn hair to you."

"Unicorn hair? But unicorns aren't real? Are they?" she asked, wide eyed.

Remus chuckled.

"Of course they are. Incredibly difficult to catch, though. There's a small herd that lives in the forest outside Hogwarts."

"Right," she said, in awe. There was so much that Penelope did not know about the magical world, things that Emmaline could have told her, but refused to.

"So," she said, turning her attention back to the radio. "Do I just tap it?"

"Yes, just tap the top."

Holding her breath, Penelope slowly touched the wand on to the radio.

Nothing happened.

Feeling thoroughly disappointed, Penelope placed the wand down in front of its rightful owner. She forced herself to smile.

"I guess it was a little silly to think it would work," she said quietly.

"There was no harm trying," said Remus kindly, before he tapped the radio with his wand. This time, it switched on, but was playing a song that she had never before.

"Is that - is that a witch singing?" she asked incredulously. It had never occurred to her to that the magical world would have their own radio stations. "I don't suppose this thing gets normal - I mean, muggle stations, does it?"

He shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no. I do quite like muggle music, though. My mum is a muggle," he added at her confused expression, smiling kindly. "Yes, my dad saved her from a boggart - that's a sort of dark creature, it takes on the appearance of one's greatest fear. It's completely harmless though. They quickly fell in love, but she was rather surprised to discover that he was a wizard. She made sure I was raised knowing the muggle world."

"I didn't realise that muggles could marry magical people," she admitted. Her curiously got the better of her, and she couldn't help but ask. "Was your dad like you too?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, no longer smiling. A shadow seemed to cross his face. Penelope wished she hadn't said anything, but it was too late to back peddle.

"I mean, was he a - a -"

"No," said Remus simply, his face expressionless. "I was bitten as a small child, by the same man who attacked you a few nights ago."

"Would I have become like you?" she asked, feeling suddenly cold. "Would I have transformed?"

"You would have died. Muggles don't survive the transformation," he said grimly.

"Oh," she said. She held her hands in her lap so that he couldn't see how they were shaking. Thoughts of that night returned to her. An awkward silence descended on the kitchen. Penelope didn't know what to say, but fortunately at that moment, Sirius entered the kitchen.

She smiled broadly when she saw him, and jumped from her seat. She ran to his side and pulled him away from the table and towards the kitchen area.

Remus left shortly after. Penelope did not see him again that evening, and she had pushed him out of her mind until she went down to breakfast the next morning. She was surprised see a different radio sitting on the kitchen table. Curious, she examined it. It was old and battered, but unless her eyes betrayed her, it was a battery powered muggle radio. She flicked the switch and the lyrics to Gangsta's Paradise blared through the room.

She gasped in surprise. Frowning, she realised that Remus must have gotten it for her. It was an incredibly sweet gesture, but it left her confused - maybe she had been wrong about him? Maybe there really was no reason to be afraid? She sat there, alone, for hours, enjoying the familiar music, reminded of the home she had left behind.

"What is that?" asked Sirius when he finally came down to breakfast.

"It's muggle music," she said happily. "I think Remus got it."

"Hm? That's odd," he said, as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Why?"

"He struggles to find work, because of his condition. It's been especially rough these last two years, since the Ministry made it almost impossible for him to find work. As though it wasn't difficult enough already. His old radio must have broken or he wouldn't have bought that one."

Penelope felt guilty again. Remus had spent what little money he had to buy her this radio - and she was too afraid to even talk to him.

"He's quite nice, isn't he?" she asked uncertainly. "Even for a - a - werewolf."

"Remus? He's much nicer than me, that's for sure. Don't let his outward appearance fool you though - he can be downright mischievous when he wants to be."

It was at that moment that Penelope resolved that she would make an effort to be nicer to Remus.

Penelope spent the rest of the day helping Sirius decontaminate the house. The Christmas holidays were approaching and his godson would be coming to visit. In truth, she wasn't really much help without magic, but she did what she could. After they finished their second room, Sirius went down to the ground floor to replenish their cleaning supplies, and, against her better judgement, Penelope opened the door to a room labelled 'Library'. The room was dingy and dusty, like the other rooms they had already tackled. Fortunately the curtains were already open - she didn't dare touch them after seeing the creatures hidden behind them in the previous room.

Curious, she glanced over the books on the shelves. She didn't recognize any of the titles, though she could see they were on all types of different magical topics. She reached up to a fascinating large volume titled 'Magical Beasts' but as she pulled the book off the shelf, she accidently knocked over a large basket. It landed on the floor with a loud clank.

"Shit!" she cried, and reached to pick it up when something huge leapt out of the basket.

Penelope couldn't believe her eyes. It was a werewolf.

She screamed and in her haste to run to the door she tripped, landing flat on her stomach. She scrambled to her feet but realised it was standing right in front of her. She was pressed against the bookshelf, trapped with nowhere to run.

She whimpered, covering her face with her hands, waiting for the creature to pounce at her. But before it could, she heard the pounding of footsteps running into the room.

"What the -" muttered Remus, as he ran forward, standing between her and the monster. He raised his wand, but before he even said anything, there was a crack and the creature vanished and was replaced by a large circle orb - the full moon.

"Riddikulus!" said Remus sharply and the moon evaporated in a puff of smoke.

Penelope felt a rush of relief even as her legs failed her and she collapsed onto the ground, tears running down her face.

"Penelope! Are you okay?" asked Remus as he knelt down besides her, looking concerned.

"H-how?" she stuttered fearfully. "I don't understand."

"That was a boggart - a dark creature that manifests as whatever you fear most," he said gently. "It wasn't a real. It couldn't have hurt you."

The pounding of footsteps on the stairs distracted her, and a moment later Sirius flew into the room, his wand raised. He quickly assessed the scene before lowering his wand.

"What happened?" he asked urgently.

"It was a boggart, Sirius," said Remus as he stood up.

Penelope, still shaking, tried to stand up. She felt embarrassed to be cowering on the floor, like a child, especially when Remus had been so brave. Sirius put away his wand and helped her up. To her surprise, he hugged her.

"You're shaking, Penny. Come on, let's get you a cup of tea. There's no need to be afraid - it's just a boggart."

Penelope took one final, scared look at Remus before following Sirius out of the room. He wore the most curious expression. Was that disgust?

As Sirius steered her down to the kitchen, Penelope realised that Remus was most afraid of the full moon - of the monster he would become. And yet he didn't hesitate at all to put himself between her and the werewolf. She felt another pang of guilt.

He didn't join them in the kitchen that evening.

The following day, Sirius' godson, a shy black haired boy with a lightning shaped scar on his forehead, and a horde of red haired children arrived at headquarters. From what Penelope understood, their father had been attacked by a poisonous snake while on official Order business and Harry had seen it all in a dream. It was all quite bizarre but Penelope had learned to just accept these things on face value and not ask too many questions.

The extra company was a welcome distraction from the daily monotony. Sirius, in particular, was in very high spirits.

Penelope was determined to show Remus that she was not afraid of him anymore. The only trouble was, he hardly seemed to be home, and when he was, he was usually chatting with Harry or the other children, all of whom seemed to adore him. Penelope would often find herself staring at him. Unfortunately, this had to stop when he noticed her staring at him one day and she looked away hurriedly, flushing furiously. She had hoped that he might talk to her, but much to her disappointment, he had been avoiding her since the boggart incident.

Christmas at Grimmauld Place was bitter-sweet for Penelope. Even though Sirius was attentive and made sure to include her in the festivities, her sister Emmaline still had not visited nor sent word. Sirius insisted that she shouldn't worry, and that it was normal for Order members to be away on their missions for so long. Determined to enjoy herself, she had put in extra effort to fix her hair and makeup, and wore the loveliest dress that Tonks had packed for her.

"You look ravishing, my dearest Penny," said Sirius when she joined the party, his eye lingering along her low cut collar of her dress.

"Thank you," she said bashfully. "You're too kind."

"May I have this first dance?"

So she danced with Sirius, for the first song, and the second, and the third. She suspected that they would have kept going if young Fred Weasley hadn't cut in and asked to dance with Penelope.

The house was full with witches and wizards, many of whom Penelope had not meet and who were looking at her curiously. One man in particular had startled her - he had a wooden leg, was covered in scars and had the most bizarre electric blue glass eye that she was pretty sure could see through things.

"I see you've noticed dear old Mad-Eye Moody," said Fred, as he handed her a drink.

"Er, why does he look like that?"

"He's an auror - that means he hunts down dark wizards. He's one of the best there is."

"Do all aurors look like that?"

Fred laughed.

"No - Tonks is an auror, and she looks pretty fit. Are you enjoying the party?"

"It's fun," she said. "It's nice to have something different to do. Especially the dancing. "

Penelope's eyes flickered to where Remus was standing by the refreshments table, talking to Sirius. How she wished that he would dance with her, but it seemed like an impossible dream.

"You should go talk to him," said Fred, with a slight smirk.

"What?" she asked startled.

"You are pining over our dear resident werewolf, are you not? Or are my keen observations incorrect?"

Penelope flushed. Was she really so obvious?

"How did you -"

"I don't miss much. Now, trust me when I say you should go talk to him."

"Why?"

"Just trust me. You'll definitely regret it if you don't," he said knowingly. Penelope noticed a brown paper bag sitting by his side. "Let's just say things are going to get very exciting soon," said Fred, a mischievous smile on his face as he pulled the paper bag behind his back.

"Right. Okay, wish me luck," she said, and she made her way to the where Remus was standing. She was standing right besides him, topping up her drink, when Sirius was called away by Harry and Remus was suddenly alone. She took in a deep breath and spoke to him before she lost her nerve.

"Hello, Remus," she said shyly.

Surprised, he turned to face her.

"Oh, hello, Penelope," he said. "Were you looking for Sirius? I'm afraid you just missed him."

"No," she replied pleasantly, taking a sip of her drink.

Remus looked politely confused that she was voluntarily speaking to him.

"Are you enjoying the party?" she asked.

"Very much so. You?"

"I am. It's nice to have an excuse to dress up. It can get a bit dull around here."

"I can imagine," he replied. He took a sip of drink, still looking confused.

"Remus, I never did thank you for buying that muggle radio," she said hesitantly, a slight blush on her cheeks. "That was so thoughtful of you."

"It was nothing," he said, though his eyes lit up as he smiled. "Did you enjoy it?"

"I listen to it everyday. It helps keep me connected to the outside world."

"You know, I'm sure if you ask Tonks, she'd be happy to take you out one day," he offered.

"Tonks?" said Penelope, unable to hide her disappointment.

"I'm sorry, I know it must feel like babysitting, but it isn't safe if you leave on your own. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Right. Of course," she said.

She felt like a fool. Had she really expected that he would offer to take her out himself? After the way that she had acted towards him? She needed him to understand that she did not feel like that anymore.

"Would you like to dance?" she asked abruptly, a blush rising across her cheeks.

Remus looked surprised, as though he couldn't believe what he had heard.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" he asked.

"Uh, I said would you like to dance?" she repeated nervously, worried that he might say no.

"With you?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry - I understand if you don't want to," she said quickly, looking down at her glass in embarrassment.

"No, I'd love to," he said. He held out his hand for her to take and she put down her drink and slipped her hand into his. For a moment he didn't move, but started at their entwined hands, as though waiting for her to pull hers away as she came to her senses.

"Shall we?" she asked, smiling up at him. He smiled unsurely back at her and he led her on to the makeshift dance floor. Hesitantly, and excruciatingly slowly, he lifted his hands to her waist, as though to give her ample opportunity to change her mind. She placed her arms in his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, I'm not much of a dancer," said Remus apologetically as they swayed to the music.

"That's a relief - neither am I. I think Sirius might have lost a toe, the number of times I stepped on his foot," she said, smiling bashfully.

"It's nice to see you smile. You've been awfully down recently," he said.

Penelope grinned.

"It's nice to have something to smile about," she said softly.

"You mean amputating Sirius' toe?" he replied, his lip twitching as he betrayed a smile. "Speaking of Sirius, I think you might be pleased to know that he might be coming to steal you away."

Surprised, Penelope followed his gaze. Sirius was making his way through the crowd of dancing people, his eyes fixed on her. She turned her gaze back to Remus, unsure how to explain that she didn't want to be stolen, when suddenly the lights went out. Penelope gasped in surprise, as did a number of other people. She tightened her grip on Remus' shoulders.

"What's going on?" she whispered nervously into the darkness. But before Remus could reply, there was a loud BANG and the room was thrown into illumination. Penelope screamed and practically jumped into Remus' arms, grabbed onto him for dear life. The room was dark again, and then another BANG, this time accompanied by a flash of blue light. Bewildered, Penelope turned her gaze to the source of the sound and - BANG - it was fireworks.

Fireworks. Inside. Around her people started to laugh and enjoy the display - she cowered closer to Remus, unsure how safe it all was, and he put a protective arm around her waist.

"It's okay!" he said, though she could hardly hear him over the fireworks, which were now going off every second. Penelope relaxed just enough to enjoy the display, which lasted a few more minutes. Eventually the room fell into silence, the lights switched back on, and the room rang in applause as Fred and George, standing in the centre of the room, bowed. It was then that Penelope realised that she was still clutching on to Remus, and he was still hugging her.

"I'm sorry," she said, blushing furiously, relaxing her grip. "It's just, muggle fireworks are really dangerous and I -"

"It's quite alright," he said, looking vaguely amused, his hand still around her waist.

"Thank you, Remus," she said softly.

"For what?" he asked, surprised.

"That's the second time you protected me, even if I wasn't in danger. I was a fool to ever be afraid of you," she said, and then, using all the courage she could muster, she stood on the tip of her toes and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed, but looked pleased.

"You're welcome. And I don't blame you for being afraid. You'd just been through quite an ordeal," he said. He looked at something over her shoulder and frowned. "Oh, look. I think you scared Sirius away. He must have gotten the wrong idea. Would you like me to call him back?"

Penelope stared at him, completely exasperated. How could he not understand that she wanted to be with him, not Sirius?

"No, Remus," she said, and she took his hands and placed them on her waist, and placed her own hands on his shoulders. "Unless you're trying to get rid of me?" she asked, feeling uncertain.

"No, of course not - I just thought -"

"Did you think that I'd fallen for your friend?"

Looking confused, he nodded.

"Haven't you?"

"He's not the one I've fallen for, Remus," she said.

"Do you mean -" he started uncertainly, as though he didn't dare to hope.

"How much more explicit do I need to be before you understand?" she said.

"Just a little bit more."

Penelope sighed and, feeling more confident this time, stood on her toes again and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"Do you get it now?" she asked, biting her lip.

He cleared his throat.

"I think so," he said softly, his face flushed.

As they swayed to the music, and Penelope smiled, and he smiled back, she could not believe that she was ever afraid of the gentle soul that stood before her.