Hot Cooler of Love

For Miss Corpse for being an awesome and loyal reviewer. Happy Birthday!

Hermione shivered and wrapped her arms more snuggly around herself, tucking her frozen digits into her armpits. Angrily, she glared at the locked door. She was going to murder Fred and George.

Not thirty minutes ago, they had tricked her into the overlarge ice box, sneaking her wand away at the last moment. She should really have known better, than to show up alone to visit them. Bitterly, she positioned her jumper over the lower half of her face and retucked her fingers. She shook her head a bit, so that her messy hair could fall forward and cover as much skin as possible. How long would those insufferable boys keep her in there?

As if in answer, the door burst open and Remus Lupin came tumbling inside. Instead of steadying him, she shoved him aside and lunged for the door.

"Wait! No!" She banged on the heavy door that had just slammed shut in her face.

"Sorry Granger," one twin sang out.

"Can't stay to chat," the second continued.

"We've got an experiment to run," the first one laughed.

She balled her hands into fists and shouted incoherently at the blocked exit.

"Er…Hermione?" Remus sounded uncertain.

With a sigh, she relaxed and turned to face him. He laid sprawled across the cold floor, where she had unintentionally put him. "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

"Of course I am." He sat up and reached into his pocket. Confused, he dug deeper and peered inside.

"Wand missing?""Yes," he sighed. "Yours as well?"

She nodded and turned to glare at the evil door again.

"How long have you been trapped in here?"

"Not sure, half an hour, I suspect."

"Know why?"

"Not a clue. You?"

"…No."

She rounded on him. "What do you know?"

Leaning against the wall, he held his hands up defensively. "Nothing."

"Something." She moved closer, narrowing her eyes at him.

He sighed. "Well you're not going to like it."

"Tell me."

"Fine. They called it their Cooler of Love."

She scoffed, backing away self consciously, "Cooler of Love," she mocked, "how absurd."

He laughed unconvincingly and she eyed him again. "It's their theory; it's actually quite sound."

"How's that?"

"The subjects must huddle together for warmth, therefore being forced to abandon their natural boundaries. If the two harbor an attraction for each other, it's extremely likely that the closeness will bring it to the surface."

"Ludicrous," she mumbled, only too aware that it made perfect sense. Hermione huffed and dropped down, to sit and stare at the door again. The next time it opened, she would be ready. Meanwhile, she just had to avoid letting her guard down with Remus.

They lasted perhaps ten minutes before he broke the silence. "It's bloody freezing in here!"

"I know," she locked her jaw, to prevent her teeth from chattering. She froze in place, when his long body moved close to hers. He slipped one leg behind her back and positioned himself around her; strong arms circled her torso and pulled up knees, holding her close to his chest. Knowing she shouldn't, but too cold to care, she turned and leaned into him. Burying her face in his chest, she sighed; he practically radiated heat. Of course, a piece of toast might scald her at this point.

He sighed into her hair and rested a cheek to the top of her head. His legs curled up to press along hers, sharing every bit of warmth he possessed.

Her fingers were begging to feel his heat, she removed them from her underarms, a location she was suddenly doubtful of. Subtly, she sniffed her fingertips as she lifted her hands to blow on them. Relieved, she hesitated, not sure what to do with them.

"Whatever you need," he rumbled, "use me, I'm yours."

Forcing herself not to read anything into his generous statement, she thanked him. As casually as she could, she slid her hands up his jumped, already the pain the cold had inflicted was easing. She eyed him carefully as she fumbled with two of his shirt's buttons. Once freed, she slowly slid her hands inside, splaying them across his smooth chest. Without meaning to, she sighed and rested her cheek just under his throat.

"There now, that's not so bad. Is it?"

"No," she said softly. "Quite the opposite really."

He was quiet for a minute, although his arms squeezed her pleasantly. "I'm fairly certain they left you in here so long to wear you down."

Hermione chuckled. "Probably." She blushed at the acknowledgement and ran her hands over the available skin of his chest. One of his hands moved to stroke her cheek lightly, as he leaned in. She gasped as their lips met, sliding softly together. As his tongue tickled hers, she knew Remus was quite possibly the best kisser in all of England. She had certainly never experienced anything like him.

Breathing heavily, she pulled back and looked into his beautiful eyes. Remus was the first to break the silence. "Would you care to go out to dinner with me tonight?"

Fred waited anxiously beside George.

"How long do we leave them in there?" George asked.

"Not sure. Another fifteen minutes?"

"Don't want Granger to get sick."

"Ten minutes."

"Yeah, ten is good. And we'll open it slowly, just in case we're interrupting something," George grinned, hoping that was indeed the case.

"Maybe we should open it fast then." Fred wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

George had just opened his mouth to retort when they herd a yell from inside the cooler. "What's she saying?"

"Keep your filthy hands to yourself!" Hermione screamed.

"Why don't you make your mind up if you want me to touch you or not before you give me the go-ahead!" Remus shouted back.

"I did no such thing! How dare you presume-"

"Don't start all that uptight nonsense with me. I've seen-"

"I don't care what you've seen!"

"I do," Fred whispered and George nodded. "If the two of you don't let me out of this room right now, I'm going to your mother," she pounded the door as she spoke.

George quickly unlocked it and Fred held their wands out to them.

Hermione stormed out and ripped her wand out of Fred's hand, Remus following right behind.

"If you ever so much as try to touch me again I will hex you so bad your lycanthropy will seem like a vacation," she snarled.

"As if I'd even want to." He shoved passed them all and out of the store.

"And you," she whirled on them, wand pointed, "If you speak one word of this, you'll never cease regretting it." She stomped away, leaving the twins speechless behind her.

"Wow," George said, still staring at the door. "Attempt One,"

"Utter failure," Fred nodded, making a note on his clipboard.

"Attempt two, almost ready; Ron and Parvati said they'd come around noon."

"Excellent!"

Unseen by them, Hermione and Remus braced themselves against a nearby wall, laughing at their successful rouse.

"I can't believe they bought that." Hermione shook her head.

"I'm not surprised, we were brilliant. And you were vicious."

"So…six o'clock?"

"Absolutely."

The End.