Written for:

Quidditch League - Team: Montrose Magpies - Position: Seeker. Prompt: Twelfth Night.

Quidditch Pitch - Prompt: lech

Drabble Club - Prompt: Falling in love was the easiest thing she had ever done.

OTP Challenge - Anything goes.

Ultimate Battle Competition - (SPECIAL) Khione's Ice Crown [headpiece] Price: 1000 words, the setting must be some-place cold AND the main character must be female

Based loosely on Twelfth Night by Shakespeare.

Themes used:

A woman pretending to be a man.

The same woman falling in love with her employer.

A Love Triangle.

Thirty-First Night

Thanks to Raybe and Firefly for the help. :)

Hermione pulled the hood of her cloak over her head as she quietly crossed the grounds to the horse she had tied up out of sight.

She climbed on the horse, quietly coaxing it to walk. She didn't want to wake anyone up and have them catch her leaving, or to catch her before she could put some distance between them and her.

The horse moved slowly, but soon they were away from the house and it wasn't long before it was safe to ride faster.

She knew without a doubt that she wasn't going to obey the Kingdom's ridiculous new law - the Marriage Law. Especially after meeting her future husband.

She scowled as she remembered the red-haired man that she had had the misfortune of meeting that day. Rude and uncouth, she had been forced to sit down to dinner with him as their parents made polite conversation.

She had also been forced to wear a horrible lilac dress of her mother's choosing and had growled at Ronald Weasley as his eyes seemed unable to pass above her shoulders.

Disgusting lech of a man.

There was no way she was having this man as her husband - even if his parents seemed pleasant enough. She would rather rot in prison than be forced into what would clearly be an unbearable marriage.

She had only gone to the dinner in the hopes that the man she would be betrothed to would have some interests in common with her. Clearly that wasn't the case in the slightest.

She knew that someone would come looking for her - Hermione Granger wasn't safe any longer, so Hermione Granger had to disappear completely.

...oOo...

She settled her horse down in an abandoned but secure looking barn for the evening, glad for shelter from the cold. Pulling her cloak around her, she headed to a nearby stream. With some regret at what she had to do, she pulled a chunk of her long curls to the side, taking one last look at them in her reflection.

She brought the knife up and began to cut through her wild locks. Once she was done, she grabbed the hair on the other side and repeated her actions until all her hair had been cut to around her ears.

Hermione ripped up her dress, using it as a cloth to wash with. It was too cold to bathe - she would get ill if she did. She pulled some of her friend's clothes on, silently thanking him for the bag of supplies he had given to her when she had turned up in the middle of the night.

She headed back to the barn, finding some hay in the corner to lay on. She pulled her cloak over her, as well as a blanket that had been packed, but the barn could only keep out some of the cold, and she found it hard to sleep.

Hopefully the next day would have her finding a town to hide in. Hopefully people would believe that she was Henry Garinger. Her safest bet was to cross the border into the Kingdom of Ravenclaw. Once she had some money, she would then continue onto the warm part of the country - Hufflepuff.

It was barely dawn by the time the shaking girl emerged into the cold, the blanket wrapped tightly around her, as she got back onto her horse and finally crossed into Ravenclaw.

...oOo...

Remus Lupin looked at the young man standing in front of him, drenched from the storm. "Do you know much about books?" Remus asked.

Henry nodded. "I love to read," he said, his voice extremely quiet.

"And you've not worked before?"

He shook his head. "I am a fast learner," he offered. "All I ask for is a chance."

Remus was tempted to turn the man away - after all, he wanted someone who had an idea of what they were doing. Plus, there was something about him... he looked over his shoulder too much for Remus' liking.

But he looked into Henry's brown eyes and could see he was scared of something and Remus couldn't turn him away, instead he showed him a small room above the bookshop that he could reside in.

"Your belongings?" Remus asked, pushing the door open.

"I've got them," Henry replied, relief on his face as he held up a meagre bag.

Remus stared at the bag for a long moment. "I'll show you around tomorrow," he replied. He gestured to another door. "It might be a good idea to take a bath; you're drenched."

The man smiled at him, and Remus gave a tentative smile back, before heading back down to the shop.

...oOo...

The one week anniversary of her arrival into town came quickly. One week of sitting with Remus each evening, discussing books and plays. A whole week of talking about the town and trying to avoid his occasional questions as to where she was from, whilst the rain pounded against the window.

It was also the day when Remus handed her a package, a hopeful smile on his face.

"Would you make a delivery for me?" he asked.

Hermione nodded her head, taking the package from his hands and looking at it. It was clearly a book, though it was carefully wrapped. "Where to?" she asked. She had no intentions of saying no to him after all he had done for her.

"It's to go to Miss Nymphadora Tonks," Remus said, blushing slightly as he said the name. "I do hope she likes it; I've heard it's one of her favourite stories."

Hermione bit her lip and nodded. It was a gift for a woman.

She couldn't help the pangs of jealousy shooting through her at the thought. She had enjoyed the calmness of the last week - no expectations and no mention of marriage laws.

Instead, she had intelligent conversation with a man who knew nothing about her, but who had taken her in without problems and given her a job.

And she loved it. She loved him.

Falling in love was the easiest thing she had ever done. Because who wouldn't fall in love with someone like Remus Lupin?

"She works at the dress-makers," Remus continued, oblivious to his assistant's thoughts.

Hermione grabbed the warmest cloak she could find, before heading out into the freezing cold. She walked down the street, the book held carefully in her arms. She approached the dress-makers and glanced in the window.

A woman was leaning against the counter, lost in a daydream. Her head snapped up and to the door as Hermione pushed the door open.

"Who are you?" she blurted out, and her eyes widened. "Sorry, that was rude. I meant that I haven't seen you in town before, are you new?"

Hermione nodded her head, her eyes slowly moving down the girl's form.

This was the woman that had caught Remus' eye and she was perfect. She was pretty, she had a lovely smile, and she had much nicer curves than Hermione's own.

No wonder Remus liked her.

"I'm Henry," Hermione finally offered, meeting Nymphadora's eyes. "You must be Nymphadora?"

"I am," she replied, an amused expression on her face. Her gaze quickly took Hermione in. "Do you need something?"

"I work for Remus Lupin. He's asked me to bring you a gift."

"A gift?" Nymphadora said, her face lighting up as Hermione held out the parcel. She ripped the paper off, her eyes landing on a book.

Hermione tried to see the cover, but couldn't.

"Tell him that I thank him for the thoughtful gift," Nymphadora said, tossing the book carelessly onto the counter. Hermione frowned. Remus had clearly put a lot of thought into getting the book for Nymphadora, and she treated it as though it were nothing.

She realised that this must have been the book that he had been contacting the other bookshops for.

Nymphadora looked slightly disappointed about the gift being a book. What had she expected? It was a gift from a man who owned a book-shop. The present was clearly a book.

Hermione felt anger rise inside her, overcoming her jealousy.

"Remus worked hard to get you that book," she began, her eyes narrowing. "He knew it was your favourite book and went out of his way to find you a copy. I would suggest you go to see him yourself in the bookshop and express your gratitude for it. I work for Remus, and I'm not going to be your messenger... boy."

Nymphadora's mouth dropped open as she stared at Hermione, and Hermione worried for a second whether she had given her true self away, or overstepped the line.

What if Nymphadora told Remus? Remus would be upset with her and she didn't want that at all.

"I... I will," the woman replied, reaching for the book again.

Hermione could only nod at her, before leaving the shop, the coldness hitting her again.

...oOo...

"Remus?" Nymphadora walked over to the counter, looking around. Hermione quickly moved over to the door, shutting out the cold air. She watched as Remus made his way over to Nymphadora, a hopeful smile on his face.

"I just wanted to thank you for the book," she said. "It's one of my favourites."

Remus' smile widened. "I'm glad to hear it," he replied. He opened his mouth to speak, but Nymphadora had already turned away, turning to a jealous Hermione.

"Henry," she said, leaning on the counter and smiling widely. "I was wondering if you were staying in town for long?"

"Oh," Hermione said, thrown by the question. She looked at Remus for a second. "As long as Remus has a job for me," she finished.

"I'm sure you'll be here for a while then," Nymphadora replied with a giggle, though Hermione wasn't sure what was funny. "Maybe we could spend some time together?"

Hermione frowned. Why did Nymphadora want to spend time with her? She had been seconds away from being asked out by Remus after all!

"You're not... courting anyone?" Nymphadora asked.

"No, why?" Hermione replied, more confused than ever.

"Good," Nymphadora said. She lowered her voice seductively. "I'm not courting anyone either. Maybe we—"

"You're not my type," Hermione blurted out, finally realising what was happening. "I'm sorry but you're not... I don't... I'm sorry." She rushed out from behind the counter and to her room to get away.

It was an hour before there was a knock on the door, and Hermione opened it, seeing Remus on the other side.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I didn't give her any indication of anything, I only gave her the book."

"And... her reaction to the book?" The disappointed look on his face made Hermione's gaze drop to the floor. "The truth please, Henry?"

"Truthfully - she just dropped it on the counter. I told her that she should be more appreciative over a gift like that," Hermione explained. "I'm sorry."

"I don't blame you," Remus stated. "It's possible that I'm just too old for her."

"Well, if she doesn't see what a wonderful person you are, then it's her loss," Hermione said. "You're the kindest person I've met in a long time."

A ghost of a smile flickered on Remus' lips.

"It's true," Hermione insisted. "I mean, you know nothing about me, yet you gave me a chance. I could have robbed you, I could have killed you."

Remus looked amused at her words. "I have nothing worth stealing," he replied. "And I could tell just by looking at you that you're not a killer."

Hermione grinned at him.

"Wait, it's midday. We better get down to the shop. Someone might steal something."

"I closed for lunch," Remus explained, standing up. "Are you hungry? I can make us something."

...oOo...

The visits from Nymphadora Tonks came daily, and Hermione would just turn and leave, her eyes down.

She knew that this was upsetting Remus, even if he smiled softly at her and said that it was okay if Henry wanted to court Nymphadora.

And she told him each time that she wasn't interested.

After their little conversation, Hermione noticed Remus shooting her some curious looks and was worried that he had worked out that she was a woman - hopefully he hadn't - or was close to figuring it out.

...oOo...

Remus strolled around the village, taking a rare day off from his shop. He had watched Henry working and had faith that Henry was an honest and hard-working man. He was also confident that Henry was able to manage by himself.

He also needed to get away from Henry. Over the past month, feelings had appeared for his younger assistant, and Remus had tried to ignore them. They confused him - he had never been attracted to a man before, but suddenly this man had somehow gotten under his skin.

Remus didn't know what to do - he knew the town looked down on men being together, after all.

Plus, there was no evidence that Henry would return these feelings.

"Hi, I'm looking for someone. They've been missing for a month now," came a voice from behind him. Remus turned around and saw a red-headed man talking to someone. A shake of the man's head, and the red-heaad moved in the other direction, walking into the nearest shop.

Remus headed into the general store, continuing on with his errands.

...oOo...

He had only been back in the shop for about half an hour before the bell rang. Henry was out in the back room, searching for a book that the next town had contacted him about.

Remus recognised the red-headed man as the one he had spotted in the street.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

The man nodded. "I'm looking for someone - my fiancée," he said. "She ran away a month ago, and I've been sent to search for her."

Remus thought hard, trying to work out if there was anyone new in town recently, his thoughts turning briefly to Henry.

"She's about five foot four, and has wild brown curls and brown eyes."

Remus froze. That sounded just like Henry... the only difference being that Henry was male.

Wasn't he?

"I haven't seen anyone like that," Remus replied, trying to smile. "There has been no-one new in town. Though, if I were to come across someone fitting that description... what region are you from?"

"The Kingdom of Gryffindor," the red-head replied. "My name is Ron Weasley. Thank you."

Remus glanced towards the door of the back room, which was cracked open slightly. He knew 'Henry' was watching their exchange.

"What is her name?" he asked, turning back to Ron Weasley.

"Hermione," Ron replied. "Hermione Granger."

Remus watched the man leave. He followed him to the door, locking it and turning the sign.

"Upstairs," he demanded, walking through the back room and to the staircase leading to their rooms. He saw a scared looking Henry - no, Hermione - looking back at him.

...oOo...

"Hermione," Remus began. "Tell me the truth."

"The Kingdom passed a marriage law," came a soft voice. Not the voice he was used to. "And I met my husband to be - the man you've just met. He was rude and uncouth. He wasn't able to keep his gaze from my breasts. He disgusted me."

"You ran away?"

"That same night. My friend Harry, he provided me with some of his clothes and supplies. I couldn't marry Ronald, I knew that if I did, I would be so unhappy."

"And now?" Remus asked, in concern.

"And now... I hope that you'll allow me to stay," she whispered. "I'm happy here. I love working in the bookshop, I enjoy our evenings in here, where we discuss everything. I don't want to move onto the next town, like I originally planned. I want to stay here."

Remus was silent for a long time as he paced the room. Finally he stopped in front of her. "I have a friend you can stay with," he started. "You can keep your job, and -"

"No," she said, jumping up. "Remus, I'm happy here because of you." Her eyes found his. "Please, don't ask me to leave."

"I... I don't want you to leave," he replied. "But an unmarried woman living with an unmarried man... people will talk badly of you. I don't want people to talk about you like that."

His hand reached for her face, running gently down her cheek, before he tried to stop himself. Hermione quickly put her hand over his own, keeping it against her cheek.

"I don't care what they say," she whispered. "I'm in love with you, and I want to stay here."

If he still asked her to leave, then at least she had given it everything.

He took a deep breath. "You can stay," he said, closing the distance between them.

"I can?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him tightly. His own arms slid around her small frame, and he waited until she pulled away before meeting her brown eyes.

"You aren't the only one who has been falling in love," he admitted. He reached for her hair, brushing the short curls from her eyes. "So, you're a woman," he murmured. "That makes it easier for me to court you."

"I am," she replied. Her heart pounded against her chest as she closed the distance between their bodies. "Would you like to find that out for yourself?" She didn't care how wanton she sounded at that moment. She trusted Remus more than anything.

"Let me put a ring on your finger first," he begged.

She nodded. "A kiss?"

He grinned, before lowering his head and quickly taking her lips with his own.

2987 words

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