Epilogue

"Still working?"

Remus looked up from his desk at the sound of his wife's voice. Hermione stood at the door of the study, leaning against its frame. The image of her in her pale blue nightdress — his favorite — made his pulse quicken.

"I'm nearly finished," he promised. "I only have a few more papers left to mark."

Apparently unsatisfied with his response, Hermione came into the room and stepped behind his chair, wrapping her arms around him as he continued marking papers. She kissed and nipped his neck in the most enticing of ways, but partly out of stubbornness to get his work done and partly out of amusement, he did his best to ignore the impulses her touch and scent inspired.

"You are infuriating," she muttered in his ear when he refused to put aside his work. "Can't you finish that some other time?"

"I could," he admitted, fighting his smile as her teeth captured his earlobe. "But aren't you the one who says, 'Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today'?"

"Exactly," she said, coming around the chair to sit on his lap. "Don't put me off till tomorrow, Remus."

The corners of her mouth twitched up as his eyes met hers and his restraint snapped. His lips crushed hers in an urgent kiss, and papers flew everywhere as he swiped his desk clear and laid her down upon it.

It didn't matter that the full moon was only a few nights away. He no longer feared the wolf stirring within or surrendering to the part of his nature he'd once denied. He knew he'd never hurt Hermione. On the contrary. The full moon seemed to have an effect on her as well. She needed this, craved this, as much as he did. And she was nearly as insatiable as he was. He could never get enough of her, the taste of her, the warmth and thrill of her caress, and his favorite place remained here, surrounded by her, lost in the magic between them.

Later in bed, Hermione fell fast asleep in his arms while he basked in the magic's lingering glow, filled with gratitude for her love. He'd never taken it for granted that he was the luckiest man in the world, lucky to be with her, to be able to tease her and please her, love her and worship her the way she deserved; lucky she'd said yes when he'd proposed to her instead of hexing him into oblivion because of a misunderstanding. . . .

Remus headed to the Room of Requirement one autumn evening for the biweekly Defense Club meeting. Due to its popularity, he'd decided to continue the club the year following Hermione's graduation, though they met less often than before. He'd been pleased by his students' enthusiasm to keep it going but had been much less thrilled by Professor Avila's new interest in it. Despite his objections, Olivia had insisted on taking over Hermione's old role and being his assistant.

It had become clear to him over the first few weeks of term that Hermione had been right when she'd informed him his colleague had feelings for him. Since Olivia had become bolder in letting her feelings be known, he couldn't put it off any longer. He needed to talk to her tonight.

He expected Olivia would be already setting up in the Room of Requirement when he arrived, so not only was he relieved that she wasn't yet there, he was pleasantly surprised to find Hermione waiting for him inside.

"My love — I didn't know you were —"

"You fool!"

Remus leapt to the side, narrowly escaping the hex Hermione fired his way. She immediately shot another, and he only just managed to draw his wand in time to block it.

"Hermione, what are you —"

"You. Are. Infuriating!" she shouted, punctuating each word with another hex hurled at him. He dodged and deflected them all, backing away from her in alarm and bewilderment as she attacked, her anger radiating off of her like the roaring flames of a Norwegian Ridgeback. He'd never seen her so upset.

"You're pushing me away again!" she cried. "I can't believe you let them get to you. I love you, Remus, and you love me, and that's all that matters!"

Despite the romantic proclamation, she didn't cease her attack, and one of her spells nearly landed its mark as the realization of why she was so upset struck him: the Daily Prophet. Rumors of their romance had made it into the paper last week, and Hermione must have thought . . . But how could she think that?

He deflected her next spell and caught her off guard by firing one of his own, anger suddenly rising within him as well. But he wasn't angry at her. He was angry with himself. Because his cowardice was the reason why she'd thought the worst.

So he began to fight back, his movements swift and sharp, the strength of his unexpected spells causing Hermione to stumble back. She recovered quickly, however, and fought back harder, their magic clashing explosively between them. This fiery dance of theirs, it was different from any other duel they'd had before, and he only now fully appreciated how ferocious Hermione could be and how evenly matched they were even when he unleashed his full power on her.

Looking more furious than ever, she suddenly rushed forward, and fearing she'd forgotten about magic and was about to slug him or jab her wand in his eye or something equally unpleasant, Remus took advantage of her momentary lapse in defense and struck first, disarming her. A heartbeat later he had her in her arms and she was beside herself with anger.

"You went easy on me all those times we dueled last year despite me asking you not to and you decide now is the right time to quit holding back?" she said through gritted teeth, struggling to break herself free from his grasp.

"Yes," he replied brusquely, refusing to let her go. "Marry me."

The words left his mouth before he knew what he was saying.

Hermione stopped struggling against him, her jaw dropping as her look of formidable fury transformed into utter shock. "W-what?"

Remus released her and silently cursed himself as he slowly stepped back. He'd wanted his proposal to be romantic and special, not blurted out in the middle of a fight.

Hermione's wide eyes searched his, desperate for answers.

"Remus?" she said when the silence had stretched too long, her tone demanding that he explain himself.

He sighed and handed her back her wand, grateful when she didn't immediately turn it on him again. "Considering the way I've acted in the past, I understand why you'd think I was pushing you away."

They'd talked the day the article about them had appeared in the Daily Prophet, but he should have reassured her more. He should have known she'd grow anxious not seeing him the past several days. Although she'd moved out of her parents' house and into a flat with Ginny over the summer, she spent half her nights out with him or at his cottage, and he should have known she'd worry that more was going on than him simply being too busy to meet her.

"But I'm not the same as I was then, Hermione. I'm not pushing you away. It's just that we've both been very busy lately. But as soon as things slowed down a bit, I was planning on taking you somewhere special and — well, asking you to marry me."

"You —" Her brow furrowed. "Is that why you've been acting strange?"

"I didn't realize I was."

"A couple of weeks ago, the last night we were at your cottage, you seemed . . . nervous."

"I was," he admitted, remembering the night she spoke of. "I'd forgotten to put the ring away before you came over."

Her eyebrows rose. "Ring?"

"Your engagement ring." He hoped the look on her face was simply one of surprise and not panic. "You nearly stumbled across it before I had the chance to hide it. I was nervous about what you'd have said if you had found it."

"You can't seriously think I'd say no?"

He smiled wryly. "Would you really want to spend the rest of your life with an infuriating fool like me, Hermione Jean Granger?"

Her eyes softened as she gazed at him. "But . . . what happened to going slow?"

"What's the point if we're soulmates?" he replied, making her grin. He knew how much she loved the term Dumbledore had once used to describe them. "And besides, I'm not getting any younger."

Hermione choked on a laugh. Then she stepped back into his arms, her eyes bright as she took his face in her hand. "I would love nothing more than to marry you, Remus John Lupin."

His heart soared as she sealed their engagement with a kiss. But then a roar of noise made the pair jump apart. They looked toward the door to find the entire Defense Club piling into the room, applauding and cheering them. Remus hadn't heard when they'd arrived, but they appeared to have been quietly huddled by the door, spying on them. He exchanged a sheepish look with Hermione at having been caught by his students like this, but he couldn't help but grin as they all congratulated them.

Only one among the group was unsmiling. Olivia's face was white and pinched as she glowered at Hermione before turning on her heel and storming out of the room. Too overjoyed to worry about his colleague now, Remus turned back to Hermione. Her misty eyes reflected his elation. . . .

Not everyone had been as approving of their relationship as his students in Defense Club. The article in the Daily Prophet that had first speculated about a possible romance between them, written by Rita Skeeter, had not been flattering. But fortunately his greatest fears had never come to pass.

Although he had McGonagall's personal support, he'd feared his job may be in jeopardy due to the scandal of his romance with a former student. But what had worried Remus more was the way Hermione would be affected. Her marriage to him, however, had not made her a pariah or impeded her success. She'd quickly moved up in her department at the Ministry, which was a testament to her incredible work and talent, and was perhaps also proof that she'd been right when she'd told him society was changing.

And she was a big part of that change. She'd dedicated the early part of her career to fighting for the fundamental rights and the more humane treatment of house-elves and to fighting against the discrimination of werewolves. Partly inspired by the story of his friend Hugh and his werewolf girlfriend, Rosalind, Hermione had also worked on creating programs that gave werewolves easier access to Wolfsbane Potion.

Though he, fortunately, hadn't lost his job after the public had learned of his relationship with Hermione, Remus had been the recipient of plenty of Howlers and scathing letters, which he'd expected. What he hadn't anticipated were the letters he'd received from other werewolves, letters which thanked him for showing it was possible to rise above the stigma surrounding their kind and for offering hope that stigma could someday soon be lifted.

Reading these had absolutely floored Remus. They'd also made him more appreciative than ever for his friends and for all the opportunities he'd been granted in his life, which he knew was really the only difference between him and the werewolves less fortunate than he was.

Sometimes he still couldn't believe his luck. Not only did he have the job he'd always wanted, but he was with the woman of his dreams. Part of him had always been skeptical of it all. Early on he'd found it hard to believe Hermione's parents were being so accepting of his relationship with her, even inviting him over to their home for dinner to get to know him better. He'd suspected her mother was only being polite at Hermione's request and her father was going along with it only because he believed their romance wouldn't last long. His daughter would soon grow out of her strange infatuation and come to her senses. In truth this was Remus's own lingering fear, that it was all too good to last.

But five years later Hermione was still by his side. It hadn't always been easy for them, but his happiness — her happiness — blinded him from the looks, the murmurs, the gossip that may have followed in their wake. With Hermione by his side, he felt like he could bear anything they might face.

And to think he'd nearly rejected all this and missed out on his greatest joys. He should have known letting the magic guide him would not lead him astray but to where he was meant to be, to where he most wanted to be. No more regrets. Because he loved her and she loved him, and that was all that mattered.

It was early morning when Hermione awoke entangled with Remus. She shifted slightly under the arm he had wrapped around her waist and blinked sleepily until his face came into focus. He looked so peaceful and handsome in his sleep, even with the shadows under his eyes.

She'd once thought his dark circles and pallor in the days preceding the full moon were signs of illness and debilitation. Though they were signs his body was under stress due to his upcoming transformation, he certainly wasn't debilitated. In fact, he was more virile than ever before the full moon.

As evidenced last night. She smiled as she thought back to the previous night and the moments of tenderness between their rounds of animal passion as Remus carried her from the study to their bedroom.

Hermione's gaze lowered to her hand, her attention drawn to the ring glittering on her finger. Memories rushed back to her of the night when Remus had given it to her. She'd been so sure when she'd gone to Hogwarts that evening and confronted him in the Room of Requirement that he was panicking about what had been in the paper and everyone finding out about them and was going to break it off with her, thinking it was best for her. She never imagined she'd end up getting engaged.

She'd known, though, despite him telling her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, Remus was worried about how their relationship would affect her, and she'd sought to reassure him. . . .

As she lay curled up with Remus at his cottage, Hermione gazed at the ring he'd put on her finger, still unable to believe it. They were now engaged when only hours ago she'd feared she'd lost him again. She snuggled closer to him, knowing that the fears she'd thought had overcome him may not have succeeded in breaking them up but were still very present.

"Remus," she said softly, lightly stroking his chest, "I know it won't always be easy. There are some people who don't like that we're together, who don't understand. But I want you to know that I don't care what anyone says. I won't let anyone get in the way of our happiness."

"Neither will I." He tilted her chin up so that her eyes met his. "For as long as you want me, for as long as I can make you happy, I'm going to fight for us. Now that you've accepted this —" he smiled as he indicated her ring — "I don't plan on letting you go so easily."

He never did let her go, and she never let anyone get between them, not anymore. She grinned to herself as she remembered a time she and Remus had gotten together at the Three Broomsticks on an evening shortly after they'd gotten engaged — an evening Vivienne happened to be there as well.

Hermione may have been more affectionate than usual with Remus after she'd spotted Vivienne and had caught her staring at them. She may have also slyly flashed her engagement ring at the blonde in case she hadn't yet noticed it. She couldn't help it. The look on Vivienne's face had rivaled that of Professor Avila's when she'd witnessed them getting engaged, and a broad smile had spread across Hermione's face even though the way Vivienne was glaring at her had her feeling like she was staring into the eyes of the Basilisk again.

On the dresser across from their bed, highlighted by the glow of the morning sun, was one of Hermione's favorite photographs taken on that spring day she and Remus had gotten married a few months after that encounter with Vivienne. The photo captured a moment just before they'd had their first dance as husband and wife. They were sharing a loving look between them reminiscent of the one in the other framed photograph on the dresser, the one Lily had taken of them in the past when Hermione and the teenage Remus were sitting together by the fireplace.

Hermione's gaze shifted to the nightstand. She carefully reached for the rose lying there, trying not to wake Remus, but he began to stir as soon as she pulled away from him. She rolled back onto her side to face him.

"Good morning, my love," she whispered, caressing his cheek with the rose.

He smiled at her sleepily. "Good morning."

"Sleep well?"

"Mhmm. You? You're up early."

"It's a special day."

"Indeed."

He took the rose from her hand and caressed her in turn with the soft petals. She shivered at the titillating sensation of the magic as he dragged the flower along the bare skin of her arm and chest, then trailed it down her nightdress, stopping at her navel.

"How's Remus Jr.?"

"It's too soon to know if it's a boy or a girl," she reminded him as he rubbed her stomach. She wasn't even showing yet. "It could be Hermione Jr."

"I have a feeling it's going to be a boy."

He said it with such confidence Hermione fully believed it would turn out to be true, and she wondered if his werewolf senses made it possible for him to know such a thing.

Remus shifted down the bed to kiss her belly, then sat up. "Craving anything? I was planning on making you breakfast in bed —"

"No, stay," she said, tugging him back. "Let's just lie here a little while longer."

Unopposed to the suggestion, Remus cuddled up with her again, and she sighed, cozy and content. But not a minute had passed when he raised his head again, listening to something she couldn't hear. "Rose is up."

Seconds later Hermione heard the patter of footsteps and their eighteen-month-old daughter popped into their bedroom, her bushy hair wild.

"Mummy! Daddy!"

"Rosie!" Hermione squealed in return.

Rose rushed toward them, her arms outstretched, and Remus swept her up into his own, his grin matching hers.

Then his expression turned suspicious. "How long have you been up, Rosie? You were being awfully quiet."

Rose flashed them a smile.

"Uh oh," Hermione said, eyeing her daughter with playful suspicion as well. "What were you doing? You're smiling the same way your dad does when he's been up to no good."

"Have you been up to no good, Rosie?" Remus asked, tickling her and grinning as she giggled and squealed. "You may have my smile, but you have your mother's laugh."

The laughter that burst from Hermione when he tickled her next demonstrated his point, and Hermione immediately retaliated against this sneak attack. More giggles bubbled out of Rose as she watched her parents tickle each other. Then she jumped on them to join the fun. Hermione had to fight against both her daughter and husband until Rose switched her allegiance and teamed up with her against Remus. The three of them were all breathless and teary-eyed by the time they ended their tickle fight and finally got out of bed.

Sausages sizzled in the kitchen a short while later as Hermione started on breakfast while Remus and Rose played in the living room. Hermione peeked in to see they'd built a rather impressive fort out of blankets and were playing inside with Rose's stuffed animals. Rose was handing her toys over to Remus one by one, all except for the wolf she called Woofy. This one she kept for herself.

Woofy was Rose's absolute favorite toy, one she'd picked out herself. It had been curious, but it shouldn't have been surprising really, that out of all the toys in the shop Rose had been immediately drawn to this one.

Hermione smiled as she watched Remus with their daughter. She loved seeing him like this, lighthearted and playful. Looking at him now, laughing and carefree, she was reminded of a comment Ginny had made about him soon after they'd married. Ginny had noted that Remus looked more youthful, years younger than she'd ever seen him. Ron and Harry had agreed, and George had earned himself a smack on the arm from both his sister and Hermione for muttering under his breath, "Well, sleeping with a much younger woman could do that to a man."

Hermione, though, had taken Harry's view. Remus looked younger now because he'd finally found peace within himself and was truly happy at last, happy like she was. He had the family he'd thought he could never have, and she could see how much he cherished them. She'd never forget the first time he'd held Rose in his arms the night she was born, the way he'd looked at his daughter with such love and amazement, his eyes glistening with tears, and she'd seen every day since then how much joy Rose brought him with her cuteness and cleverness and even her moments of mischief.

Hermione knew he would miss Rose as terribly as she would while they were away this weekend. But she hadn't anticipated just how difficult it would be to part from their daughter.

Later that day, as soon as she'd stepped out of her parents' house where Rose was staying while they were gone, Hermione had to fight the urge to turn back for her.

Remus caught her hesitation. "You're worried."

"Rose has never been away from us this long. What if she misses us too much and can't get to sleep tonight and —"

"We can always come back for her if there's any trouble. But she'll be fine. Your parents are going to spoil her rotten and she'll be having too much fun to miss us."

It was true that Rose always loved visiting her grandparents. Hermione was actually a bit jealous of the way her mum and dad were much more playful and generous with sweets with Rose than they'd been with her when she was a child. She supposed that was simply the nature of being a grandparent.

"Perhaps we should have left Rose with Harry and Ginny," Remus mused as they continued down the garden path. "Given them some practice."

Hermione grinned at the thought. Ginny was also expecting, but it was her and Harry's first child, and Hermione knew Harry was a little anxious about becoming a father. "Next time. Mum and Dad have been looking forward to having Rose this weekend."

Despite her worries over Rose, Hermione too had been looking forward to this weekend she and Remus would be spending alone together.

And their destination, a cozy cottage by the beach, couldn't have been more beautiful.

The first thing they did upon arriving to the cottage was take a long walk on the secluded beach. It wasn't long before the sun began to set, vivid colors streaking across the sky as it sank toward the horizon, the brilliant hues bleeding together to create an image more breathtaking than even the most skilled artist could paint.

"Happy anniversary, my love," Remus said, drawing her into an embrace.

She pressed her lips to his. "Happy anniversary, Remus."

She turned around in his arms, resting the back of her head against his chest as she lifted her face to the sky. Basking in the glow of the fiery sunset, she said, "This feels like a dream."

"What does?"

"All of it. You and me. Walking here on the beach as the sun sets." She gestured to the stunning sky. "What could be more romantic than this?"

"Dancing on the beach as the sun sets?" Remus suggested.

Hermione laughed and followed his lead as he engaged her in a waltz, their music the soothing sounds of the waves and then Remus's humming. The sand made it a bit difficult to be graceful, though, and Hermione's feet fumbled when Remus tried to twirl her. She stumbled into him and took them both down to the ground.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed with a giggle after landing upon him. But she didn't remove her weight. She cocked her head thoughtfully as she gazed down at him, her curtain of hair brushing the side of his amused face. "I feel like I've fallen into your arms an unusual amount of times over the years."

She'd first noticed this during her final year at Hogwarts. Whether she was quite literally running into him in the corridor or clumsily stumbling into him after a snowball fight, she'd accidentally ended up in his arms a curious amount of times. Perhaps it was because in his embrace was where she'd most wanted to be.

Thinking along similar lines, Remus said, "Must be the magic drawing us together."

"Must be."

She leaned in for a kiss and smiled when Remus reversed their positions, thinking this — rolling around on the beach as the sun set — might be most romantic of all.

They returned to the cottage as twilight fell, and half an hour later Remus led Hermione out to the deck where they were having dinner.

"Mmm." Hermione breathed in the mouthwatering scents of the meal her husband had prepared, as always impressed by his cooking skills. "This is lovely, Remus."

He'd set the table with candles and rose petals, but her gaze paused on the vase at the center holding the flower they had named their daughter after, the flower that had started it all: the rose Remus had offered her one summer night and she had wholeheartedly accepted, the rose which represented their love. She was grateful, on this day of their wedding anniversary especially, for its magic for helping them get together.

But she remembered what Dumbledore had told her. It wasn't actually the rose itself but the simple exchange between her and Remus and the sentiment behind it that had created the magic. Now every time they expressed their love, every day, both in the smallest and grandest of gestures, she felt the strength of that magic. Their love was the magic, and it was the most powerful kind of all.

After they finished up a decadent and chocolaty dessert, music began to play from somewhere Hermione couldn't identify. Remus stood and offered her his hand. "Shall we? A proper dance this time. With music."

"And no falling."

"Or sand in our pants."

They swept across the deck, dancing and laughing together under the stars. Remus's eyes twinkled when a familiar tune began to play, and Hermione too recalled the night they'd had their first proper dance to this very song.

"The night of my graduation," she said, pulling in close, "you asked me if I thought I could truly be happy with you, and I predicted I'd be the happiest girl in the world." She grinned. "I was right."

He laughed. "Well, you nearly always are. And I . . . I am blessed," he said, sobering a bit. "I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too."

When the song ended, Hermione stepped toward the table and grabbed her glass, raising it for another toast. "To love — that strange pull that draws two souls together toward happiness."

With a smile, Remus added, "If you are brave enough to allow it to."

The End

A/N: Ah, we've reached the end at last. It's been a struggle to update the last few months because of writer's block and real life stresses, and now that I've posted the final chapter I have all these feelings and don't know what to do with myself!

Thank you so much for reading, and a huge thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts along the way. Your reviews always made my day and helped me more than you know.

I have two more stories coming later this year. If you're interested you can go to my profile page to read their summaries. I'll be taking a little break from writing, but I'm aiming to start posting one of my new fics sometime this summer. I hope you'll check it out :)