Author's Note: This is the Golden Duo's submission for the Decadent Dessert Challenge. We were assigned chocolate-covered strawberries, and you can only imagine how our imaginations went haywire with that one. Enjoy!

Summary: When an argument with the resident know-it-all puts Remus in the proverbial doghouse, he strives to win her forgiveness with the best gift a girl could get: chocolate-covered werewolf.

Chocolate-Covered Werewolf

"There is something intrinsically flawed in your logic, Remus."

"Oh yes? And what is that?"

"You're wrong."

Remus Lupin rolled his eyes and buried himself back behind his copy of the Daily Prophet, wishing to become invisible to the witch that sat working just ten feet from him in the Grimmauld Place library. Hermione Granger – brilliant and undeniably talented though she was – sometimes didn't understand that the idea of an intellectual discussion on any subject was the furthest thing from his mind when it was a couple of days before the full moon.

Especially when the things that were on his mind were ridiculously inappropriate.

"You seem to be under the misapprehension that centaurs are cruel and vindictive creatures by nature. What you fail to understand is that they are not. They are simply the product of a prejudicial wizarding society who cannot seem to fathom their boundless knowledge of the future of mankind."

"I was under the impression that you thought Divination was a load of waffle," Remus said mildly, not really wanting to get into the subject with her.

"I do think it's a load of waffle. But the centaurs don't necessarily predict the future. They read the coming events through the stars. It's very close to Astrology, actually."

"You're harping on semantics now, Hermione. What the centaurs do can be loosely interpreted as Astrology, but make no mistake, it is primarily Divination."

"Then how do you explain the fact that they have accurately predicted the course of humankind for the past quarter century?"

"They're good at what they do, and Professor Trelawney could learn a thing or two from them."

"You're being flippant, Remus."

Remus sighed and put his newspaper down.

"Hermione, you don't seem to understand that the art of Divination is not necessarily a load of waffle if it is performed by those who truly possess the skill. You seem to distance Divination from those who can perform it simply because you don't want to believe that it exists. I think that's biased reasoning and I find it hypocritical."

Hermione bristled.

"Hypocritical?"

Remus should have taken the subtle flush of her cheeks or the sudden flash of gold in her hazel eyes as a warning of intellectual combat, but he was too caught up in wanting to finish the argument that he didn't seem to notice the tension that was creeping into her shoulders as she squared off with him.

"You argue that the wizarding population does not respect centaurs because we don't understand them," he continued, sitting up. "And that's fine. But you cannot play intellectual master when you don't understand the driving force behind their actions. The centaurs don't do anything without consulting the stars, and they don't consult the stars for the purpose of star-gazing, they consult them for the purpose of seeing potential future events, which, my dear, is the art of Divination," he finished, picking up his paper and hoping he had injected enough of his own massive intellect to make her think for a few moments in silence.

Clearly, he had misjudged his opponent.

"I admit that I don't think much of Divination as I have been taught it, Remus, but I have never underestimated the power behind the centaur's interpretation of the stars. In fact, I was a strong supporter of recruiting centaurs to the Department of Mysteries because they could help restore the Hall of Prophecies. I don't believe, however, that their interpretations should be taken as solid fact until there are other elements in place but we won't be able to do that until people stop fearing them and allow them to come out of hiding and join us in society."

"Why would they want to join us in society when there are people like you who insist there be proof of something they know to be fact? You would just insult them. And that's where I think your argument is intrinsically flawed, Miss Granger. You want to save the centaurs from what you think is a misguided view of reality just because you don't believe fact can come from something you never possessed the gift to understand."

"I'm sorry, Remus, but…"

"Oh for the love of Merlin, Hermione, just admit you're bloody wrong and shut up about it!" Remus snapped before he could stop himself, his amber eyes flashing with impatience.

Hermione looked like she had been slapped.

"There's no need to be rude," she huffed, her nostrils flaring as her eyes once-again flashed gold. "And if you can't have a civilized discussion then there's really no point in me spending any more time in here."

Grabbing her books, parchment, and quill, she turned on her heel and marched out of the library.

Remus groaned, letting his head fall onto the back of the chair. Her presence had his blood pumping, which had irritated him more than the questionable logic she presented in her argument. Her absence, however, filled him with a sense of restlessness that annoyed him even more than the flitting thoughts of her naked, writhing body beneath him while he possessed her in every and any way his sordid imagination could conjure.

He thought about following her to apologize, but he knew from the look on her face that unless he was proffering something absolutely fantastic, there was no way she would consider talking to him for at least a few days. And he would prefer to get the argument out of the way before he locked himself in the attic for his monthly night of fun and games.

'Fun and games indeed,' he thought sardonically.

He had barely stood from his chair when the door of the library opened and Harry stomped in.

"What did you say to Hermione?" he demanded.

Remus sighed.

"Harry, as much as I can appreciate your need to be her protector, I can assure you that I've already mentally berated myself and am working towards rectifying the current rift in our relationship," he said to the emerald-eyed man.

Harry's brow furrowed.

"Right," he said, the wind deflating his sails slightly as Remus beat him to his admonishment. "Well…whatever you decide to do…make sure it involves chocolate."

Remus arched an eyebrow.

"Chocolate?" he repeated.

"Yeah," Harry said. "It's the quickest way to get her to forgive you. She's weak for the stuff."

"Really? I've never noticed she liked chocolate that much," Remus mused.

Harry smiled, his whole face brightening now that he knew all was well between his friends.

"You know Hermione; she doesn't like to show any weakness, not even her one for chocolate."

Chuckling, the younger man left the room, leaving Remus to sit and ponder why on earth he was suddenly plotting how he could use the young witch's weakness to his advantage.

***

Hermione stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her waist. The hair she had attempted to tie up in to a bun was starting to fall out, the pieces curling in the steamy heat of the bathroom. She gave a deep sigh and moved to the mirror, using her hand to un-fog the glass, staring back at her reflection.

She was sulking.

There was no denying that her current behaviour resembled that of a ten-year-old who had just been refused the latest Nimbus, but that didn't stop her. Nobody argued with her. It just wasn't done, and it was also something she wasn't used to. Usually, she would state her opinion and people would just accept it as being right.

But not Remus.

What infuriated her most about her ex-professor was the way he used logic and reasoning, often making her second guess her thoughts. It was frustrating, challenging and, most of all, the intellectual banter that had led to that mornings argument left her feeling hot under the collar and more than a little aroused.

She supposed it was only natural for her to feel some sort of attraction to the one person who dared to question her intelligence. A well-rounded, thought-provoking argument had always been stimulating for her, but with Remus she found herself wondering just what it would be like to end one of their rare arguments with a kiss, rather than her stomping off like a child.

With another deep sigh, she realized the cold shower she had just partaken in had done nothing for her raging libido. The only thing left for her now was to try and take her mind off the sexier-than-sin werewolf with some light reading and a bit of chocolate.

Tucking a curl behind her ear, she left the bathroom in a cloud of steam, listening carefully as she slipped on a pair of fuzzy white slippers. The house seemed quiet, and she vaguely remembered the boys talking about going to the Burrow for a Quidditch match.

Biting her lip and feeling just a little bit naughty, she opened her door and decided to sneak downstairs for the chocolate first and worry about clothing later.

***

Remus stood at the table, looking down at the bowl of strawberries he had just picked from the overgrown back garden. A rather large bowl sat temptingly beside it, full to the brim with bits of dark chocolate.

"Does she even like strawberries?" Sirius asked from the end of the table where he sat with his head buried in the Daily Prophet, watching the replay of the record-breaking win the Harpies had managed over the Chudley Canons, analyzing each move on the page with a commentator's eye.

"Doesn't everybody?" Remus asked, prodding the bowl of chocolate with his wand, licking his lips and willing himself not to pick up the large chunk near the top that was practically crying out his name.

"No, not everybody does. But I suppose there's a larger point at stake here. Do you even know what you are doing?" the animagus asked, his grinning head finally emerging from behind the page.

Remus frowned and turned to look at his friend.

"I'm used to eating chocolate, not melting it."

"Then why not give her the block and say sorry?"

"Because this requires effort and looks a little more sincere. I was rude to her and she didn't deserve that," he sighed, prodding the chocolate once more with his wand, which had no effect on the confectionary at all.

"Well, I'd love to help you, mate, but usually when I offend a bird, I just shag her and she can't even remember her own name for a few moments after, let alone what I did to piss her off in the first place," Sirius said with a chuckle, snapping his paper closed and standing up with a yawn.

Remus gave the bowl of chocolate another sharp prod, and it gave off a slight hissing noise in response.

"Thank you for that ad-" but Remus's sharp comeback was cut short when the kitchen door swung open.

Both men turned, freezing when the sight of Hermione in nothing but a towel greeted them.

Hermione seemed equally shocked to find them there.

"I didn't think anyone was home," she squeaked, wide-eyed.

A leering, lecherous grin spread over Sirius's face.

"Clearly," he said. "But as you can see, sweetheart, neither of us are complaining."

Hermione flushed scarlet.

"I-I…I'll just go, shall I?" she breathed.

Sirius took a step towards her, which promptly had her backing up several paces.

"No need to go just yet, love. After all, Moony has something for you, don't you Moony?"

"Huh? What?" Remus said, his eyes having been fascinated by the less-than-gentle heaving of Hermione's chest. Shaking himself from the creamy flesh that was making him salivate, he turned his attention to Sirius and tried to figure out what his friend had just said.

"You have something for Hermione, don't you?" Sirius nudged, flicking his eyes to the chocolate, torn between mild frustration at his friend's clear ineptitude for romance and deep amusement at the fact that Hermione's eyes seemed to be glazing over at the sight of Remus, hair falling slightly in his face, surrounded by chocolate and strawberries.

"Oh! Right," Remus said, turning back to the chocolate with an enthusiasm that was a little too upbeat for cooking. As he flicked his wand with renewed vigor, his heart leapt as the chocolate started to melt slowly in front of him. He ignored the forbidding hissing sound as he continued to slowly flick his wand in a steady clockwise motion.

When the chocolate looked well and truly melted, Remus stopped his wand movements and looked up at his friends with a triumphant smile, not noticing that Sirius and Hermione's eyes were fixed on the chocolate. Looking back, Remus watched in mild horror as the chocolate started to bubble and for a split second, the hissing stopped.

The explosion that followed could compete with on of the Weasley twins' in the effectiveness of its destruction. The reverberation from the noise alone had caused several cupboard doors to burst open and expel their contents, resulting in a mass of broken china. The chocolate, however, seemed to paint the walls, floor, ceiling, and more aptly, the three inhabitants of the kitchen.

"Well," Sirius said mildly as he wiped chocolate off of his eyes. "I suppose that's one way to cover the strawberries."

"Remus!" Hermione groaned. "I just showered!"

"Well, I'm sorry, Hermione. I suppose I should have thought before I decided to create a chocolate explosion!" Remus snapped, both mortified by the results of his actions and angry at the fact that Hermione didn't at least admire the thought that went into it.

"Why on earth were you making me chocolate-covered strawberries?" she demanded, pulling her towel closer as she wiped chocolate from her cheek.

"To say sorry for be an arse in the library," Sirius replied for his friend.

"Sirius!" Remus shouted at his friend, projecting his irrational anger upon his smirking friend.

Luckily, Sirius had dealt with Remus during the full moon, and merely chuckled.

"I'll be going now. Must shower before I join the boys at the Burrow. Oh, and in the event that you two decide to…er…clean the kitchen…just know that you can take your time. We won't be back for ages."

He ducked out of the kitchen just as Remus chucked the now-empty chocolate bowl at him, and Remus's nostrils flared as the bowl hit the door with an unsatisfying 'thump'.

"Feel better?" Hermione mused sarcastically as she took her wand – which had been located in a place that had Remus's mind wandering – and banished the bowl to the sink.

"Would that it had been his head," Remus grumbled, picking up his wand and starting to put the dishes back together, despairing slightly at the growing pile of chocolate-covered tableware that was sitting next to the sink.

"Really, Remus, what were you thinking? You're not a cook. You don't even know how to cook," Hermione said as she charmed the sink to fill with soapy water.

"Excuse me, Miss Granger, but I think I'm the best judge at knowing what I can and cannot do," he said, turning his bright amber eyes upon the witch.

For a moment he thought he saw her cringe under what he assumed to be a rather fierce gaze. In a mere second, however, Hermione returned his gaze defiantly, sticking her pert little nose in this air as she sailed passed him to the sink.

"It's been my experience – particularly with the men in this house – that their alleged knowledge of their abilities far exceeds the reality."

Remus growled slightly as he watched her adjust her towel before she sunk her hands into the soapy water, washing the chocolate from her arms before reaching for a pile of plates and placing them into the water. She started to clean them before turning to look at him over her shoulder.

"I'm not going to do this all by myself," she huffed.

Remus rolled his eyes.

"Are you a witch or not?" he asked, waving his wand and the dishes started an assembly line from the counter to the sink to a floating dish towel and into the cupboard.

She turned around with a sigh.

"Some of us like to reserve our magic for times of great necessity, not times of laziness."

Remus rolled his eyes.

"Look around you, Miss Granger. This isn't going to be an easy clean-up. I figured we could do one thing by magic before we tackled the tougher stuff, so can you ease up off my back for two seconds?" he snapped.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me, professor, but I wasn't the one who decided to make the inside of the kitchen edible!"

"Oh, for the love of Merlin, Hermione, I didn't bloody do it on purpose!" Remus growled, flicking his wand at the broom cupboard so hard that the mop flew out toward them at such a speed that they had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the spear-like wooden handle.

"There's no use doing this upset, Remus. You'll do more damage that way," Hermione said, her voice carrying an annoyed – albeit matter-of-fact – edge to it. "I'll do it. You go into the library where you won't hurt yourself or others."

His nostrils flared and he took a step towards her.

"Do not talk down to me like I'm a child," he said darkly.

She looked up at him defiantly.

"When you stop acting like one, I will."

"When did I act like a child?"

"Now, with the chocolate explosion. And earlier, with your unnecessary outburst in the library."

Remus's hands curled into tight fists, both from utter frustration and to hold himself back from ravishing the infuriatingly-sexy know-it-all against the kitchen counter. Her breasts heaved as she stared him down, her cheeks blooming with anger.

"Do you not realize," he started, trying to keep his voice calm and even. "That the explosion was a direct result of my clearly misguided attempt to make up for being an arse in the library?"

"With chocolate-covered strawberries? Don't be daft, Remus."

"Why would I be daft to give you chocolate-covered strawberries?"

"Because chocolate-covered strawberries are specifically for romantic occasions, and so why on earth would you want to present me with something romantic?"

"Because it gives me an excuse to do this," he growled before crushing his lips to hers, one hand cupping the back of her neck and holding her head to his while his other cupped her chin, stroking her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

Hermione made a small sound in the back of her throat, shock and surprise at the sudden contact freezing her to the spot. He took a step in closer to her, pressing her against the cabinets, using his immense body heat to slowly thaw her. His fingers were sending delicious tingles along her skin and his lips were quite possible the softest thing she had ever felt.

With a pleasant jolt of awareness, she realized he tasted like chocolate, and she wanted more.

Remus felt her yielding beneath his touch, her body become more pliant as the intense seconds wore on. The knot in her towel pressed hard against his chest but the rest of her was barely covered, making him aware of every one of her delicious curves. He bought his free hand down to rest heavily on her waist, hearing her sharp intake of breath as he slowly stroked her side through the chocolate-covered fabric.

Letting out a moan, Hermione melted into the older man, feeling every part of him against her and wanting to feel even more. She bought both hands up to twine around his neck, her fingers brushing against the hair at his nape, thrilling in the silky texture she found. Remus responded by deepening the kiss, his tongue penetrating the hot cavern of her mouth with a tortured groan.

They became lost in each other – shifting, moaning, rubbing and pulling – suddenly desperate to feel more and unable to stop. With mindless fingers, he tugged at the towel between them, the fabric pooling at their feet. He pulled back, both of them out of breath, her eyes hooded as she watched him undo his equally stained shirt, revealing his delicious torso button by excruciating button.

He was struck by just how small she was, standing against the kitchen sink, her flushed and shivering body displayed without shame. He scanned every inch of her before coming back to her face, meeting the hooded, aroused look in her eyes. He felt a jolt deep in his stomach and started removing his clothing faster.

When his shirt joined the towel she pushed herself forward, hooking her fingers in to his belt loops, kissing him with renewed fervour. He slipped a knee between hers, taking over the kiss as she fumbled with his pants, becoming more desperate by the second. With a small cry of triumph she freed him from the suddenly tight confines, her fingers slipping lower to grip his length.

Her cry turned to one of sharp pleasure when he raised his knee, pressing her hard against the counter and coming in to direct contact with her throbbing core. She bit his lower lip when he repeated the contact, her hand convulsing around him as she let his pants fall from his hips.

His hands came up to cup her breasts, his thumbs finding her taut nipples, flicking them and earning even more sounds of approval. Hermione was floating on a cloud of lust, her brain running in circles and never settling on just one thought. The sounds, smell and feel of him were more than she had ever imagined, and he body was screaming at her for more.

Remus's body seemed to be under the same sense of urgency as his hand slipped down to her waist to easily lift her on to the edge of the bench, her legs wrapping around his waist as he kissed his way down her neck, along her collar bone and to her aching breasts.

"Oh my God," she moaned when he took a nipple between his lips.

He reached a hand between them, suddenly desperate to feel this woman around him. Hermione cried out and clutched his head, her fingers spearing into his hair, flexing against his scalp. Remus felt how wet she was, and his desperation became tangible.

Hermione tugged at his head, bringing his lips back to hers as she dug her heels in to his lower back, urging him deeper into her embrace. Remus fell willingly in to her arms, letting her guide him to where he wanted to be most and moaning as he sunk in to her folds with a single thrust.

They stayed still for a moment, relishing the beauty of their sudden, inexplicably heated coupling. Remus let his head rest against her shoulder, her body unbelievably tight around his straining member. This was what he had dreamed about, had fantasized about, but at the same time this was nothing like what he had dreamed or fantasized about. His body moulded so perfectly to hers that there was no doubt that she was made to fit him and him alone.

The wolf in him reared at that thought. Had this been only days earlier, when he was more man than beast, he would have hesitated at the thought that Hermione Granger, so young and supple, should be linked to him so easily. But the beast knew better than the man, and as he started to rock his tensed body against her and heard her gasp of pleasure and sigh of sheer perfection, he knew that this was going to last longer than a feverish shag in the bowels of Grimmauld Place.

"Fuck, Remus," she breathed, wrapping her legs around his hips and digging her heels into his back, urging him deeper as his fingers dug into her soft curves. He looked up into her eyes and leaned in, licking the chocolate that sat on her cheek. Her hands moved up to his head, curling her fingers into the chocolate-soaked strands, pulling his lips to hers as she started to roll her body with his.

He grunted, pushing himself harder as the wolf reared, wanting, needing everything this woman had to offer. His cock throbbed as his heart raced, sweat starting to form and slide down his back. Her legs were slick with chocolate and as he ran his hand down one, he felt the velvet smoothness of her thighs beneath the sweet stickiness. Images of himself licking every inch of her body – tasting the ambrosia of chocolate flavoured skin – made him groan and thrust even harder.

She cried out at the change, her body arching as she let her head tip backward. Never in her wildest dreams – and she had had a few wild ones in which this animal of a man had starred – could she have imagined herself in this situation. The scent of their sex mixed with the dark beauty of chocolate made her head reel and as he thrust, the friction between them electric, she prayed to whatever deity would listen that he didn't come to his senses and realize that what they were doing would forever change their relationship.

She wanted it to change, but from friendship to something more. It was a dream, but one that seemed far more tangible at that moment than ever before.

"Shit…" he growled, feeling the primitive urge of his release flooding him with every beat of his erratic heart. She looked good enough to eat, covered in chocolate and flushed with the pleasure that he was giving her. Grasping the back of her head, he pulled her lips to his, searing her soul with a frenzied kiss while moving his hands between them, his fingers locating instantly the trigger to her orgasm.

"Oh God!" she moaned, her back curling as she moulded her body into his, her breasts pressing against him as her ankles locked around his waist. Her walls quivered violently around his aching cock, clutching him inside her as she came hard. Her nails raked down his back, leaving angry red marks behind. He groaned at the sensation, the beast within enjoying the pain.

"Fuck…" Remus cursed, his body tensing as his hips jerked. His teeth sank into her shoulder as he spilled his seed, her skin muffling his howls of pleasure. His hands gripped her hips tightly and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he would leave bruises. But the idea of leaving bruises – and teeth marks – on this woman made the bestial side of him triumph. He was marking his territory.

She was his now.

Panting, Remus pulled back slightly, staring at the marks on her shoulder and then fearfully into her face. The human side of him was feeling the guilt and remorse of his rough behaviour, frightened at the thought that he had hurt her. Her expression, however, proved how wrong he was, and a large, slightly toothy smile lit up her face as she gazed into his eyes.

"I should argue with you more often," she said, her voice slightly husky as she slowly descended from her high.

He chuckled.

"If this is how we make up, you can bet that I'll be arguing with you a whole lot more."

Her eyes brightened at the idea of a continued relationship.

"I suppose you have a legitimate reason to give me those chocolate-covered strawberries now," she teased, holding her breath as she waited for his response.

He gave an easy smile.

"I'll feed them to you every night if it means we get to do this more often," he replied, leaning in and licking a rivulet of chocolate from her neck.

She shuddered in pleasure, the fire starting to build within her immediately.

"Keep doing what you're doing and you can do whatever you want to me," she heard herself breath as his wicked lips and tongue and teeth nibbled at her sensitive pulse point.

"You would give yourself to an old werewolf like me?" he asked, pulling away and looking at her.

She grinned.

"Of course I would. I'd do anything for a chocolate-covered werewolf," she said, squealing as he lifted her up and carried her upstairs.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!