Remus Lupin stumbled as he landed, clutching the bleeding boy, no man, to his chest. It was his fault. There was a reason why he was called a protector, yet he hadn't been doing his job. He should have been defending instead of attacking. He should have never trusted Severus Snape. Snivellus. He had never liked the the name that James and Sirius had dubbed the death eater, but the dead men, boys really, boys that had never grown up, were right. Snape was a coward.

"Come on, come on George." Remus murmured, the young man's bare, toned arms scraping across his stubbled jaw. His tattered coat whipping in the light July wind. Remus sneaked a glance to the Burrow's back garden. Clutching George Weasley tighter to his firm chest as he watched young Ginny Weasley, wise for her years, call for the help of the people occupying the Burrow.

Remus and George were late, and Remus knew it, yet the only people to come stumbling out of the rickety house were Harry, Hagrid, Hermione, Kingsley and Molly. He sucked in a deep breath, all he could do as hope that no one had succumbed to the fate of the man in his arms, or worse, dead.

Settling the man,whom he had long felt a strange attraction to, on the sofa. Remus stepped back, letting Molly tend to the raw wounds. He felt jittery, nervous. George had fully changed into the red-headed, muscular man, that Remus found incredibly attractive. He had never found his twin remotely good-looking, probably because of George's quieter nature, often taking the back-seat, coming up with the ideas but not being so involved with the practical side of things. He reminded Remus of himself when the marauders were all together. That's probably why I love him so, thought Remus. Wait. Love? Don't be silly. The man was attractive, yes. But love?

A crash sounded from outside, rousing the quiet man from his thoughts. Remus whipped his wand out, running into the garden. It was highly possible that it was any of the four remaining pairs of Potter and protector, more than likely in fact. Yet all the werewolf could think of was that if it was Snape, he'd kill him. The likelihood of it actually being Severus Snape, did not cross his frazzled mind. His wand was at Arthur's throat before he could think twice, George would not be hurt.

"I'll prove who I am, Lupin, after I've seen my son. Now back off, if you know what's good for you!" Remus obeyed quickly, this was Arthur Weasley, he knew it.

Following the father of the man he loved, Remus knelt by Georges side. Fred as hanging over the the back of the sofa, deathly pale. The ear-less man in front of them started to stir.

"How do you feel Georgie?" he heard the matriarch of the Order ask, as if at a distance, all the werewolf had eyes and ears for was George.

"Saint-like." came the weak reply fro the brilliant boy. Lupin gave a relieved smile that came out in a breathy whisper, a pathetic joke but George would be okay.

Fred was less certain, not looking behind the bloodied face and ear-less profile of his beloved brother. George gave his brother a reassuring grin.

"Pathetic," Fred breathed.

"Terrible," Remus agreed.

"Remus! Uh, I mean Proffesor, Sir." George made a slight smile at the sound of the older man's voice.

"It's okay, George. You're quite welcome to call me by my given name." A marauder-esque smirk gracing his worn features.

"Thank you." George said, his blue eyes meeting Remus' golden orbs. The latter man frowned slightly a crinkle upon his brow. "For saving my life," George continued.

"I did not save your life! I endangered it! And for that I apologise, I am so sorry. If I was defending you, like I ought to have been and not attacking Dolohov, you would not be in this state, your ear still attached!" Remus cried, an enemy tear attempting to escape from his eyes.

George took his hand, a fire burning in Remus his heart, fireworks exploding where there hands met. Remus wondered if George felt them too but dismissed the thought instantly. He was too old, too broken, to ill to be anything with the beautiful man in front of him. George was also not gay. Girl's loved him and he met there fluttering eyes with a flirtatious grin before disappearing without them.

" Do not be silly, Remus," to both men they seemed to be trapped in a bubble, in which neither paid any attention to the outside world and no outsider could look in or listen in. "You swerved when the hex came, you shielded me when that severing hex came, and you threw me out of the way as that killing curse soared by. Thank you." The blue orbs boar into the golden one's. The speechless mouth of their owner, parched and cracked.

"George, I..." the words died in his mouth.

"Don't know what to say?" George grinned, his eyes sparkling mischievously. The werewolf gave a grin to match those of the infamous Sirius Black. And George could not help the comparison of the sexy smile of Black to the divine smile of the tired man in front of him. Pressing his hand to the hole of his ear to staunch the pain, he leant forward, leaning on his elbow. Neither of the entranced men noticing that everybody else had left the room. Lupin leant forward slightly too as their lips met in the middle in a tentative kiss, slowly deepening the kiss as the subtler of the to most infamous clowns of Hogwart's finally became lovers.

A/N: If you recognise this it would be because you've probably read it before, under the name 'A missing ear, a regained heart.'. This evening I am taking down all my old stuff and reloading. The spelling mistakes were atrocious :/ But Ta-da all done. All my work should be complete by midnight tonight.