WELCOME

He was running late.

He was going on his first date and he was running late.

Remus suppressed a groan. There was so much wrong with that statement. He was nineteen and going on his first date. Not ‘first date with Melanie Pearson’ but first date. Period.

Oh, and he was late.

Remus loosened his tie – colored a very familiar red and gold – and pulled it from his neck. He shoved it into his pocket. While his colleagues wouldn’t recognize it as a Gryffindor neck tie, the people in the Leaky Cauldron would. He’d rationalized his wardrobe choice as ‘it is a perfectly good tie and I need to wear a tie to work so why not.’ Wearing a Hogwarts tie into the Leaky Cauldron, well, it was embarrassing to think he was still wearing nineteen his school uniform. Or parts of it. Remus added ‘new ties’ to his mental shopping list and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

He paused outside the Leaky Cauldron, smoothing his jacket and hoping he didn’t look as shabby as he felt. There was nothing he could do about it now. Besides, even if he had the nicest dress robes in the world, he couldn’t change his appearance.

What was Melanie doing, showing interest in him of all people? There had to be something wrong with her. Beautiful, smart, accomplished women were not attracted to werewolves. They were attracted to handsome, wealthy men who could shower them with expensive jewels and exotic trips. He couldn’t offer her anything. There was no reason any rational woman would choose him over her other suitors. Which meant there was something wrong with Melanie. Remus wondered what the something was. He’d probably figure it out soon. He was good at putting things together. (Okay, he was good at putting things together that weren’t this girl likes me).

Smoothing the last of the invisible wrinkles from his robes, Remus opened the door and stepped inside the pub, eyes sweeping over the denizens in search of Melanie.

The Leaky Cauldron was surprisingly busy for the time of night. Normally it wasn't until later hours that people started rolling in and ordering drinks, trying to shake off the frustrations of yet another work day. It had taken Mel a good ten minutes to find an open spot at that the bar that had an available empty stool. With pride she placed her purse on the stool beside her own to mark that it was taken.

She was meeting Remus for drinks after he got finished looking at a flat. It was their first date. Well, she wasn't actually sure if it was a date, but it was the first time the pair of them were meeting up knowing they both liked one another and were interested in being more than just friends. Thinking about all the ups and downs just to get to this point made her exhausted. As soon as the bartender, who unfortunately wasn't Dory (or more fortunately for Remus), made his way over Mel ordered a butterbeer. She was going to start off light and work her way up.

Glancing at the clock Mel realized she was a tad bit early, which was extremely unusual for her. Being on time was unusual for Mel. Either she was just really bored sitting at home waiting for Remus to finish up what he was doing, or she was a bit excited about this date. Taking a deep breath, Mel shook her head at how pathetic she was. It had been a couple of years since she'd actually gone on a date, but this felt like something entirely new.

Taking another drink of her butterbeer, Mel's eyes fell on the clock again. Remus was now officially late, and Mel began to wonder if Remus was going to stand her up. Every bone in her body told her not to be an idiot. Remus was not the kind of guy to just stand a girl up. For Merlin's sake he'd sent her an apology letter for being sick. There was something in the back of her head, however, a dark, sour voice that told her he was doing this for her own good. Since he couldn't get through to her before he was just going to use harsh reality.

She was going to need something harder than butterbeer if she couldn't shut the voice up.

"You're waiting for someone right?" The bartender asked, taking her empty glass and refilling it. Mel frowned, confused as to how he knew when she remembered her purse which was marking Remus' spot. Mel nodded. "I think he just walked in the door."

Mel followed where the bartender was pointing towards the door. Remus was standing there, looking rather good in a partially buttoned downed shirt and jacket, searching the room. Mel immediately grinned and thanked the bartender before waving at Remus, motioning him over. See, she mocked the voice in her head, he showed.

There. Remus spotted Melanie seated at the bar. He saw her wave and smiled. He began making his way across the room. How, Remus wondered as he dodged a server, was he supposed to say hello when he reached her? Did he just say ‘hi’? Was he supposed to do something boyfriendy? He wasn’t Melanie’s boyfriend. All he said was that he was attracted to her. That was hardly the same thing as boyfriend. A boyfriend was involved in a long term, romantic relationship. That most definitely was not him. So, no, on a boyfriend action. A handshake didn’t seem appropriate either. That was too ‘and how are you today, Ma’am?’ He was just going to go with…

“Hi.” Remus reached the bar. “Sorry I’m late. The meeting ran long.” And by ran long, he meant that the landlady wanted more than he wanted to pay and they haggled over it. When it became obvious she wasn’t going to get to the price he wanted, he’d decided to leave. He was part of the way down the street when she caught up with him and agreed to his price. Remus was pretty sure she was desperate for boarders. As he was desperate for lodging where he could legally live, he was glad to have his price accepted. Now all he needed was his paycheck.

He noticed Melanie’s handbag on a stool and passed it to her. “I take it this is mine?” Obviously it was his. Melanie was waiting for him. She didn’t have another date later, or plans with her friends. She was waiting for him.

Remus slid onto the seat. “Have you had a chance to order yet?” He was starving. He’d taken lunch at an odd time, hadn’t had a chance to eat dinner, and was really hoping Melanie wouldn’t think it odd if he ordered food with his ale.

"Hi," Remus said as he reached her. "Sorry I'm late. The meeting ran long."

"No worries. Places to live are a tad bit important," Mel replied with a grin, still just happy Remus showed up at all. She had to continue to ignore the nagging voice in the back of her head. It cooed and chided her, asking why he hadn't given her a kiss. Reminding the voice they were in a very public location didn't seem to satisfy it. Alcohol usually solved that little problem, but she had enough to drink in the past week and a half to last her at least the rest of the month.

"I take it this is mine?" Remus asked, indicated to her purse which was currently occupying the stool beside her own. Mel nodded and grabbed her purse to give him a place to sit, slinging it over her shoulder to keep it out of the way.

"Have you had a chance to order yet?"

"Just a butterbeer," she replied. Or two, but he didn't need to know that. "Didn't get a chance to eat huh?" Since there had been a long wait between when she got off work and when she was meeting up with Remus Mel had already eaten dinner. It wasn't entirely healthy, then again chocolate covered sugar bombs and milk never were. It was a wonder why adults fed their children such terrible food. Then again they probably wouldn't eat anything that wasn't covered in sugar.

While Mel waited for Remus to give his order to the bartender, Mel shifted in her stool. She kind of wished their first little date had been somewhere a bit more private. In a place like the Leaky Cauldron Mel felt like she couldn't ask the questions that were nagging at her. Or more importantly, kiss him like she wanted to. Perhaps that was why he'd chosen the Leaky Cauldron in the first place. He still wanted to keep his distance, and there was no better way to insure that than by taking her someplace where public affection was not smiled upon. Damn, if she didn't stop being so negative she was definitely going to need a shot of Firewhiskey.

"So did the ladies at your office interrogate you when you got back or did they leave you alone?" Mel asked curiously. She was looking for anything to take her mind off of the annoying voice and her own insecurities.

Melanie remarked as he reached for a menu.

“Unfortunately, no. You don’t mind, do you?” Remus scanned the menu and found something that sounded edible. After ordering dinner and an ale, he settled into his seat.

Melanie, meanwhile, kept shifting her weight on her stool. He had done something wrong, hadn’t he? Remus tried to figure out what that was. She said she wasn’t upset that he was late? Was Melanie one of those girls who said one thing but meant the exact opposite? That had to be what was wrong. Or was she upset that he hadn’t eaten yet? Maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to meet her tonight. He’d already had the meeting set up with the landlady. He tried to do too much?

“They’ve decided they are my stand in mums as mine is in another country at the moment, so, short answer, yes.” Remus saw the bar tender return with ale. Grateful, he picked up his glass and took a long drink. Returning the glass to the bar, he added, “They kept asking who the pretty girl was who came to visit me.” They’d also asked quite a few other questions – including whether he was ‘being safe,’ a question posed by a woman old enough to be his grandmother – which was something he was not going to share with Melanie. He’d never been quite so mortified and embarrassed as he’d been at that moment. He’d also never been so happy to have a phone ring so he could avoid that conversation all together. “Something will probably happen tomorrow to distract them and they’ll soon go back to leaving me alone, though. I’m not too concerned.”

Remus paused, studying Melanie. He might as well ask. He wasn’t going to feel comfortable until he did. “Are you upset with me? You’ve been acting a bit odd since I arrived.”

“Unfortunately, no. You don’t mind, do you?”

"Not in the least," Mel said with her usual smile. "Unless you get something with chocolate, then I may need to steal a bite." The comment was playful, but she wasn't sure if he would get embarrassed or not. Mel wasn't quite sure what the rules of engagement were when it came to playful comments concerning sharing food, especially this early on. To be honest she really needed to stop worrying about it or she was going to start drivingly herself insane with "what ifs" and "maybes."

“They’ve decided they are my stand in mums as mine is in another country at the moment," Remus told her after he ordered some food and a drink, "so, short answer, yes. They kept asking who the pretty girl was who came to visit me.” Mel couldn't help but grin. She'd gotten similar questions from her parents when she'd had a boyfriend back at Hogwarts, although they were more along the lines of: how old is he, what does he do, what kind of grades does he have, etc. Now that she thought about it they were more or less grilling her for information rather then being curious... It was strange how she hadn't noticed it before now. “Something will probably happen tomorrow to distract them and they’ll soon go back to leaving me alone, though. I’m not too concerned.”

"You're be surprised how long women can hold onto a juicy bit of gossip," Mel informed him, ordering herself an ale as well. If he was going to drink, and if she wanted to get rid of the annoying voice in her head, she was going to have a drink as well. After the bartender slide the glass towards her Mel took a sip, pausing when she realized Remus was looking at her.

“Are you upset with me?" He asked. "You’ve been acting a bit odd since I arrived.”

Upset with him? Mel quirked an eyebrow. Had he detected her insecurities? When had she become so transparent? She wanted to take the honest route, especially since covering up the truth had really only gotten the pair of them into trouble, but how exactly did she tell him that she was afraid he wouldn't show and that she had wished they were somewhere a bit more private? Of course, she could say that exactly, but it would most likely give him the wrong impression of her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Mel said with a playful grin before laughing awkwardly and sighing when she realized that he wasn't going to believe that lie in a million years. Well so much for playing it off as nothing. Scratching the back of her head Mel took a deep breath. Back to Plan A.

"Okay, false, I was just... worried before that you weren't going to show, and when you finally showed I wasn't sure how to exactly... proceed. It's kind of been a while since I've gotten past the 'I'm interested in you' part." At least a couple of years, and even then she had stumbled into a relationship with her both of her boyfriends. The first relationship had pretty much consisted of study dates, or as Mel liked to call them 'tutor sessions'. The second, well they never left the common room, and not for good reasons. He liked to just sit in the lounge and just stare out the window. Very boring.

"I didn't mean to worry you or anything. You are definitely in the clear," she told him with a smile. She just wanted this date to end with a kiss goodnight and parting on happy terms instead of her leaving in a hurry because she was embarrassed or angry.

“Unfortunately for you, nothing chocolate.” Remus returned the menu to its place and turned to face her. “Just a sandwich and chips, I’m afraid.”* Feeling warm, he shrugged out of his jacket and hoped Melanie didn’t mind as the conversation turned to his co-workers. He’d rather hoped all the talk about his visitor would die down sooner rather than later. Melanie seemed to disagree.

“I don’t know if I’m exactly ‘gossip,’” Remus protested. “They’re more curious because I’m new and they’re trying to figure out what my angle is.” Fortunately for him, they’d never guess ‘werewolf.’ One of the benefits of having Muggle co-workers. He wasn’t sure how he was going to hide the post-full moon injuries from them, although those weren’t nearly as bad if his friends were around. Remus prayed his friends didn’t take any sudden out-of-town trips anytime soon.

As they talked, he couldn’t help but notice Melanie continue to shift her weight on her seat as if she was uncomfortable. Several times, something passed across her face and he started to wonder if she was having second thoughts. Not that he’d blame her. It was best to just get it out in the open, so he asked.

Melanie laughed awkwardly. She might have sold it if she hadn’t added the awkward laugh. Remus felt his shoulders stiffen. He knew this was a bad idea. He knew she couldn’t possible have been serious. He knew she never meant…

Remus relaxed. “Oh.” He wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, but at least she was still sitting on her stool, talking to him. “I really am sorry about being late. We probably should have scheduled this for tomorrow.” Although with his luck, he’d have plans and then the Order would need him…the Order…. Melanie was not going to believe him if he kept having random emergencies and needed to slip away without any expectation. She'd probably think he had another girlfriend or something (despite how ridiculous that sounded). Remus suddenly felt awkward. “Um, Melanie? When we’re done, do you think I could talk with you privately? There’s, uh, there’s one more thing you need to know.”

OOC – Yes, Ria meant what we Americans call French Fries and knows the things Lays makes are called “Crisps” on the other side of the pond.

“Unfortunately for you, nothing chocolate. Just a sandwich and chips, I’m afraid.”

Mel pursed her lips in an exaggerated pout. Well, not everyone enjoyed eating chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A sandwich and chips made a lot more sense anyway. Besides, Mel wasn't entirely sure if she would trust any chocolate the Leaky Cauldron was in possession of unless they were buying it from one of the candy shops in Diagon Alley.

"I don’t know if I’m exactly ‘gossip,’” Remus commented when Mel informed him of older women, or women in general, who had a habit of talking about anything and everything they found even the slightest bit interesting. There were plenty of women, and even the occasional guy, who liked to eavesdrop and spend their lunch breaks spreading about half truths about what they had barely heard. "They’re more curious because I’m new and they’re trying to figure out what my angle is.”

Mel certainly couldn't blame them for wanting to know that. Remus was a strange kind of guy. He was cute, quiet, and very nice when he actually did speak up. He was mythological creature by today's standards. Then again dragons, unicorns, and various other creatures of fairy tales and nightmares actually existed so it wasn't so odd that a nice guy did as well. Though Mel was convinced they were far more rare.

The conversation had been going quite well, until Remus caught her shifting in her stool and questioned her about her strange behavior. That fact that he could identify the differences between standard Mel-strange and unusual Mel-strange was rather astonishing to her. Most people assuming her odd quarks, habits, and mannerisms were just Mel being Mel.

“Oh,” Remus said, relaxing a little. Mel smiled, glad she hadn't offended him in some strange way. Their relationship hadn't exactly been smooth so far, but Mel was finding that even when they were just sitting in a bar having a chat she still enjoyed his company. So what if they had kept getting their signals mixed up and ended up having their first fight before they were even really together, it just meant things were going to be fun and interesting.

“I really am sorry about being late," Remus apologized, "We probably should have scheduled this for tomorrow.”

"Pish posh," Mel said, waving her hand dismissively, "I knew you were busy and should have expected things would go over. It's really no big deal."

Besides, she didn't want to wait another day. If they had held off Mel was afraid Remus would second guess his decision and cancel on her. Then she would have had to figure out where he was staying and hunt him down again. At that point she most likely would have come off as a stalker, and that was certainly no way to begin a relationship.

“Um, Melanie?" Remus suddenly asked. Mel, who had taken another drink from her glass. She finished swallowing and set her glass down. His awkward expression had her a bit worried. What was he going to say? Was he going to tell her he actually wasn't interested in her? That it had been a huge mistake? "When we’re done, do you think I could talk with you privately? There’s, uh, there’s one more thing you need to know.”

I'm gay. Dammit. No, no, it could be something entirely different. Maybe he was married. Ugh, that would be much worse. Or would it? They were both pretty bad. At least if he was gay though she could still be friends with him, although it would do some serious damage to her self esteem. Melanie Pearson, magnet for assholes and gay people. No, wait, maybe there was something else entirely. It he was a spy working for the British government, and he was under cover searching for his arch nemesis from Russia. Or maybe he was carrying James and Lily's child because she couldn't give birth. OR ... No, she had nothing else. Remus being a surrogate was really as far as she could get before even she knew her ideas were beginning to stretch beyond reality.

"Sure," she said casually, the ideas floating around in her head. Couldn't he have waited to say something when he was finished with his food so she wouldn't have to continue guessing? Her mind had already jumped to an alien stuck on Earth trying to find a way home. She was going to need another drink if her mind kept this up. And then her mind couldn't take it anymore.

"You're not some sort of alien, or baby surrogate are you?" She asked suddenly, immediately regretting not restraining herself.

And now he would think she was officially insane. Why couldn't she have stitched her mouth closed? She was less likely to make a fool of herself at that point.

He still felt bad. She thought he’d stood her up? Merlin. He was so terrible at this.

He realized that he already messed several things up. Everyone said you needed to wait at least three days after telling a girl you liked her to talk with her again. Then it should be an Owl. He offered to take Melanie out for drinks right away. Surprisingly, she didn’t think he was desperate (that he could tell). He didn’t know what to do when she kissed him. He was really bad at that. Hell, he didn’t even know where he was allowed to put his hands. His years of avoiding romance and hiding in the library were definitely not helping. You couldn’t learn how to properly kiss a girl in a book. Did Melanie realize how little experience he had?

Now that he was thinking about everything, being late was the least of his worries.

At least she agreed to talk with him privately when he asked, smiling and offering a response of:

He relaxed. While he couldn’t exactly tell her all about the Order, letting her know that he was involved in the war was probably a good idea. She’d know what was going on when he needed to disappear to do something for Dumbledore. While he seriously doubted that he was important enough for Voldemort to send someone after, he still needed to warn Melanie that there was always a risk that a Death Eater could target her. Part of his brain – the part that didn’t want anything to happen to her – protested loudly at the idea that he could just share the information and stay with her. Remus forced his thoughts away from it. He was going to just tell Melanie and let her decide. She was already friends with Dorcas Meadowes, who was heavily involved with the Order. That she was now involved with him didn’t even change the status quo.

Yes.

Exactly.

Okay, he was selfish. An incredible girl chose him of all people and he didn’t want to let go of her.

Melanie suddenly asked him:

Remus froze. She knew he was a monster. She’d put it together. Feeling cornered, he glanced around the pub. What would happen if she announced it to everyone? Would they let him leave? Would someone here whip out a wand and decide to do the Ministry a favor by ‘putting him down’ themselves? He felt his heart rate increase and the tunnel vision started to set in. Maybe he should run now. Just get up and run out the door before everything went to hell…. “What?” Remus forced himself to swallow. “What makes you think that?”

“What?” Remus asked, clearly surprised by what she had just asked him. And who wouldn't be? It wasn't exactly every day someone asked if you were some sort of space alien or some sort of weird surrogate. Seriously? Magic was magic, but Mel was still pretty sure that guys still couldn't carry babies. “What makes you think that?”

Mel sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Obviously she was going to have to let Remus know that she was a complete nutter, as if he hadn't gotten enough hints from how she had acted already. When it came to Remus she was just so antsy and paranoid. She had a habit of ruining relationships before they could even get started, and this was why. She needed to learn to keep a filter on her brain.

"Sorry," she apologized, taking a deep breath and quirking an awkward smile, "It's just that when you said that you had something to tell me my mind jumped to about thirty different scenarios. I mean, if you're an alien, it's cool," Mel quickly added, knowing it was very unlikely Remus was actually an alien. He had kind of grown up in Hogwarts, but it was a good idea to cover her bases. "I have kind of always wanted to see space."

Mel took another drink just to shut herself up. If she kept going she was likely to say something even more ridiculous and just embarrass herself completely. On the plus side most of the current patrons at the Leaky Cauldron were already three sheets to the wind so Remus was the only one who could look at her as if she'd completely lost her mind.

"Ignore me, I'm crazy," Mel said, setting her glass down. Of course, it didn't help her much. She was still itching to know what he needed to tell her, but if she thought about things logically, like a normal person would, then Mel would have realized that what Remus had to tell her couldn't have been that Earth shattering or he would have told her much sooner, or not at all. "How about those Montrose Magpies," Mel said as she took another drink, trying to find anyway to recover the conversation from her terrible blunder.

Remus slowly let out a deep breath. She wasn’t going to start screaming ‘werewolf’ in a crowded pub. “Oh.” He took in another breath and let it out, trying to disguise what he was doing by messing with the plate of food that had been delivered. “Not an alien. Sorry.” He shoved a chip in his mouth and tried to think. He glanced at Melanie out of the corner of his eye. At least she seemed to be so self conscious that she hadn’t realized his reaction. He needed to make a joke and change the subject. “I’m afraid I haven’t seen space, either. Closest I’ve ever come is spending time with my friends under the stars when we’re off on one adventure or another.”

Melanie remarked.

He wasn’t quite sure how he was supposed to respond to that. Remus busied himself with his sandwich so he didn’t have to respond right away. He could say ‘no, you aren’t crazy,’ but he doubted that Melanie wanted to hear that. He wished he could just tell her what he needed to tell her and be done with it, but he didn’t want to take a risk like that in such a public place. Walls had a bad habit of having ears when you least wanted them to.

Melanie asked.

Remus put down his sandwich. “I, uh, don’t really follow Quidditch all that much. Don’t get me wrong, I like going to the matches from time to time, and I always supported James, but…I’m not going to be a wealth of Quidditch information.” He left out the part where he’d sometimes take a book with him to James’s Quidditch matches. He wasn’t sure James was aware of that, and he was pretty certain Melanie would give him grief if she knew. They needed a new topic of conversation. Remus seized on the first thing that came to his mind. “So how was work?” That was bloody hopeless. He mentally kicked himself. Surely he could come up with better conversation starters than ‘how was work.’

“Oh," Remus replied, seeming relieved she didn't actually think she was an alien, "Not an alien. Sorry. I’m afraid I haven’t seen space, either. Closest I’ve ever come is spending time with my friends under the stars when we’re off on one adventure or another.”

"Pity, I hear Venus is lovely this time of year," Mel remarked, trying to bring in back of the more normal humor she was used to. She needed to find a way to recover from this massive mistake. Why did she have to go and ruin things when they had been going so well? And clearly Remus didn't thinks he was entirely stable since he didn't deny that Mel was crazy when she made her remark. She wasn't entirely sure if she was hurt by that fact or not. Sure, she was a little on the strange side, but she didn't like being labelled insane just like anyone else.

“I, uh, don’t really follow Quidditch all that much," Remus remarked when Mel tried to get the conversation back on track. She was failing miserably. Of course he didn't really like quidditch, if he had that would have made her life far too easy, and nothing about this relationship had been easy except for the moment they bumped into one another. "Don’t get me wrong, I like going to the matches from time to time, and I always supported James, but…I’m not going to be a wealth of Quidditch information.”

"I'm sure I can find it somewhere in my heart to forgive you," Mel said with a playful wink and a smirk. She was going to get the conversation back on track if it killed her. Besides, all she needed to do was hold out her curiosity until he finished his meal and they went somewhere more private. A though suddenly clicked in Mel's brain. He wanted to go somewhere private. Where would they go? What would they do once they got there?

Talk. Duh.

“So how was work?”

"Good," Mel replied, grateful to drag her mind back to the present, less awkward than her mind, conversation. Suddnely her mind had wandered from the outright strange and insane potential conversations with Remus to something a little more heated and with a lot less talking. She took another drink. "You're still the center of gossip at my office as well," Mell said with a smirk, forcing herself to focus. "You're currently known as 'Mel's Mystery Cutie'. For a bunch of paper pushing investigators my coworkers are very terrible when it comes to investigating each other's private life." Which she was very grateful for. The last thing she wanted was for people snooping into her life. "The nice gold rule of 'don't investigate unless you've been told you' helps with that as well."

Remus wasn’t sure if she was mocking him, making a random remark, or trying to send him a secret message. He decided it was in his best interest not to say anything at all, and let the conversation progress on its normal path (and away from aliens).

Once they got to work, Melanie started talking and he had a chance to finally eat. Remus listened as she talked about her job.

He almost choked at the description ‘Mel’s Mystery Cutie.’ The people in the investigation department must really never get out much if they thought he was a ‘Cutie.’ Remus had to admit that was the first time someone said that about him. He was also surprised that they were still talking about his visit to Melanie a week later. At least it sounded as if Melanie’s colleagues weren’t going to be looking too closely into his life. The last thing he needed was for his entire life to be laid bare because of an eager investigator. “I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble at work.”

He was starting to get the idea that Melanie wasn’t exactly big on sticking around the pub longer than necessary. Looked like his ‘meet for drinks’ wasn’t necessarily a good idea. Finishing his meal, Remus fished out enough coins to cover the meal and left them with the bill. He stood, picking up his jacket with one hand and offering the other to Melanie. “Ready to get out of here?” He wasn’t quite sure where to take her to have a private discussion. He didn’t have a place to take her back to – yet. He couldn’t exactly invite himself back to her place. For one, it wasn’t his place to offer. For two, it would send the wrong message to Melanie – namely, ‘I’m only interested in you in a physical manner.’ Still, most places would be better than the Leaky Cauldron. There had to be a bench or a low wall somewhere that would allow them to sit and have a serious discussion away from people who would understand what it was they were talking about.

Mel glanced at Remus with some concern when he nearly chocked on his food. She wasn't sure if it was the title her coworkers had forced upon him or an entirely different matter all together that had caused him problems. It really wasn't that big of a deal. It was a relatively accurate description. Remus had wandered in randomly, approaching only Mel, and she had dragged him off into the Archives for some privacy almost immediately. It was only natural that her coworkers gossiped. Paper pushers for the investigation department were constantly bored and looking for things to talk about.

"I'm sorry if I caused you trouble at work," Remus apologized.

Mel waved her hand dismissively. "Hardly. If anything it seemed to finally convince Todd to got back to ignore me like he used to, and for that I am very grateful."

Todd was kind of a child when it came to, well, everything. If he didn't get his way he pouted and fought to get what he wanted, but when he would finally realize he couldn't actually have it he would pretend he never wanted it in the first place. Such a sweet guy, Mel though sarcastically. How he ever actually managed to convince women to come home with him was a complete mystery to her. Sure he was cute, but certainly not worth the effort. It was kind of like Goldie. He was extremely good looking, but he practically had a sign above his head that say "I'll only sleep with you until I'm bored, and maybe not even then." Maybe if Mel was in the mindset of just sleeping with whatever cute guy showed up she would have been interested, but she actually wanted to know the guy she was with.

Remus seemed to finish eating his meal in a bit of a hurry, which Mel felt was completely her fault. She hadn't been hiding her anxiety since he told her there was something else he needed to talk to her about. Remus, being the sweet guy he was, probably saw how antsy she was and finished his meal so they could leave. Mel mentally kicked herself for being such an idiot.

"Remus we don't have to-" Mel began, trying to find some way to make amends for her transgretions, but Remus had already paid the bill and the bar tender had already taken the plate. Damn.

When Remus stood he grabbed his jacket. Mel dug through her purse and added her own money to the pile before joining him. Glancing up she saw his hand extended towards hers. Smiling, Mel slipped her hand into his. At least he hadn't run away.

"Ready to get out of here?"

"Sure," she replied, the guilty of causing him to leave sooner than he most likely would have liked still weighing on her. "Where to?" Mel wasn't exactly sure if Remus had any particular idea where they could go and talk. To be honest she never really trusted talking about private matters outside of her home or someone else's. In her time at the investigation department Mel had learn that trees, walls, and even the occasional animal had ears. Homes were more easily protected. Mel's was already sound proofed due to her neighbors' inability to shut up and quit throwing things at one another. However, she hesitated at the idea of inviting Remus back to her place. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. Hornball wasn't exactly the first word that came to mind when she thought of Remus, but she was concerned he would get the wrong impression of her.

Then the guilt settled in. If they went back to her place they could talk privately without concerns of anyone hearing, and she could finally make him slores. Even though she had left him a small package earlier she highly doubted he had had any time to eat it.

"If you don't have any where in mind we can always head to my place. It's just a couple blocks from here," Mel began, trying to sound as casual as humanly possible as they walked out of the Leaky Cauldron. "It's some place private, and I can finally make you a slore." If she acted like going back to her place wasn't a big deal then he, hopefully, wouldn't think she had worse intentions. Of course, now that she had thought about it Mel couldn't stop thinking about it. She needed to find a way to bleach her brain. Maybe she could come up with a spell or potion that would just temporarily wipe dirty thoughts from the user's mind...

Todd was leaving Melanie alone now? Good. He hated the thought that the other man could potentially continue to bother Melanie. Remus hoped that Todd’s ignoring behavior would be permanent. While Melanie had written Todd’s ploy off as obnoxious but harmless, he couldn’t help but be concerned the man had deviant intentions towards her. Melanie might be able to take care of herself, but there wasn’t much you could do if someone decided that they were going to put you under the Imperius curse or something equally as sinister.

As he finished his meal, Melanie remarked

He made a mental note that asking a girl to watch you eat was not a good date idea. If he got future dates with Melanie or any other girls, he wouldn’t suggest the Leaky Cauldron. It definitely made girls uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure why, but there were a lot of things about girls he didn’t understand. It was best to just…accept them and not ask questions.

Instead, he asked Melanie if she was ready to leave.

He didn’t quite have an answer to that one yet. His plan had been to spend the evening in the Leaky Cauldron, see Melanie home safely at a reasonable hour, and then go back to the safehouse and get some sleep. As they stepped outside, Remus tried to think of a place secluded but safe near the Leaky Cauldron. It was dark, so most of the parks were probably out. He didn’t want to have a serious conversation about his extracurricular activities out in the open where anyone could hear them, thus ruling out everything from pubs to sidewalk cafes. He couldn’t take Melanie back to the safehouse, either. Besides the embarrassing fact that he wasn’t actually supposed to sleep there tonight, there was also the Order’s secrecy to be concerned with. He trusted Melanie – well, he trusted her as much as he could, which was to say, a little bit – but trusting her with the Order meant involving other people. He couldn’t ask them to take that risk, no matter how he felt about the girl.

He wasn’t quite sure how to answer that one. If he said ‘yes,’ she might assume he was like Todd and interested in getting her into bed. If he said ‘no,’ she might assume that he was rejecting her. If he asked questions about her flat, it could send any number of signals that he didn’t mean to send. Remus concentrated on the part that he felt safe answering first. “You don’t need to make me a slore right now. I’m pretty full from dinner.” Okay. And that just left her flat. He was going to need to say something about that. “But we can go back to your flat. I’ll only stay for a few minutes. I know you have work tomorrow.” There. She couldn’t possibly read anything into that. Could she?

Girls needed to come with instruction manuals.