Work Text:
The only thing worse than dealing with the aftermath of the full moon was having a bloody cold. It was a Tuesday evening, and he had no desire to seek out Severus in order to prepare a Pepper-Up potion. Moreover, he and the potion master were at odds more than usual now that he suspected someone was helping Sirius into the castle.
Trudging down the pathway into Hogsmeade, Remus hoped that The Three Broomsticks wouldn't be that busy. He was hoping for a glass of firewhisky, a cup of hot tea, and a quiet place to do his marking away from students and other staff. Yesterday evening he'd been bombarded by students asking questions about essays and Flitwick just wanting to chat for hours on end. With how he felt, Remus just wanted a moment of peace.
He pushed open the door to the local pub and sighed with relief at finding it nearly empty. Undoing his scarf, Remus made his way to the bar and took a seat. Rosmerta, the barkeep, was finishing serving another patron. She gave him a wink and then strolled down toward Remus with a grand smile.
"Hey there, stranger," Rosmerta greeted, leaning forward on one arm. "It's been a while since you've come down here on your own."
Remus sniffed and then shrugged. "Being a professor tends to keep me busy, especially with everything going on up at the castle right now," he explained. He took out his handkerchief, used it to cover his sneeze, and then wiped his nose.
Rosmerta's eyes went wide. "Oh dear," she said, leaning back. "You caught the dreaded cold that's been rampaging through the town."
"The school is afflicted as well," Remus explained, tucking the handkerchief away. "I was hoping you could make me a hot tea and put a shot of firewhisky in it to sip on while I do some marking."
"I can certainly brew that up for you, Remus," she told him, immediately turning to get to work on his beverage of choice for the night. As she prepped his tea, she added, "Why don't you head over to the corner, and I'll bring this over for you?"
"You're very kind, Rosmerta," Remus said, slipping from the barstool. "I ought to buy you a drink sometime."
"I think I'd like that," she countered, throwing him a wink over her shoulder.
Remus grinned to himself, having always had a soft spot for the witch who ran The Three Broomsticks. He would love to have a drink and converse with her away from this pub and the prying eyes of everyone else. However, it'd been quite some time since he'd had any romantic involvement, and Rosmerta was exactly his type. Intelligent, quick-witted, and beautiful in her way, Rosmerta was the kind of witch he could see falling for someday.
Sitting down, Remus immediately started marking essays from the fourth-year classes. He was well into the second essay when Rosmerta brought over his drink and a bowl of steaming hot stew as well. When he objected, she silenced him and insisted he needed to eat or would never get well.
"Thank you," he told her, then tucked into his meal. Even though his cold was still causing discomfort, Rosmerta was undoubtedly doing a grand job of making him feel better. As he worked, he couldn't help glancing her way from time to time. Every now and then, she would catch his eye and smile warmly.
After closing, Rosmerta came over and sat down across from Remus. "Look, I know this is a bit forward of me, but why don't you come upstairs? That makeshift hot-toddy isn't going to get rid of that cold," she said, reaching out to pat his hand. "I have some Pepper-Up potion in my private stock that you can have."
"I'm sure you're saving that in case you get sick," Remus said, not wanting to put her out more than he felt he already had tonight. Nevertheless, he stayed far later than initially intended because he wanted to spend time in her presence.
"It is," Rosmerta began, "but I can always brew more." She gave him a warm smile. "What do you say?"
"Okay," he agreed, standing and tucking his completed work into his case and snapping it shut.
Rosmerta led the way up to her private quarters above the pub, turning off lights and locking doors as they went. Once they were in her room, she turned and took the case from Remus. "Sit down on the bed," Rosmerta told Remus and then went to her potion storage trunk. She rummaged a moment and then brought a small vial for him. "Here, take this and then lay down. You can stay here for the night."
Remus took the vial but shook his head at her other suggestion. "I couldn't possibly put you out like that. Where will you sleep?"
"I have a pull-out sofa," she told him, waving away his concern. "It's far too cold and late for you to be trekking back to the castle. You're welcome here for the night."
Sighing but knowing there was no arguing with the witch, Remus relented. "Okay, fine. Thank you so much, Rosmerta. I truly owe you for this kindness."
"I will hold you to it," she said and gently touched his hand, pushing the vial closer. "Take that. Go on."
Chuckling, Remus took the potion, cringing when the steam came out of his ears. It always left him feeling a bit lopsided, but he did feel relief almost immediately as well. "That's better already," he told Rosmerta, handing over the empty vial.
"Let's get you settled in," she told Remus, setting aside the vial.
Together, they got him out of his clothes, leaving him in his boxers and undershirt. He crawled under the blankets and sighed at the comfort of her bed. "You could stay in the bed, too," Remus suggested, pulling the blanket over himself. Part of him wanted her to stay, but the sane part of him knew that he was too tired for much of anything.
"I could," Rosmerta agreed, sitting on the edge of the bed and smoothing the covers over him. "But I think that would be best done when you're feeling more yourself. Don't you agree?"
"You're right, of course," Remus said and then yawned, already feeling sleepy. "Tonight I will have to sleep alone…."
"You will endure, and so will I. Rest up," Rosmerta told Remus, gently smoothing back his hair. She leaned over and kissed his forehead, smiling when he sighed contentedly in his sleepy state. "When you're well again, we can have that drink you promised me."
"It's a date," Remus said, rolling onto his side and causing Rosmerta to giggle.
"Indeed it is," she said, unable to keep from grinning.
Standing from the edge of the bed, she walked to the door and opened it quietly. Then, with a final glance at Remus, she left him to rest and returned to the pub downstairs. Remus would sleep for most of the night and then have to return to the castle in the morning. She was, however, hopeful of what the future had in store for them. Tonight revealed that there was more to the professor's frequent visits to the pub than she initially thought, and she couldn't wait to find out what that was.