Winter's Wonder

It was really the most unexpected thing that could happen, Remus thought. If anyone knew what went on in his life… well, if it were ever put in a book, people would class it as a work of fiction.

Except no one had ever, or would ever, write a love story between a werewolf and a poltergeist. The werewolf… perhaps someone might see the romantic attraction a Dark Creature held. Certainly there had been biography's written on werewolves where love or romance had been involved. Remus had read Hairy Snout, Human Heart, and had been completely impressed with the amount of suffering the man in the story went through (so much so that he had to wonder if some of it was fabricated). But love and a poltergeist… now that was just unusual.

Even when he thought about it, Remus had trouble comprehending their relationship. Before he'd come to teach at Hogwarts, he would have said Peeves was a nuisance (although a nuisance that he could relate to, having been a Marauder). In his school years, Peeves had done nothing but cause mischief and mayhem, and little had changed since then. His pranks had only been funny half the time; the rest had been rather cruel. And if you'd ever asked Remus if he could possibly imagine himself falling in love with the poltergeist, he would have referred you to St. Mungo's.

But that was before, and this was now.

Now, everything had changed. Remus had loved and lost, and been broken for so long that he'd almost lost track of the years. Almost, but not quite.

When Sirius had betrayed James and Lily - had betrayed him - he'd been left with nothing. No home; no love; and no means of supporting himself. It had taken Remus twelve years, but now he was getting it all back… of sorts. He had Hogwarts; he had his teaching job. And he had Peeves.

Once upon a time, a long time ago, before his life had gone so badly wrong that he'd had to question everything about himself and the world he was in, he'd have believed that his own status was above that of a mere poltergeist. That wasn't saying much - he was a werewolf, after all - but it was saying something. He'd been a Dark Creature, but only for one night a month. He'd been a Hogwarts student, and felt like a human being.

He'd also been a hypocrite. He hadn't been any better than the poltergeist, just better at blending in.

It had taken him a while to work out that all Peeves was guilty of was following his nature. He was, first and foremost, a poltergeist, and did what any and every other poltergeist did - cause trouble. But other than that, Peeves was as much a person as any student sitting down to breakfast in the Great Hall.

So how had it happened? Well, that's a good question, but not one Remus was certain he could answer. All he knew now was that after twelve years on his own he had someone whom he could love and would love him back.

He gazed out the window, watching the snow fall gently to the ground. The fluffy flakes were deceptive, he knew. They looked as innocent as cotton wool, but they were cold; so cold that when they fell on bare skin they felt like someone was piercing you with a knife. Or, at least, that's what it felt like to him.

He'd liked winter once when he was younger. Winter had meant ice skating, snowmen and snow fights. It hadn't mattered back then how cold it was; he'd had friends who'd gently tease him about his twenty layers of clothing, but they didn't really go further than to make fun of him. It wasn't mocking; it was because they found it endearing. And it had been as though their friendship had been its own impenetrable shield - the Marauders had kept out the cold with sheer smiles alone.

But after the war, winter had taken on a harsher note. Snow wasn't so fun when he had no place to hide from it. The cold wasn't so bearable when there weren't enough coins in his pocket for warm clothing.

It wasn't so enjoyable when he was alone.

He looked up from the window that he was gazing out of, not because he was tired of the sight, but because he'd heard a quiet noise. A small smile graced his face when he caught sight of Peeves, who was hovering nervously at the door. He still looked unsure of himself when he was around Remus - something the werewolf found rather endearing.

"Would those students I hear yelling in the corridors be your fault?" Remus asked with a smile.

Peeves looked less nervous for a moment as he answered gleefully, "They didn't like the mud." Remus laughed, mostly because Peeves was laughing.

The poltergeist came and sat beside him, not touching him, not talking, but just sitting there. The quiet was a little eerie… it wasn't something anyone would expect from Peeves. But Remus supposed it made a bit of sense. After all, in every person there were traits that the public eye never saw; private actions and hidden emotions that were reserved for only the closest people. Living things were more than cardboard cut-outs, regardless of whether they were a poltergeist or not.

Sometimes when he thought about him and Peeves, they just seemed too different. But in a way, that was what made them perfect. Sometimes he wondered whether he loved Peeves just because the poltergeist was the only one who'd have him now. Sometimes he wondered if it even mattered. But then he'd remember how long it had taken to penetrate the poltergeist's shield of jokes and trickery, and how he'd trusted his heart to Peeves, and he knew that there was more to it than that.

He didn't know how this was going to work - or how it was managing to work already, in fact. But it was and, as he looked out upon the vast expanse of snow covering the grounds, he was glad that Peeves was with him.

Winter would never be as fun as it once had been, but with someone at his side it was bearable.

And that was something, at least.

A/N: This was a nightmare to write. Honestly. That's why Peeves is really out of character. If you ever get the urge to write a pairing that involves Peeves, then you'll see what I mean.

Written for the Four Season's challenge. Please review!