Disclaimer: All characters and events belong to J.K Rowling
Remus was extremely nervous.
He had no idea why he was doing this, and what he was thinking, but he would not back out now or his friends would never let him forget his cowardice when or if he met them again.
He and Dora had returned from a mission only two hours ago and had just got cleaned up and now they were sitting in the park close to the Headquarters. It was the middle of the night, but tonight luckily had no moon, so Remus only felt peace under the night sky. Or he would have, if he hadn't been so damn nervous. He wondered if James had felt like this before… no, hardly. James hadn't been a monster. James hadn't had any reason to be nervous because everyone knew what the answer would be.
Dora had been pointing out some constellations on the sky and had just showed the Andromeda Galaxy when she began to look strangely at him.
"Something's wrong?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and Remus swallowed and shook his head.
"No! No, nothing is wrong." He said before taking a deep breath. Just get over with it. The worst that can happen is… no, don't go there. "Dora… I know we haven't been together that long, and I know that I am in no way deserving of you…" She opened her mouth to argue, looking angry as she always did when he said something like that but he continued before she could get a word out "…but I love you, so much, more than I thought I could love anyone, and it is likely that we haven't got that much time left, so…"
Once again he took a deep breath and took out a box from his pocket before standing up from the bench, ignoring her confused look, and went down on one knee.
He heard her gasp and only hoped it wasn't a sound of disgust or something like that. Remus closed his eyes before opening them at the same time as he opened the box, revealing a golden ring with a simple diamond on it. It was the most expensive thing he owned and the only thing he had refused to sell even when times had been so bad that he hardly had food to eat during long times, and had to sleep on the street since he hadn't been able to pay the rent or got thrown out when the landlord/lady found out about his lycanthropy. It had been his mother's and he had got to inherit it when she died when he was seventeen.
"Would you do me the honour of being my wife? Will you marry me, Dora?"
Her eyes, which were orange at the moment, grew wide and for the first time ever she seemed speechless, which was really odd. But after a short moment she flew on her feet and threw herself on him, knocking him to the ground.
"Yes, yes! Oh, by Merlin, yes!" She screamed, her hair turning deep red.
Remus began to laugh of relief where he was lying on the ground. It was cold, but he didn't care. He took her hand and carefully put the ring on the left ring finger.
He felt her hands caress his cheeks where he was lying on the ground with her on him and smiled as he felt her lips on his. His fiancée's lips.
There she came. Remus smiled wider than he had known he could as she saw her. Her hair was even brighter pink than usual, brighter than he had ever seen it be, and was a strong contrast to her white dress. It was the first time he saw her in a dress, actually. And her face… her smile was so big and her eyes shone so bright so he felt like he would die out of pure happiness. Dora, his Dora. His soon-to-be wife. Remus had no idea what he ever could have done to deserve someone like her. He knew he didn't. She was so wonderful, so intelligent, so beautiful, so… Dora, and him were too old, too poor, too dangerous. He was a werewolf. Of course he didn't deserve her. But he had tried to avoid loving her, he had tried to avoid her loving him, and he had tried to keep distance. It hadn't worked. Dora was so stubborn, she hadn't accepted his self-hate. He had been forced to give up, even though he had to admit that he probably hadn't fought back as much as he should. But what could he do? He might be selfish, but he loved her so much. He didn't want anything more than to spend the rest of his (probably short) life together with her, even though it wasn't the right thing to do. But this time he didn't care. To hell with doing 'the right thing'.
He knew he looked shabby, he always looked shabby, even in the dress robes he had borrowed from Kingsley since he didn't have money to buy his own and he refused loans or charity. But the way she looked at him… he felt invincible, he felt like the most handsome man in the world and he felt like everything was perfect. No war, no lycanthropy, no lost friends or family. Everything was perfect.
She looked so lovely with her pink hair and wonderful eyes, which was purple for the moment. Remus couldn't do anything but smile and beam as she walked toward the aisle where they were to be wed.
She beamed back at him when she reached the aisle and walked up to stand in front of him. Remus had to fight back the urge to bow down and kiss her right that this moment.
She was his sun and his stars and his centre of gravity.
The ceremony happened quickly. Remus and Dora both said their vows and didn't stop smiling one single time.
"I do." Remus said, sounding breathless.
"I do." Dora repeated after a short amount of time. Remus almost felt the urge to shout out in happiness. He had known it was paranoia, but until this moment, he hadn't entirely dared to realize that Dora was his and he was her's.
"You may now kiss the bride." The priest said and Remus bowed down, but Dora was quicker and quickly pressed her own lips toward his. Applause arose from the audience but neither noticed as she took his face in her hands and he put his arms around her waist. Dora was his. Dora was his wife. He was her's and he was her husband. It was real, it was true and it was a fact. They belonged together now, for the rest of their lives.
Remus knew he would do anything to protect her. He would without a thought die for her. He had already gotten all the happiness he could ever wish for, more than he ever deserved. And she had given him so much of it.
"Stop thinking so much." Dora muttered to him as they parted. Remus blinked in surprise and she grinned slightly. "You're overthinking things again. Live in the moment for a while, Wolfie."
Remus snorted and blushed slightly at the nickname, she gave the most ridiculous ones – Dora was even worse than James and Sirius, which didn't say a little – but only felt another spark of love. She could call him whatever she wanted, and he would love it, he knew. He nodded.
"You're right."
"Of course I am. I'm your wife." She whispered back as they turned toward their guests.
Remus bowed down and kissed her again.
"I love you."
She smiled with happiness.
"I would hope so since we just got married." She answered teasingly but her eyes told just how glad she was to hear it, even if he told her so much constantly. He supposed that was one of the things you never got tired of hearing, and knew it by personal experience. "I love you too."
Remus felt his heart swell of joy. Dora Lupin. That was the most beautiful name he had ever heard.
He sat down in the chair next to the bed. Dora looked exhausted, but had an almost blissful look on her face as she looked up at him and then down to the bundle in her arms. Remus felt his heart grown even bigger as he watched the two persons in the bed. He wished James and Lily and Sirius had been here, how much they would've teased him, he who never even dared of getting married and even less of being a father, but he refused to let any sad thoughts burden him or his family today.
Dora smiled as she hugged the bundle one more time before reaching out with her arms, urging him to take it. He swallowed nervously, he hadn't held a baby since Harry was one and didn't usually hold even baby Harry, he had been too afraid of dropping him, but took it. The smell of new-born almost overwhelmed him, it smelled so wonderful and seemed to heal some of the wounds in his soul, especially as he looked down at the little one he held in his arms. His son. His child. He was a father. Suddenly Remus felt the urge to laugh but pressed it down, not wanting to scare the little human in his arms that was sleeping so soundly, giving away a small snore now and then.
"Isn't he beautiful?" Dora whispered, sounding tired but happy, and he nodded, unable to form any words. He was overwhelmed with the love he felt for this little thing. It was unlike anything he had felt before, perhaps even bigger than his love for Dora and his friends, his fellow Marauders. He knew that this was something precious, something that had to be protected with every price. He knew there wasn't anything in the world he wouldn't do for the child that was sleeping in his arms, or for his mother. He wordlessly bowed his head and kissed the child's forehead, upon which he stirred and opened his eyes. They were perfect copies of Remus' own. He also had the same hair colour as him.
"He looks exactly like his father." Dora said and smiled toward said father, tilting her head up for a kiss. Remus gladly obliged.
As they both looked at the baby again they got a shock. Suddenly the little hair he has on his head turned bright turquoise. Remus almost dropped the baby but then smiled tenderly.
"And it seems like he's a metamorphmagus like his mother."
He felt her take his hand and felt his heart slow down slightly. He didn't want her to be there, she should be safe at home with Teddy, but he knew that she would never. He couldn't understand why he had expected her to stay at home when he always had known that Dora was not someone to ever back out of a battle, especially since he was there. They watched in horror as the Death Eaters' spell rained over the protective barrier.
"I love you." He said quietly and her eyes broke contact with the barrier to look at him.
"I love you too." Remus knew she knew that there was no reason to tell him 'not to say so'. The chance that they both would be alive to see the morning was very slight, and they both accepted it. They had something to fight for, and they were together. That was all that really mattered. If they died, they would die to give their son, and Harry, and everyone else, a better future without Voldemort.
He squeezed her hand and bowed down for a quick kiss, perhaps their last. Not even her lips took away the knowledge about that they stood waiting for a battle, hopefully the Last Battle. Their hope lied with Harry now.
Dora's hair was still pink, but not nearly as bright as it usually was. More of a dull pink that would not make her as visible in the chaos that would come. And for that he was grateful. He didn't care much if he died, not for himself. Only for the pain he knew it would cause his family. For the first time in years he knew people would care if he died.
They watched as the barrier began to ripple before breaking and suddenly it was no more. The Death Eaters and their army rushed forward toward the Hogwarts castle yard. The battle surrounded them. Back against back, he and Dora fought their way through the yard, doing their best to protect each other. Screams echoed around them and in the distance he heard something resembling a howl. He knew instinctively that it was Greyback. Perhaps he would've tried to hunt him down a few years ago, but protecting Dora was much more important.
The battle was eternity long and he felt sweat run down his face. But he never stopped casting spells and curses, and every time he felt like he was going into something resembling panic, he would feel Dora behind his back or hear her voice shouting an incantation, and he would keep going. For Dora, for Teddy, for Harry, for his dead friends and for everyone out there who wouldn't have to live in a world ruled by Voldemort, not if he or Dora had a say in it.
In his last moments he heard a fear filled high-pitched voice screaming his name and a flash of pink before the green light surrounded him. He would miss Dora, Teddy, Harry, everyone, so much, and more importantly, they would miss him and he didn't want them to suffer, to be sad, but finally he would get to reunite with his friends and family. It was selfish of him, but just before the Killing Curse hit him he felt his mouth curl into a small, small smile of relief. No more pain, at last.
A Moony and his Dora-story. Or a Dora and her Moony. But I suppose the first, since Remus was the POV-character.
I haven't written adult Remus so much, and except the slightly altered Dora in A New Life I've never written her before, so I hope I did well, but I'm not so sure.
Oh well. Only eight more days and then summer holidays! Hooray! And only four more school-days. :D
Have a good summer, everyone (or whichever season it happens be where you live)! ❀◕ ‿ ◕❀
