Drabbly. Oneshot. Sprung out of my current craving for chocolate.
As always, JKR owns, as much I might wish I did.
Remus Lupin woke up suddenly from a very vivid dream where he had been fighting the Whomping Willow for control over the color of his hair. I am under far too much stress these days. What time is it anyway? He rolled over the to the side of his bed and looked at the small clock. Five in the morning. Brilliant. Now I'll never be able to get back to sleep. He always had trouble, see, waking up in the middle of the night and then trying to sleep again. Sirius used to tease him for it. Said it was one of Remus' only weaknesses. Then Remus started to wake him up every time he woke up in the middle of the night. Sirius learned to stop after three or four years. He admitted that it wasn't a weakness, then.
"Padfoot," Remus cried in anguish. A year later, and the death of his last remaining best friend still pierced him like the sword of Gryffindor. I am the last Marauder, he thought morosely. In a way, he was correct. Peter was long gone before any of us ever suspected, taking Prongs, and Padfoot, for the time, with him. Then I got Padfoot back, only to lose him again. I am the last Marauder. Now he practically danced on Sirius' metaphorical grave (he didn't have one, of course) by constantly turning away from the only person who had loved him as his friends had. But grief, no, that was not a weakness. That was a sign of strength. A sign of great, great friendship. One marred by devastating loss.
Would Sirius be happy for him? Yes. Of course he would. He picked up the signs before anyone else did, before I even had. Padfoot would have wanted me to say yes. To not turn her away. But he had to. He was dangerous, and poor, and too old. And she knew it. And she didn't care. Merlin, I need chocolate right now.
He walked all the five steps it took to get to his small kitchen, opened the fridge, and stared in horror. There was a bowl of half eaten cereal, an apple he took what looked like one bite out of, and a loaf of bread. But no chocolate. How was it possible, that he, Remus John Lupin, had not even a little bit of chocolate in his fridge? Well. It's not too early, he thought, glancing at the clock. Five fifteen. Honeydukes opened fifteen minutes ago. If he put on some robes, apparated to Hogsmeade, bought the chocolate, and came back, he could be back in bed eating it before six.
And he was off. In five minutes he was walking into the shop, with nothing in mind but finding his favorite flavor. Not even his depressing thoughts on ruined friendships or ruined chances at love could find him here. Not here, so near the place where they had so many adventures. Especially, not here, where he had convinced Sirius to leave money whenever he took sweets from the store room. No. There were no thoughts of Sirius or any of his relatives while Remus scampered about Honeydukes.
Then he saw it. There was no chocolate. No, this cannot be. There is always chocolate at Honeydukes. But alas, there was none. I will not go to pieces over sweets. He was told by a sullen store clerk that they were not due for another shipment until much later that day. Not until at least ten. Dejected, Remus walked up the street, and stopped at the oh-so-familiar house. If only life were that simple again. Everything seemed to be going wrong these days. He just couldn't make things right.
He apparated home, and walked to his room to go back to sleep. No order business, no work, not today at least. Nothing. On his pillow, lay a box of chocolate, and a note.
I was on patrol in Hogsmeade last night, and stopped at Honeydukes. This was the last box,
your favorite flavor. Always remember that I don't care, and that I love you. Enjoy Remus. –Tonks
Your only weakness. And he was not, for once, thinking about the chocolate.
Cheesy? Good? So-So? tell me.
