In Which Remus Lupin Is Late
And Harry Has Problems
A short story by The Red Haired One
Author's Note: So I decided a fic where Harry gets some fatherly advice on his...um...can it be failing if its already over? RELATIONSHIP, I'll say that, with Ginny was in order, and that's what I wrote!
Disclaimer: I own none of the know characters.
Dedication: To my dear friend, MagentaLives, who I wrote a get-well fic, and a birthday fic! I know you loved them, and I hope others do as well.
--------------------Remus Lupin was running late and no one would forgive him for missing this dinner. The last dinner Harry would be at for quite some time, he supposed. He grabbed his light jacket; it was still a bit chilly out even though it was July, and quickly closed his briefcase and stepped out of his flat, locking the door behind him.
Remus hastily checked for muggles and apparated to the Burrow, dusting himself off as he materialized at the new location. He seemed to be just at the beginning of the drive, and the ducks looked quite startled to have a new person just pop out of no where. Remus laughed to himself as he started down the drive heading towards the house, careful to watch for anymore late comers, dreading what confrontation between he and Molly would ensure once she found him and automatically knew he was late.
"Remus John Lupin!" Ah, and here he thought he might avoid it until he at least got to the house. "Where have you been?"
"Molly, you see…" he started, flustering for an excuse.
"Really, Remus, you have got to stop being late. I won't take that excuse you had about feeding your neighbor's cat like I did at the wedding." She warned, waving a particularly nasty looking wooden spoon at him. "So tell me, what held you up this time?"
He gave up trying to come up with a better lie than last time. Perhaps my mother's uncle's cousin's boyfriend's sister's aunt's dog died and I was morally required to go to the funeral given my canine relations? He thought to himself before finally resorting to the truth. "I…I fell asleep."
"You fell asleep?" She said, letting her waving arm go limp. "No distant relative's something-or-other's dog died?"
He choked back a shocked retort. "Um, no, can't say anything—or anyone—of my distant relatives have died lately. Although Uncle Alfred's goldfishes' mother's aunt, twice—"
"Just get in there. Harry's been waiting for you." Malloy said, motioning him into the house. Remus followed her into the house and left her for the living room, not daring the kitchen, where he found Fleur patting Bill as he listened to Minerva tell him of some kid who wanted to be a curse-breaker.
"…extremely talented child, no doubt about that," she said, taking a sip of something which looked alcoholic, "but I fear he doesn't have the heart for anything besides making googily eyes at all the seventh year Hufflepuff girls."
Fleur nodded, looking concerned. "It must be a 'errible loss for you, Professor."
"Oh yes, yes," McGonagall replied, dabbing her eyes with a scrap of something tartan. "Very terrible indeed."
Remus nodded at Bill, who seemed to be pleading to be let out of their clutches, and walked out of the living room, with all intents and purposes of going to the garden to admire the flowers.
"Professor?" A voice called out from the stairs, and he turned to see who it was.
"Harry," he said, surprised. "Why aren't you in the living room or in the garden with everyone else?"
Harry shrugged and looked at his trainers. "'Spose I didn't feel like it." He said, glancing up. "How was…you know…last night?"
"Ah. The full moon was like any other without the potion. Miserable." Remus said, trying his best to sound perky about it.
"…Right." Harry said, unsure of what to say, really.
"Harry, don't worry about me. You have bigger and much more terrible things to worry about than an older man turning into a flesh-eating wolf once a month. You have things like…girls to worry about." He said, trying to change it to a more upbeat topic.
"Actually, that's my whole problem," Harry said, sitting on a stair step. "Girls, they don't make sense!"
"Harry, my boy, girls are something else entirely which will take you your entire life to figure out."
"Yeah, but I don't have that long to figure this one out, and that's my problem. Ever since the funeral she's been all weird. I mean, we even talked about it and she's being weird!" He said, looking honestly confused.
"I can only presume that you are talking about the one and only Ginny Weasley?"
"Who else?"
"Hermione?"
"Urg. No. She's confusing too, but we're not talking about best-friend-girls."
"I see."
"It's just…she's so weird and its impossible to figure it out, because when I do ask her why she's all weird, she gets mad and storms away!"
Remus nodded and looked thoughtful. "Have you tried asking her about it in a calm and natural tone of voice?"
"Ye—no." Harry said, slightly abashed. "Every time we do get around to talking about it, we're usually screaming at each other about something stupid."
"Harry, Harry," Remus said, sitting next to him. "That was your father's downfall. He and Lily fought about everything. Including the curtains in the kitchen, if I do remember that one clearly. You're father wanted something masculine, you know, showing that he could cook. You're mother, knowing full well that even making a bowl of cereal was above your father's abilities wanted to make it her kitchen, and therefore wanted yellow curtains. I got stuck in the middle of that fight, and it lasted for days. But in the end they figured it out and got blue curtains instead."
"Um, no offense, but how does that help me?"
"Why, it teaches you not to fight over curtains, because if you do, I'm not letting anyone else stay at my flat."
"...thanks?"
"Harry, just…ask her about it and don't do it when you're mad at each other. Girls tend to interpret that question wrong when they're mad."
"Right."
"Oh, and Harry?" Remus said, as Harry got up from the stairs. "Good luck and don't get yourself blown up."
"Thanks," he said. "For everything, really…thanks. I'll write." And with that, Harry Potter went in search of Ginny Weasley, leaving Remus Lupin on the stairs, but not for long.
"Spreading your wisdom, professor?" A pink haired witch said, as she sat down next to him.
"Yes, Nymphadora, I think I am. I think he'll do fine."
"Me too," she said, as she cuddled up close to him. "Now, let's go get us some cake."