Something Different
Anneliese Armstrong always knew there was something different about him. He wasn't like James or Sirius, who constantly joked around. No, Remus Lupin was serious, as well as in his studies. Not only serious, but mysterious.
She had known him since their first year at Hogwarts, a school for Witchcraft and Wizardry. They were placed in the house of Gryffindor, a house for the brave. He was the first person to ever befriend her, when he offered to walk to the common room with her. After him was of course her best friend, Lily Evans.
There were certain times when she had seen him unwell or absent. Whenever she asked one of his friends, they would dismiss her question by saying that it was the flu or he had to visit his sick mother, but she was never convinced. They were secretive and she didn't like it.
Her infatuation with him began when he first invited her to study with him. She noticed how his sandy hair was parted to the side perfectly. They became a bit closer since then, and it was now their last year at Hogwarts.
Despite them being closer, he was still vague. She told him about her family; her mother was a muggle and her father was pureblood. She shared opinions with him, experiences, but never once had he told her about himself. There were times she didn't mind, but there were also times when she got upset. This mystery thing was getting annoying. 'What is it that makes him like this? Why won't he tell me more about himself?' these thoughts were driving her crazy.One day, she asked for Lily's opinionabout Remus, and that was how Anneliese's secret came out; Lily had figured it out. Frustrated, Anneliese begged Lily not to tell anyone, and Lily swore not to tell anyone about her crush on Remus.
Lily, Anneliese, Remus and Sirius were sitting in the common room. Lily was playing with Anneliese's black hair. Anneliese noticed that Remus' eyes squinted in determination as he read his book about History of Magic. She smiled to herself; she had read the book.
"A wonderful book!" She exclaimed as Remus stopped reading and looked at her.
He smiled at her and said "You're right, it is."
"What's so interesting about 'History of Magic'?" Sirius jeered at her.
"We happen to find it fascinating, Sirius. You disliking it is another thing." Remus defended her. Anneliese's eyebrows shot up; he was defending her, respecting her interests. He was telling off his friend for her.
James Potter came down from his room and asked "What's fascinating?"
"History of Magic." Remus replied before James snorted and replied "That's rubbish!"
But when he saw that Lily was there, he changed his answer to "Oh, uhh…It's pretty interesting actually!" Sirius howled with laughter; James has been trying to impress Lily throughout the year so she would finally agree to go out on a date with him. Lily snickered and shook her head; who was he kidding?
After a few days, Anneliese noticed that Remus didn't come to classes; he was sick again. She thought that maybe it was like the other times and decided to pay him a visit during her free period.
"He's sick again", she whispered to Lily during lunch.
"What do you want to do?" She whispered back. Anneliese took a bite from her salad.
After she swallowed, she answered "I want to visit him."
Lily's bright green eyes widened before saying "Oh no, I don't think you should do that." Anneliese sighed; she knew Lily would say that.
"I'm getting tired of the 'flu' thing! I want to know what's going on." She whispered harshly to Lily.
Lily's face softened and nodded. "Alright, alright. Go quickly before they go up to his room." She whispered, cocking her head to the Marauders' direction.
"What if they leave?" Anneliese asked worriedly.
"Do you not trust me? I'll handle it. Go." They shared a quick smile and Anneliese got up.
She gave Lily a kiss on the cheek "Thank you!" and ran off to see Remus.
The Gryffindor portrait door swung open as she entered the common room. It closed after her and she went up to the boys' dormitories. She looked around to see many closed doors. As soon as she saw his name on one of the door signs, she opened it. She saw him lying down in his bed, sleeping. She quietly walked over to his bed and saw several magazines on his drawer chest. She looked to her left and opened the white chiffon curtain to reveal the Quidditch pitch. She gasped; she felt a cold hand touch hers. She turned to see Remus smiling at her.
"You're awake." She smiled.
"The smell of your perfume woke me up." Remus said.
She chuckled "Is it that smelly?"
Remus shook his head. "It's alluring." He replied. She felt a blush creeping across her cheeks.
"Why are you here?" he asked her curiously.
"I wanted to see how you were feeling." She answered. Remus looked to his right and patted on the small space beside him.
She sat beside him and asked "What's wrong?"
He shook his head "Just a bit tired."
She shook her head "No. You're pale, you're barely eating, and you're not in classes. What is it?" Anneliese inquired.
Remus sat up slowly in his bed and answered "I can't tell you."
"I can trust you, but you can't trust me? Then what's the point in being friends?" She asked angrily. Remus was about to say something when she cut him off "I know it's not the flu, so stop telling your friends to lie. I know you're at school when you're supposedly 'at your mother's'. All I wanted to know was what's wrong with you. This isn't the first time this has happened."
"And it won't be the last." Remus said sadly.
She placed her hand on his cheek "What is it?" she asked again, but gently.
Remus placed his hand on hers and said "I can't tell you. I wouldn't dare hurt you."
Anneliese took off her hand and got up from his bed "Then there's nothing left for us to talk about." She left the room, leaving him upset and defeated.
She stormed off to the Potions class. She sat beside Lily angrily.
"What happened?" Lily asked.
Anneliese looked at her, tears falling from her eyes "I got mad at him; he wouldn't tell me what's going on."
"Would you like to know how I distracted Potter?" Lily smirked.
"He knew I was going to go see him?"
Lily nodded and went on "Yeah well, he had a hunch. I kissed him so he wouldn't go after you, so you owe me one."
"What?! Did you really?" Anneliese shrieked and wiped her tears.
"Yeah, and to tell you the truth, it wasn't so bad." Lily confessed, blushing slightly.
"Oh Merlin, don't tell me you're starting to like him." Anneliese groaned; was this the end of Lily's hatred towards him?
"No, no, I still hate him of course, but there's something different about him this year…" Lily said, as if trying to convince herself. Anneliese turned around to see Sirius high-fiving a grinning James.
"Yeah, different…" She mumbled.
The next day, Remus hadn't come back to classes. She was mad at him and yet worried; after all, she still liked the guy. She kept herself busy by taking notes and talking to Lily. She also noticed that James, Sirius and Peter huddled and whispered to each other; something was definitely going on.
"Haven't you noticed the flying notes during Charms?" Anneliese asked Lily during dinner.
Lily tucked her fiery hair behind her ears "What notes?"
"Potter and Black were writing to each other frantically about something. I think something's going on tonight."
"That's absurd! Potter is patrolling with me tonight." Lily said certainly.
"Is he? I thought he said he couldn't because he has detention." Anneliese said as she raised her eyebrow.
Lily pondered before saying "You're right, I forgot about that. It's not the first time this has happened."
"I want to follow them." Anneliese suggested.
"Are you mad?!" Lily shouted.
"Shh!" Anneliese silenced her friend. "Just think about it."
"Alright." Lily sighed.
After dinner, the girls took their showers and got dressed in their pajamas. They dried their hair with a drying spell and sat on Lily's bed.
"I'm not letting you go on your own, you realize that." Lily stated.
"Fine. I guess I would probably need help." Anneliese muttered as Lily grinned. They heard James and Sirius shout in the common room. The girls smirked at each other
"Let the games begin." Lily said.
They quickly went downstairs only to see the common room empty "Oh no!" Anneliese whispered. They saw the portrait door closing and they ran out quickly after them.
The girls hid behind walls or statues so the boys wouldn't see them. While hiding from them, Anneliese saw Remus' pale face and her heart ached; she had never seen him like this before. They looked around them and saw that they were far away from the castle.
"I can't believe how easily we got out." Anneliese said before chuckling.
"We do need to be careful. How did we get there?" Lily asked. They found themselves near the Shrieking Shack. They hid behind a huge tree when James pulled out a cloak and pulled it over the boys, causing them to disappear.
"He has an invisibility cloak?!" Lily whispered in shock. Anneliese was equally stunned. Now how they were supposed to find them?
Anneliese watched the Shrieking Shack intently. Her bright brown eyes widened when she saw a door move unexpectedly "There they are!" She whispered to Lily.
Lily tuned to look at the door and gasped. "Let's go!" They pulled out their wands and went after them.
"I-it's haunted, you know." Lily stuttered in fear.
"No, it's not! That's rubbish!" Anneliese denied. They screamed when they saw a huge black dog growling at them. It snarled at them, flashing its white teeth. They quickly ran downstairs.
"Let's split up and look for Remus." Anneliese suggested.
"Okay. If you're in trouble, send red sparks." Lily said.
"Likewise." After they have agreed, Lily walked around the first floor and Anneliese took the second.
Relieved that she hadn't seen the dog yet, Anneliese walked around with her wand producing a white light. In one of the rooms, she heard groaning. She opened the door cautiously to reveal someone curled up at the corner of the room.
"Don't come any closer!" He bellowed, causing Anneliese to wince. She inspected his pale figure and his head was lowered.
"Remus?" she asked in voice a little above a whisper.
His head shot up to see her. "No! What are you doing here?! Get out!" Remus yelled furiously.
He got up from where he sat down and breathed quickly. Anneliese noticed he was half naked; she couldn't help looking at his pale but toned figure.
"I said, 'Get out!' I don't want to hurt you, Anneliese." Remus' voice softened.
"I'm not going anywhere." She said simply.
Remus clutched his chest in pain and let out a cry of pain "Go! Now!" he roared as she heard a few cracks coming from his back.
Anneliese let out a gasp; this was familiar to her. This was what was happening to Remus.
He became distinctively hairier and he roared "Is this what you wanted to see?! To see me become a monster?!"
"I never thought of you as a monster." She let out a sob. She never expected him to be a werewolf, but on the other hand, it hit home; every month this would happen, every full moon.
"Oh, of course you didn't. Who would think of dear ol' Remus as a beast? How would you know about this?" Remus sneered.
"You never tell me anything! I thought I was your friend!" Anneliese bellowed uncharacteristically, causing Remus to cringe.
"I want more than that, but I can't. I can't bear the fact that I might hurt you." He said softly, while wincing in pain.
"You won't."
After a slight pause, Remus said "I want you and Lily to get out of here. Now." He ordered her.
"How did you-?"
"Sirius was the dog."
Anneliese's eyes widened "They're Animaguses!" She exclaimed.
"I'll explain everything when the time comes, now leave!" Remus screamed in pain. Anneliese quickly ran out of the room.
She went downstairs to look for Lily. Suddenly, something caught her eye: red lights. "Lily!" She cried as she ran to the direction. It was at another room where she saw Lily with a stag. Anneliese pulled out her wand at the stag. "Don't hurt it!" Lily yelled.
Anneliese turned around to look at her "So why did you send sparks? I thought something happened to you." She said worriedly.
There was a pause when Anneliese said in a low voice "I know his secret. We have to get out of here." The stag let out a soft cry and cocked its head to the open door. The girls left the Shrieking Shack.
They quickly went back the same path they took and arrived at Hogwarts, undetected. They arrived at the common room. They slumped down on the couch and caught their breath.
"What was his secret, Anne?" Lily asked.
"He's a werewolf, like my father." Anneliese confessed sadly.
Lily gasped "Did he tell you or-?"
"I saw him struggling with the transformation. He screamed at me to get out and leave the shack. He knew you came with me." Anneliese cut her off.
"How? Do you know?" Lily asked. Anneliese told her. After that, they unexpectedly fell asleep on the couch.
The next day was Saturday. The girls woke up unexpectedly when they heard a noise. Peter was digging in a bag of chips, but as he saw the glaring girls, he apologized and ran up to his room.
"I can't go back to sleep anyway." Anneliese mumbled.
Lily yawned. "I think I will. Can you wake me up for lunch?" Lily asked and Anneliese nodded. Lily went up to their room, leaving Anneliese with her thoughts.
She couldn't stop thinking about last night. She was frightened when she saw him crawling and screaming in pain. She could only imagine the pain he went through every full moon. She went up to her and Lily's room to take a shower and brush her teeth. As she came back to the common room, she dried her hair with a drying spell and exited the room. She had to see Remus.
Pushing slightly the door, she had checked to see if Madam Pomfrey was around. Seeing that the coast was clear, she entered the Hospital Wing and spotted Remus. She winced when she saw him; his face was bruised and his cheeks had nasty cuts on them, which Madam Pomfrey took care of. His buttoned up hospital shirt revealed a bruised chest, covered with purple marks. She grabbed a chair and sat beside his bed. She watched him as his chest went up and down. She placed her left arm on his bed as she held her head in her hand. She was still tired from yesterday and that position was convenient for her to take a nap.
He opened his eyes; he was at the Wing. He felt something tickling his left knee; Anneliese's fingers moved away from his knee and were now in her hair. She must have come to visit him and fell asleep, he assumed. Her head was placed on a small space next to his self. He took his chance to gaze at her face; her creamy skin radiated as the sun penetrated the room, her full red lips were open and shaped in an 'o' and he could've sworn he heard her snore a bit just now. He chuckled softly to himself as she stirred in her sleep.
"What's so funny?" he heard her mumble. He was alarmed; he hadn't meant to wake her up from her slumber.
"I apologize, I didn't mean to wake you." Remus apologized as she slowly straightened up and stretched.
"It's alright. It's good to see you awake." Anneliese gave him a weak smile.
After a few moments of silence, he asked "Are you still mad at me?"
She looked at him before answering; she understood why he hid his lycanthropy but she was mad he hid it from her.
"It seems you can't trust me. I would never tell anyone. It's not my secret to share. I'm sorry Lily and I snuck up on you, you have every right to be mad at us. Yes, I'm still mad at you, but I understand why you're hiding it." After listening to her, Remus asked for a glass of water.
She poured him a glass and gave it to him. "Thank you. Now it's your turn to listen. I forgive you. I know we've grown closer the last two years, but I felt I couldn't tell you because I didn't want your sympathy. I didn't want your sad looks or any consolation. I also couldn't tell you because I can't let you in my life. It's far too dangerous!" He said the last sentence sternly as he saw her protest.
"However, in my dreams, I see myself with you. I see us happy together. I'm stuck between my dreams and my reality, see? I would never forgive myself if I hurt you. You're so beautiful, so graceful. You're one of the kindest witches I've ever met. You never judge by appearances, but by actions. I was devastated when you told me that there's nothing for us to talk about anymore. I have loved you ever since you first smiled at me during our sorting, but I can't let you be around a monster like me." Remus said achingly.
"You're not a monster!" Anneliese exclaimed harshly.
"I should've seen the signs! Pale skin, loss of appetite. How could have I not seen them on you?" she asked herself, agitated.
Remus smirked and commented "And to think you're a smart witch." Anneliese giggled and slapped his knee playfully.
After a few moments of silence, she said "I never told you this, but my father is a werewolf." She looked into his eyes and saw surprise.
"How did it happen?" He inquired.
"He was bit when he was a boy. He and my grandfather were camping when my grandfather went back to their tent to get something. He heard my father scream and he ran quickly to him, but he was too late; the werewolf had already bit him."
"Oh Anneliese, I'm so sorry." He said sadly.
After a few minutes, he chuckled "I guess now we're even."
"What do you mean 'even'?" she asked, confused. Her perplexed expression on her face amused him.
"You're cute when you're confused. I mean, I haven't told you about my lycanthropy and you haven't told me about your father. We're even." Anneliese was stunned; he was keeping scores at a time like this, after he had confessed his feelings for her?
"Aren't you a pig?"
"Excuse me?" Remus asked, slightly annoyed.
She got up from her chair. "I told you everything about me! I wanted you to get to know me, not my father! You hid something crucial about yourself. At least I didn't have to hide information about myself. I don't give a damn what others say about me. Even! You have some nerve, Remus Lupin, coming into my life and blaming me for not telling you about my dad! Like that would change anything." She tried not to wake the other patients and yet she spoke harshly.
"I didn't mean any harm, I was joking, Anneliese. I'm sorry." Remus said, pained.
"You have no reason to judge me; I was keeping a secret which wasn't mine to share. If you keep my secret, then we're even in that way." She gave him one last look and exited the Hospital Wing, ignoring him calling out her name.
Anneliese ran back to the common room, only to see James and Sirius there playing Wizard's chess. They looked at her, tear-stricken and panting. She caught her breath as she mumbled to them "Moony's awake. Yeah, I know." She implied to them that she knew their secret. She went up to her room, leaving them puzzled.
To her relief, Lily was awake. Lily opened the bathroom door.
"What a great shower! Anne! What happened?" Lily asked, worried. Anneliese sat down on Lily's bed and told her what happened at the Wing.
"Listen to me. You are not to talk to him for the time being. Let things cool off for a while. If he cares about you, he'll come to you. I'm sure he didn't mean any harm." Lily was a great advisor. Anneliese decided to listen to Lily's advice.
She ignored him and hadn't contacted him. She caught him looking at her numerous times, but gave him the cold shoulder. She saw he was miserable. On the outside, she tried to show she didn't care but on the inside, she was falling apart. She was crushed since they weren't talking at all. She wondered if someone else had alreadytaken her place by his side. She had seen Lily and James grow closer, and it broke her heart; she and Remus could have been together, just like in his dreams, but her ego and his secrecy wouldn't allow it, according to her.
He tried to have a few laughs with his best mates, but they knew something was wrong. After they pressured him to tell, he told them about Anneliese and what happened at the Shrieking Shack and the Hospital Wing.
"She didn't get the joke, I suppose." Peter said sadly.
"Gee, you think, Wormtail?" Remus snapped at him.
"Talk to her, mate! You know how girls are." Sirius rolled his eyes.
Remus retorted "No, Pads, I don't know how girls are."
"Send her a box of chocolates!" Peter piped.
"Too corny, Wormy. I say talk to her and if that doesn't work. Do something special yet original." James grinned at Remus.
"I should talk to her." Remus said, mainly to himself.
Lily and Anneliese were walking in the corridor to Charms class when someone accidentally bumped into Anneliese.
"Ouch! Watch it! Oh, sorry." She exclaimed when she saw who it was.
"Sorry about that." Remus apologized warmly. Lily had a feeling she was in the way.
"I'll save you a seat." She said. Anneliese nodded, grateful. Lily left them to talk.
"Listen Anne, I want to apologize for my childish remark and for keeping you way from me. I should've never told you that you can't be in my life. I need you, Anne. I'm lost without you." Remus said sincerely.
"Oh so now you need me? After you pushed me away and broke my heart? After you told me to stay away from you?"
"I never told you to stay away and I thought it'd be easier since you know about lycanthropy."
"Will you stop implying about my father? I told you-"
"Yes, I was there by your side since I wanted to know you. I needed you all along, but I was too blind to see it."
After a pause, Remus said "I'm Remus John Lupin."
Anneliese chuckled. "What are you doing?" She asked as he went on "I'm an only child and my favorite candy is anything with chocolate in it. I passed my first Apparation test and I want to become an Auror."
After a slight pause, he said "I want you to get to know me." Now she understood what was behind his speech.
She came closer to him and whispered "You're something different." Remus smiled at her as he came closer to her as well.
"Well, you're something different." He said as he closed the gap between them with a kiss.