"So, James, what did you do today?" Sirius asked, piling his plate with food.
They were all eating lunch in the Great Hall with the portion of the school that had not gone to Hogsmeade. They'd found James sitting by Peter looking really grumpy. Peter was sneaking worried peeks at him as James stabbed his food with unnecessary and extreme violence.
"I've been here. With Peter. Helping him with his extra homework because he is failing all his classes quite miserably," James said in a spiteful tone. Peter flushed a deep red.
"I'm sorry, James. I know you wanted to go to Zonkos," Peter mumbled.
"What about Moo— I mean, Remus?" Sirius asked before stuffing more food in his mouth. James gave him a disgusted look, but then again, he had eaten breakfast that morning. Sirius had not.
"I'm guessing he's still with Melody… in Hogsmeade," James replied.
Rose choked on her bite of chicken. The three Marauders looked at her in alarm. She looked at James. "Really? They're together?"
"Yeah. They should be. Why?"
"Nothing really," Rose murmured, although it actually was a big something. Ever since they had met the four Marauders, Melody had taken a fancy to Remus. Rose couldn't blame her. Not only was he quite good-looking, but he was also mature, kind, and modest… some characteristics that his best friends James and Sirius lacked. Rose had a feeling that Remus liked Melody a lot as well, but he didn't seem to want to do anything about it. This was where she wished he could have had a little bit of James and Sirius's recklessness. Melody wasn't a giggly girl who chased after guys or was prissy about her looks: she was naturally beautiful… but Rose knew that Melody would pick up those things in an instant if it meant that Remus would just show her he liked her, because Rose knew that deep inside, Melody was slowing bleeding to death from the pain that it was causing her.
Remus was with Melody inside Zonkos. He had found her in the owlery, mailing a letter to her parents. On their way to the Headmaster's office, they ran into Dumbledore himself who was talking to James. He told them that Rose was in good hands and asked them all not to go looking for her. He then proceeded to split them up. He told Remus to take Melody to Hogsmeade, while James stayed behind to help Peter catch up with his classes. James had been less than happy about the Headmaster's request. Remus had kind of a silent panic attack. He didn't want to be alone with Melody... it wasn't that he found her repulsive or anything. She was really pretty and nice. He liked her…
Melody had been worrying herself sick about Rose, but she had stayed true to her word and had not tried to search for Rose. Dumbledore didn't tell them who Rose was with, but Remus had a vague suspicion: there was, after all, a Marauder unaccounted for…
Remus had gotten Melody to go to Zonkos with him with a gentle probe. She was a smart girl. She knew defeat when she saw it. After a lot of reassurances on his part that Rose would be okay, Melody seemed to relax.
Soon, they were talking to each other easily and laughing together. Remus had never been a big joker (That had been James and Sirius's job), but he found that she laughed easily and could match him wit for wit. He was enjoying himself thoroughly.
Around lunchtime, they went to the Three Broomsticks. While they ate, they talked about what they planned to do with the rest of their lives.
"I've always wanted adventure," Melody said, her smoke-blue eyes sparkling. "Ever since Lord Voldemort came to power, things have been terrible. My mother lost one of her best friends and I lost my aunt and uncle on my father's side because of him. Since then, I decided to become an Auror… And now, Rose's parents are gone. They always treated Lily and me as if we were their own." She looked down at her hands sadly.
Lord Voldemort… he had caused them all so much terror and pain. Because of him, families were torn apart as loves ones died and fell prey to his hatred and darkness; brother turned upon brother as the fight over bloodlines became a war within itself. Because of him, death and destruction had struck everyone in some way. Even if someone one day conquered him, those who survived his evil would still be scarred in some way or form… the survivors of his darkness would always remember…
Remus sighed softly. This was evil at its height.
"What about you, Remus? What are your plans for life after Hogwarts?" Melody asked.
Remus thought about his answer. A few years ago, he didn't have any hope at all of life at Hogwarts. He was thankful for everything he had now; his friends, his loving parents, a chance for a better future… but he knew better than to get his hopes up too high. He knew that even as a fully qualified wizard, the werewolf part of his life would always hold him back. Werewolves were not trusted among most of the wizarding world. They were considered dangerous, and they were shunted. Remus knew that for him, life would always be hard.
"I don't know…" he said slowly. Although he had thought about his future probably a lot more than most people, he still didn't know what his plans were. As a werewolf, there weren't a lot of options. Unemployment was almost a sure thing.
"Remus," Melody said softly. She took a deep breath. It had been almost seven years. It was now or never. She was tired of waiting. "Do you like me?"
