The Amazing Race Part One.
14th of February was a rather cold day, and the winter wind came back full force. All the students from year one to five were outside enjoying a nice day with his friends, or dates, away from the castle. The seventh years, preoccupied as always with the upcoming newts were mostly hidden in the warmth of the library, trying their best not to look too longing to be outside, without a care in the world.
The sixth years however, were a complete different story. Today, was the day the responsible of some very embarrassing presents, other insanely romantic, and others simply lack of presents will be discovered; Most of them, didn't care one bit who their valentine was, and, to say the truth, they were far more excited about finding out who was giving a particular shy werewolf his outrageous displays of affection. Everyone but him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day Fourteen - 14/02 - Remus.
Remus Lupin was sitting this morning at the Gryffindor table ready to push around his breakfast without even glancing at it, and thinking about a certain dog animagus who had disappeared in the middle of the night, and haven't come back since.
Thinking this was his entire fault, he felt sick and bent down in order to prevent his non-existent breakfast from rising to his throat.
The thing is, yesterday he had giving his Valentine 'aka' Sirius Black a very very very embarrassing letter confessing his feelings for him. After two weeks of not being able to even give him a simple candy, when he finally found his bravery back, he had to send a letter. A Letter
"Morning mate" Said James potter brightly as he sat beside him at the table. "I have this awesome idea to win Evans today, ask her to marry me and have tons and tons of babies together"
"James I'm not in the mood" said Remus looking up from his knees.
"Wow mate you look like hell today" Oh yes. James, always the sensible one.
"Thanks, but I'm really not in the mood, for anything."
To his benefit, James did look concerned. He just got a little distracted when it came to Lily.
Breakfast was going, not so bad, until...
"So where's Sirius?"
MENTAL GROAN
Bang
Bang
Bang
"Remus, dude stop hitting your head on the table, you'll kill your neurons". Remus blinked.
"How is it that you don't know what a telephone is, but you do know complex biology?" Remus looked stunned. He had to start giving his friends a little more credit.
"There are many things you don't know about me Mr Moony" said James smugly.
"James" said Remus drumming his fingers on the table
"Oh fine, I got locked up in a broom closet with nothing more than a muggle biology book, and since you gits didn't come looking for me after a whole day had passed, I had to do Something" James actually looked embarrassed. For reading!!
"So you read it?" asked Remus grinning.
"No I snogged it! Then whispered sweet nothings in its pages and then it told me that interesting fact about neurons! Of course I read it!"
Remus laughed and his stomach returned to its place. "Thank you James"
"For what?" he asked with his brow slightly furrowed.
"Cheering me up" Said Remus smiling lightly.
"In that case, I'm glad you enjoy my misfortunes. Friend " James said in mock anger.
"I mean, you're no Sirius but-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence Mr. Lupin" James expression was stern, until his lips quirked in a smile "I will not be compared to that mutt"
"Sorry Professor Potter" Said Remus using the line the others had used it on him so many times.
"Remus you're not allowed to use that!" Said James whining, at that moment, Peter sat across from them. "Peter tell Remus he's not allowed to use that line"
"Remus you're not allowed to use that line" Said peter and then he shoved some porridge in his mouth.
"But you don't even know what we're talking about!!" Said Remus a little exasperated.
"Yes I do" Peter sounded so confident he didn't even question him. He wanted to though, but he didn't. "James said something silly, you used the professor line, That you're not allowed to use by the way, and then asked me to tell you, I did, you doubted me, I reassured you an--"
"Ok ok, I get it!! You Did know, now why is the mail taking so long!!? It's not like they're making he letters"
James laughed at his friend's impatience. "Expecting something Remus?"
Remus crossed his arms at his chest "You know I am so you better stop asking".
Then, the glorious mail arrived. Glorious, to Remus at least. until he noticed.
"A H - Howler?" Said Remus looking at the letter with a reluctant expression "And it's"
"Pink" Whispered James and Peter at the same time, before they burst out laughing.
"Pink?!" Repeated Remus with a panicky look; by now, everyone knew Remus Lupin was gay. Courtesy of James shouting it to the four winds, he expected weird looks, mocking awful comments, that kind of thing. What he didn't expect was the disappointed look of many girls, and some really suggestive glances of a surprising number of boys. Hogwarts seemed very open-minded this days indeed, except for the Slytherins, but they were always awful, so no real surprise there.
Now that his secret was out in the open, it seemed his Valentine wasn't so secretive about his own preferences.
Lost in his thoughts, Remus was quite surprised when the pink envelope burned and a thick pink smoke covered him, then, a smooth voice started talking.
Good morning Gorgeous, This is your Valentine, Well, no actually it isn't, This is the voice of a very Famous Muggle singer.
I couldn't give myself away just yet don't you think?
Every single person in the hall was silently listening to the howler, as if watching a soap opera.
By now you've probably noticed that there's no gift sitting in your lap as you probably expected, So, if you really want me to give you your present, you'll have to work for it
Remus smiled at the howler as it paused, as if he knew Remus needed some time between statements to clear his head and digest the information.
I'm sure you also realized the mail was rather late today; this is because I wanted you to have breakfast before running out of the hall like the devil's after you. You see Remus, right now there's another letter sitting on your bed waiting for you to open it
Remus quickly stood up and prepared to leave the hall in a rush but was stopped by the voice again
Not yet Remus, first the rules.
Even the teachers were leaning on their seats now, waiting.
We'll play a game called The Amazing Race. You're next letter will contain a clue you'll have to decipher, this clue will lead you to your next letter and so on, till you find the next one. And in the end. Me.
Remus gasped. He'll finally be able to see who he was, and he loved riddles so, this was going to be a pieceofcake.
This letter, the one sitting on your bed and the following ones, can only be opened by you. Just tap the letter once, and my smooth voice will appear again
Remus groaned and everyone else laughed.
Oh come on, you know you want to hear it again
Remus smiled again.
That said, get on with it Remmie, I'll be waiting at the end of the race
The remaining of the burned letter fell on his untouched breakfast and as the last trace of ash vanished on his plate, Remus woke from his reverie and broke into a run out of the great hall. The whole student body's cheers pounding behind him.
He ran so fast he didn't notice the small girl that bumped into him outside the great hall, or the portrait of a lady waving at him, or even the lecture Madam Pince wanted to give him because of a book he forgot to return last week.
The only thing in his mind was his letter, the clues, Sirius.
Wait, no, not Sirius. His-Valentine!
He reached the Fat Lady's portrait in less than three minutes, his head felt dizzy from all the running and he was supporting himself on the wall but he didn't care. He said the password and dashed to the dorms. And like the smooth voice said, there was another pink howler on his bed.
After running so fast, you'd think he ran to the letter and tapped it just as fast, but he took his time. He walked slowly to the bed and sat on it, he contemplated the letter for a while and then he tapped it.
In a place of peace and quiet
No one dares to break the silence
And where knowledge is the only diet
Your next letter you will find
"Ok. Peace and quiet, no one dares to break the silence right" Remus began pacing the room, thinking furiously. "So that's, the infirmary, the library or McGonagall's classroom"
He kept pacing for a while and then sat on his bed again. "Knowledge is the only diet, so that rules out the infirmary, and leaves the library and McGonagall's classroom, but somehow I don't think she would let someone put a letter there, so, library!"
He ran down the stairs into the common room and the people that were sitting there cheered when they saw him. He waved briefly at them and ran out of the portrait whole, towards the library. When he arrived he was presented with a mad Mrs Pince and had to apologise and beg for ten minutes until she let him inside. Once he got there he realized the library wasn't a small place, so where could this letter be?
Maybe in the restricted section? No I don't think my Valentine has an invisibility cloak.
Ooh, our table. Maybe he noticed where we sit. He went to the table and got to his knees to look better.
"What cha doing mate?" Asked Peter from behind him. He startled Remus and he hit his head painfully against the table.
"Christ Peter, I'm looking for my letter" he crawled under the table and kept searching.
"You mean the one that's pink and fluffy and says 'Remmie' and is attached to that chair over there?"
Remus lifted his head quickly and hit his head again. "Ouch! Damn it!" He crawled out of the table and stood up. He spotted the letter, grabbed it and tapped his wand against it.
Well done Remmie, but I'm afraid that was an easy one, now there's only six clues left, so hurry up. Here's the next one
You can gaze up at the stars
Through a thick transparent glass
In a tower trapped you are
Until morrow comes and then
You'll be able to leave again
The voice ended abruptly and Remus sat on the chair the letter used to be to think about his clue
"You can gaze up at the stars, in a tower?" He laughed "That's so easy"
Remus ran to the Astronomy tower and immediately saw the pink envelope. He tapped it and a deep laugh came from inside it.
Not everything that shines is gold Remus, think deeper, it's closer to home that you would've expected.
"Damn!" Remus took a deep breath and left the tower, the last clue clutched firmly in his hand. "Ok, where do I gaze up at the stars?"
"On the grounds outside, but not through a glass though," he kept walking and talking to himself and his feet took him to the common room "Sometimes I sit in the - window seat!! Of course, and I can't leave the Gryffindor tower after curfew until morning!" He smiled and walked over to the pink letter that had magically appeared at his realisation "Silly boy, you made me run to the astronomy tower and back!" He sat on the bench and opened the envelope.
Tired Remie? I hope not, because I have another race for you. You must reach the kitchens in five minutes, or your next clue will disappear! Good Luck Gorgeous. Three. Two . One. GO!
"I think I hate this boy!" As he stood up, a big chronometer appeared over his head and the same voice from the letters said "Four minutes, forty seconds and counting"
"Shit!" He dashed to the kitchens, a big pink chronometer over his head and the voice kept counting. The few people he encountered on his way seemed amused by this and gave him thumbs up.
"One minute, thirty seconds and counting"
"Stupid slow feet!" He reached the fruit portrait and almost ripped it open when he 'tickled' the pear. Said pear gave an indignant huff and if it had arms it would've crossed them stubbornly. "Oh Please …great and beautiful pear please …open the door" Said Remus between gasps of air.
It did and he ran to the first house elf he saw. "Pink…Remmie…envelope"
The elf handed him his letter and asked innocently "Sir looking for this?"
"YES! yes!! I made it!" The clock above his head disappeared and only now his body was catching up with his running. "Ooh Cramp, Cramp" Remus grabbed his side painfully and sat on a chair.
Remmie you run Fast! Remus turned and glared at the howler Now now don't get mad at me, You know I love you so! For some reason those words sounded extremely familiar to Remus, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind.
Great knowledge he beholds
Twinkling eyes and purple robes
Before him, darkness bows
Awesome beard white as snow.
"Good Rhyme" Said Remus approvingly. "Can someone please give me some chocolate?"
Immediately, six house elves stood in front of him with trays filled with chocolate cake, cookies, hot chocolate, and chocolate everything!
An hour later, Remus left the kitchens with a full stomach and renewed energy, and ready to look for Professor Dumbledore. (How obvious was that?!) He searched for him everywhere but Dumbledore just didn't show up. After a long time of searching he smacked his forehead with his hand
"The map! Remus you're such an idiot" he broke into a run and didn't' stop until he found James, who was sitting by the lake with…Lily?!
"Hiya Moony" Both of them turned to see him and he could only smile at them.
"Erm, James, may I borrow the You-know-what?" Lily frowned and looked from James to Remus and back.
"The You-Know-What?" James said, gesturing a hood with his hands. "Or the You-Know-What?"
He said waving his hands horizontally, as if flattening a piece of paper.
"The You-Know-What I can use to find Professor Dumbledore, James!!"
Lily's frown deepened. "Sure Moony, It's in my trunk. I'll tell you later Lily" She seemed satisfied by this and waved Remus goodbye.
"Thanks James"
Once he had the map in his hands, he scanned it with his fingers until he found the small dot labelled Professor Dumbledore completely static in the Room of Requirement. Huh, that's weird
He walked to the would-be-door of the Room of Requirement and paced three times thinking A place to find Dumbledore A place to find Dumbledore A place to find Dumbledore.
Finally, the door appeared and he found himself standing in the middle of a lounge with cushions thrown all over the place; the smell of incense filled the small room and Professor Dumbledore had his eyes closed and was sitting cross-legged on top of a purple cushion with both arms over his knees, his middle finger and thumb touching slightly; saying something that sounded like
"AmmmSayaaaaUuuummm"
Remus bit his lip to stop the laughter bubbling in his chest from getting out. The sight was too funny and he caved. He laughed so hard his legs gave and he found himself surrounded by fluffy cushions. Once his chuckles subsided he turned to look at Dumbledore. I hope he's not mad.
The professor was smiling slightly and his eyes were twinkling. "You can find your letter on the desk over there"
Remus got up and grabbed the letter. "Thanks Professor, sorry I l - laughed" Calm down Remus you can laugh later.
"Oh not at all Remus, actually, could you maybe, not mention this to anyone?"
"Absolutely Professor, bye"
Once outside he tapped the letter and waited. Wasn't that fun Mr. Lupin? I caught him 'meditating' as well, man I'll never stop laughing, anyway, here's your next clue
Bubbles, bubbles Water troubles
Only those who prove were chosen
With special words and a shiny token
May this marble heaven use.
"Ok water, that's the lake or a bathroom but which one?"
"Did you know that talking to yourself is a sign of dementia?"
Remus whipped his head around and met the evil gaze of Lucius Malfoy. "Shove it Malfoy!"
"Tut tut Lupin, aren't you a prefect? You know, you're supposed to set an example"
"A - a prefect, of course!! Special words means a password; a shiny token, obviously the prefect badge; The prefect's bathroom!" Remus laughed and Malfoy looked stunned "If you weren't so disgusting I would kiss you right now!" He stuck his tongue at the still frozen boy and ran down the corridor yelling "Bathroom emergency" at anyone who crossed his way.
"Grindylow" (A/N: I've read so many fics where Remus is French lately and I just couldn't stop thinking about him saying 'grindylow' in this sexy sexy accent…umm I'll be going now, sorry!)
The prefect's bathroom's door opened and when Remus came stepped inside the first thing he saw was a fully prepared bubble bath. He shrugged, took off his clothes and stepped into the large tub. The water was warm and the bath salts were relaxing, after running around all day he finally had a moment to collect his thoughts and give his body a rest. About an hour later he stepped out of the bubble bath and a pink envelope popped out of thin air by the sinks. Without stopping to think about it or hesitate, the tapped the letter with his wand and the now familiar voice filled his ears.
"Hey gorgeous, I hope you had a nice bath, I made it especially for you. This is your last clue, and I'm sure you'll get it quickly
Think back in your steps and remember
Not everything shiny is gold
Where earlier that remark was irrelevant
Where a fake lead took you before
Remus put on some clean robes (That Val had left for him, of course) and left the bathrooms. The clue was easy, too easy. It was the Astronomy tower, but this time he was sure. All he had to do was walk up the tower and get his final clue. He ran a hand through his hair and this time he didn't run, but he merely walked calmly, as if counting his steps
Once he got to the Astronomy tower he was more tired than he'd ever been in his life, after running around the school looking for clues and letters, with everyone following his every move he finally got to the end of the line, the last clue, the last place, and he'll meet his Valentine. The final envelope wasn't even hidden; maybe they both just wanted this to be over.
Nearly there Remus, but not quite,
Maybe you should look where your Inner self comes alive.
"Inner self?? What does that mean, this is probably the last riddle so I better crack it."
Being the always logical he was, he started to digest the information in his head and split it to understand it better.
Where. so it was some place.
My inner self. what? Something inside. Something hidden.
Alive. something that comes alive inside of me.
And then suddenly it clicked.
Remus gasped and his heart rose to his throat and blocked the air from reaching his lungs for a moment. This person knew about his lycanthropy. but how?, he clearly never told anyone besides the Marauders or lily, and they swore never to reveal his secret, no of course that wasn't the case, this person probably had such a crush on him, he realized by himself, but what did it mean?. Would he be ok with it, would he be repulsed by him or would he tell everyone and he'd be expelled. Was he brave enough to go to the shrieking shack now?
He sat with his back facing the wall and thought long and hard. After an hour of deep thinking he saw the sun beginning to set and he stood up, filled with this new confidence he ran back down to the shack.
Quietly, he froze the willow and entered the tunnel, while he walked the nervousness returned and his heart hammered painfully. He reached the end of the tunnel, took a deep breath and opened the door.
Am I not just great?!! hahaha Ok so, I'm sorry for the cliffie, but I just had to end it this way don't you think?? well If you don't ermm...sorry but I'll update as soon as i get a decent number of reviews all right?? No pressure though... haha :D