Chapter Ten

A B e a u t i f u l C o n f u s i o n

Rosalie

Author Note: Hello world! It only took like five million years, but here's chapter ten! :D Finally, right? Hopefully I can get 11 started and it won't take another year. I'm so so so so so so so so sorry about the wait. I always planned on continuing, I just didn't have the mojo or the time to get it going. So you know what you get? FLUFF...Small fluff, but fluff none the less. More to come...I assure you. Anyway, enjoy chapter ten! Hope it doesn't disappoint.

There is a time in everyone's life when they ask themselves 'What the bloody hell was I thinking?', I'd have to say now was that time. No, I'm really very serious, what was I thinking? Was I thinking at all? No, I believe very truly that I was not. If I had been, well perhaps I would have been a tad bit rational. I mean really. Remus. The Remus Lupin. My friend Remus Lupin. Why do I break down in front of him every time? I scolded myself mentally. Something about him makes me want to break down and tell him absolutely everything about myself, everything about what's happened over the break. I couldn't burden him with the facts. The funeral was absolutely horrible. It was all a blur to me though, I blacked out half way through, when we went up to lay flowers for her, however the other half was spent with my eyes glued to the carpeted floor. It was a spiteful funeral, many people around my mother held feelings of distaste, though I couldn't necessarily blame them. She had stepped on a lot of toes, however she would always be my mother and I would always love her. That would never change. I felt my knees go weak for a moment, remembering everything that had happened, causing my hands to search for the wall as they gave way. I leaned on the wall and slide down it slowly as not to cause a rather painful thud to the floor for my derrière. I only very faintly heard the door open and close to my room.

It took a few moments for my thoughts to clear, I needed to get out of these clothes and into the shower. I had little time to take care of all that was needed to be sorted out. Like what I was going to wear, the clothes I'd picked up before were merely decoys. It was a formal event wasn't it? Even if it was only dinner. This very fact would drive me insane. I stripped off the clothes my sister had managed to force me into, and then got into the warm shower. The warm water felt good on my chilly skin, because I hadn't noticed how cold it really was. My thoughts drifted once more, though this time to a more pleasant event. Not that being forced into clothes that don't suit you is a pleasant experience. It was quite innocent at first, or so I thought. My little sister had actually managed to trick me into trying on some clothes she'd picked out for me. Of course, this conveniently occurred around the time we needed to leave for the Potter's home. Therefore I was forced to go in these…odd clothes. They were quite odd to me at least, and probably anyone else that knew me. Perhaps not on someone else, but they were terribly perplexing on me. Though I did adore the fuzzy boots for some reason.

Soon I felt my head get fuzzy, I'd been in the shower too long. I hopped out, cast a quick drying spell then wandered to my room with a towel wrapped securely around my chest. The matter of dressing came forth now. The dancing would not come until tomorrow, so I needn't worry so much about the flow of the outfit, I wasn't going to move very much. Now was a chance to actually see everyone out of their uniforms, Hogsmeade presented this same chance, however I'd strayed away from the group the last time we went, so I didn't have much of an opportunity to enjoy the view.

I fingered many different dresses as I dug in my trunk, however none of the silky disasters (I call them disasters because my sister picked them out) seemed to catch my eye. I did so until my efforts were rewarded, at the bottom of the trunk. My hand touched a soft blue dress, thus causing me to pull it out for a better look. It had short sleeves, fringed out at the end to give it a textured look, the neck framed the line of ones chest, instead of being a solid line across or dipping in a straight edged V, and had a material belt around it's waist. It went passed my knees, but it was still short enough to give off a somewhat more casual feel, the end of the dress was also fringed out the same way the sleeves were. It was a very textured dress, but it made it look all the more cute. It was perfect! However it occurred to me, that my sister had packed this. Or someone else had slipped it in my trunk. After a moment of brief thought, I slipped the dress over my body, it seemed to hug my curves more than my normal clothes did. Of course, there was a twist, it was somewhat tight in order to show off my figure a bit. It was quite complimenting actually, but I wasn't used to it. After repositioning the dress, trying to make it more comfortable, and failing quite miserably, I wandered back to the bathroom.

I peered in the mirror and began in on my hair, there wasn't much to do though, because I'd decided to leave it curly. My hair was naturally very curly, I just usually straightened it a great deal. However curly suited such an occasion, therefore, curly it was. I chose a pair of extravagantly beautiful earrings, then began applying a fair amount of makeup. It was more than I usually wore, however it wasn't over the top. As my peculiar, multicolored eyes peered in the mirror to observe my appearance, I heard a faint knock at my room door. I slipped out of the bathroom, grabbed a silver bracelet that my mother had given me for Christmas last year, then proceeded to put my shoes on. I struggled to get them on though, I was rubbish with heels. "O-one moment!" I yelped, falling off the bed as I struggled with the heels. They were silver to match various accessories I wore, which were also one shade of silver. After emerging a bit rattled, I readjusted the tight dress, then scurried to the door. Luckily I hadn't tripped. It was going to be a hard walk down the Potter's long set of stairs. My hand gripped the door knob and then I turned it. What looked to be a rather nervous Remus soon turned into a shocked one. I swear I saw his mouth gap open for a moment, then felt his eyes scan me, however they soon fell to the floor. A quick blush seemed to pass over both our faces. He looked quite…handsome himself. He wore newly ironed dress clothes, which included a black pinstriped collar dress shirt and a pair of simple black dress pants. The dark color scheme seemed to bring out his amber eyes and make them sparkle just a bit more. We stood in silence for a moment, before his eyes drifted back to my face. I imagine my hair was a deep red right now.

"Y-you look … beautiful, Rose." I heard Remus murmur delicately. His amber eyes softened slightly as my gaze moved up to reach his. I felt a splash of deep red on my pale cheeks, the heat rose to my cheeks very suddenly. I could tell it was noticeable, my pale skin would make any distinct color stick out. I took a small, sharp inhale, attempting rather miserably to calm myself down, then proceeded to move us along a bit.

"Ah, well … you look quite striking yourself Remus." I managed to mutter just as quietly as he had. His gaze had hardly grazed mine when it slipped back down to the floor, however this only caused me to giggle slightly. The Remus Lupin did get embarrassed, I wonder how many people got to see this side of him? This caused him to look back up at me, a determined look on his face. He then held out his hand to me, promising a helping hand, therefore I took it. No matter how shy I possibly was right now, holding his hand was much less embarrassing than my falling down the stairs due to my wardrobe. However as soon as our hands were gently gripped around each others, someone broke through them and wrapped their arms about our shoulders. It could be none other than Sirius Black of course.

"Well don't you two look lovely." Sirius squealed as he scanned us both over, admiring our attire. I turned my head to get a better look at him, to find that he was dressed quite nicely himself. Sirius had decided to wear a simple white dress shirt, along with a pair of simple black dress pants. It was obvious that his ego was showing, the way he held himself screamed 'I can rock even the simplest of outfits. Admire my firm buttocks right now!'.Typical Sirius Black. "Oooh, your mother would have a fit if she saw you. Seeing her young man grow up into such a strikingly handsome male, much like his father." Sirius cooed cockily, his gaze flipping between us. Before I knew it, we were slowly proceeding towards the stairs in order to descend to dinner. "Now Remus, I know you're a growing young lad, but you must resist your urges, I mean really, you wouldn't take my offer of protection earlier …" Sirius began, before ducking back out of our reaches, for it was obvious that both I and Remus were about to strike. "What? I just want you to be safe, but if you really can't wait mate, then I suggest you rock her world at least." he added with a wink, as he quickly scurried even farther away. Remus had already smacked the palm of his hand to his forehead, as I simply stood very awe struck with my mouth open. My only comfort was the fact that someone, I assumed she was Sirius' date, came up behind him and smacked him in the back of the head. This dark haired girl suddenly became my hero as she successfully told Sirius Black off, and then dragged him out of sight.

"Should we be worried?" I asked after a moments time, placing one finger on my bottom lip in curiosity. Remus then pulled his hand away from his forehead, and turned to look at me. We peered at one another rather curiously for a moment. His eyes seemed to reflect the same sense of laughter that mine had. And soon we came to a mutual understanding.

"After all that? No, not really." Remus said with a smile. The look in his eyes seemed to confirm that we both seemed to find the whole situation completely worth it due to the ending results. Sirius had been told off quite nicely. And we also made a silent agreement not to discuss what he'd just said. Remus then held his hand politely out to me once more, I took it, and this time we were not interrupted by any obnoxious comments. As we approached the stairs, I gripped his hand tightly, and quickly searched for the railing.

"Afraid you might fall?" Remus guessed, a quizzical look on his face. Obviously my facial expression was giving it away, that or the possibly blinding color my hair and eyes were, did it. I smiled wearily at him, and nodded my head slowly, as if any fast movement would cause myself and Remus to tumble down the stairs.

"What can I say, Lacey picked out my entire wardrobe for this event." I added with a sigh. I blinked my eyes at Remus, as I saw a sweet smile appear on his face at the very mention. He seemed to find it rather intoxicating that my sister picked out my wardrobe, refreshing even. If that wasn't enough to make my face light up, and I suspect it wasn't for he soon slipped his arm around my waist in order to hold me up, then this was. While terribly embarrassed by such close contact, I found myself admiring how bold Remus could be. His traits all seemed to contradict each other, however it was that very contradictory that made him all the more intriguing. We made out way down the steps at a comfortably slow pace, in complete silence. Once we had arrived safely at the bottom, Remus removed his arm from my waist but still held my hand firmly in his. He seemed reluctant at first, however it seemed something in the distance had caused his rushed tug from around my waist. As I peered ahead to the entrance of the dinning room, I spotted a rather tall woman with long blonde hair and an ecstatic fit of excitement that made me want to turn right around and take my chances on the stairs. From the high level of resemblance she had to Remus, I had to assume she was his mother; the look of exasperation on his face merely confirmed it. Should I be afraid? My gaze slipped to Remus', and I asked him that very same question in the way that I looked at him.

"Well, I'd tell you no, but that would only be giving you false hope." Remus replied, his mouth curving into an apologetic smile. Bloody brilliant. We began moving towards his mother, and before I knew it we were stood right in front of her. Instantly I began to feel nervous all over again, I'd just lost precious time while we were walking, it went too quickly.

"Remus," she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she peered at me intently, "who is this fit bird with you my handsome son?" the older woman cooed. My god, she was a female Sirius. In the aspect of complimenting her son and his company at least. She didn't exactly host the same features Sirius did. Which was good, because if the demand of admiring a firm buttocks came about again, I'd probably keel over with laughter and I would never be able to look at Mrs. Lupin the same way ever again. My gaze fluttered to Remus, expecting him to answer, and I could see the pure exasperation on his face.

"Mum … this is Rosalie, Rosalie, this is my … " he paused looking between the two of us "mother." he added simply, almost reluctant to claim the rather enthusiastic woman before us. Mrs. Lupin held her hand out to me, to which I offered my free hand, she promptly took it and proceeded to shake my arm off. Once she released my hand she tackled me into a large bear hug.

"Ooooh, it's so lovely to finally meet you!" she exclaimed, pulling back to get a better look at me. "I've heard so much about you!" she added. This caused my face to flush and my eyes to dance from color to color. Remus … talked about me? My metamorphmagi ability seemed to have a positive effect on her, for as soon as he spotted my eyes she tackled her son with joy. "She's a metamorphmagus, you didn't tell me that!" she spoke with such enthusiasm, I think it nearly make me fall over. She was taking my species status rather well, considering most people had a big problem with it. "She's a keeper." she commented in a quiet voice with a wink towards Remus. I really hoped that was my imagination, however that hopeful thought was crushed once I saw Remus' face. She'd managed to fluster him, and unless she was truly identical to Sirius in the way that she approached sensitive situations, than I had heard right. Then again, the 'she's a keeper' comment was much better than another round at 'shagging safety'. After all that, I was very glad when she led us to the dinning room. As we parted with Remus' mother to head to a separate table, I leaned towards him.

"Please tell me your dad isn't like that as well?" I whispered wearily. "Ah … not that … I didn't like her it was just …" I added quickly, realizing how awful that could sound. This simply made Remus chuckle, and pull our linked hands up. He then laid a delicate kiss on my hand.

"I assure you that my father is no where near as crazy as my mother." he cooed smoothly, still very amused by my question. I suspect he intended to daze me, so that I would not ask anymore questions, and it worked. He released my hand, only so that he could pull my chair out for me. After we had seated ourselves, we waited patiently for everyone else to do so. Eventually, all four of the Marauders were seated together once more, which made it feel as if we had never left Hogwarts. Though the issue of their attire told me otherwise. Sirius and James sat next to each other, while their intended dates sat next to them. Apparently James had convinced Lily to sit beside him, which was surprising. By Sirius sat the mysterious girl we had seen earlier, and at the moment it seemed as though she were telling what he could and could not do. However that was not enough to stop him. Sirius elbowed James in the ribs, taking his attention away from Lily and directed it towards us.

"Do you see? Our son has grown up so fast, quite handsome really. Much like his father." Sirius began arrogantly, simply repeating what he had said before. "And look at the lovely girl he's brought home! Ah … but there's just one issue, they won't take th-" Sirius leaned in closely so that he could whisper with James. They were probably plotting something, knowing my luck. It was obvious what he was going to bring up, again. I was just glad that I couldn't hear them now, yet at the same time that very fact frightened me. I would have no heads up of their plans, and therefore could not attempt to avoid them. This whole situation had turned to shambles. Silently I was trying to figure out some way to fix this predicament we'd gotten ourselves in. Beside me Remus let out a huffed sigh, showing he was as tired with Sirius and James' shenanigans as I was.

"Ignore them." I heard Remus whisper delicately against my ear. I felt his hand entwine with mine again, and knew immediately he was trying to make me feel better. My cheeks flared with heat which caused me to nod my head quickly. I raised my head when I heard snickering from across the table. Sirius and James were so obviously whispering to each other, very loudly. They were hardly subtle about it.

"Look at them, like newlyweds." I caught those words, and then proceeded to block them out. They were trying to be heard. Why give them the satisfaction?

"How obnoxious can they be? It just makes me want to drag you off to a broom closet." I commented thoughtlessly. It hadn't occurred to me that, that was rather suggestive. "I mean, just to see what they'd do, honest." I added quickly. I chanced a quick glance at Remus, to see a grin across his face. Had he taken it the wrong way? Did he really expect me to drag them off to a broom closet? What in the world was he thinking right now?

"Ah, yes. But we've already been there and done that haven't we?" he inquired, one eyebrow inclined as he peered at me with amusement in his eyes. I blinked my eyes, as if that would help me remember. As the memory came rushing back, the heat came rushing back to my cheeks. I coughed involuntarily and quickly reached to take a sip of the liquid that had appeared before me. As I was avoiding the situation with the closet, a tall, dark haired man stood at the end of the table.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you to our home," the man roared, he had a very impressive voice, "I hope you find everything to your liking, as we prepared for this event longer than James has been trying to court Lily." he boomed, chuckling. I peered at James and Lily. Oh dear, Lily looked as if she wanted to smack James, and for once, James looked embarrassed. As I observed the man speaking, and then set my eyes on James, I realized that they must be related. He was intimidating to say the least, but he didn't seem bad per say. "Anyway, enjoy yourselves, we've got a few things planned for you throughout these few days." he finished, his eyes sparkling mischievously. Definitely related. I was quite certain that I should be afraid. If he was anything like his son, there was sure to be trouble.

"Is it just me or should we be afraid…again?" I inquired, turning my head to look at Remus. He chuckled. The way he grinned like a Cheshire cat, made me wonder if he knew what was going to happen. He was very close friends with James, perhaps he had told him? Though if Remus knew, surely it wasn't that bad. Soon after the amusement of James and Lily had calmed down, the food arrived. Quite a few people knew of James' undying love for Lily it seemed. Making it a bit of an inside joke to everyone but them. I felt bad for them, well I felt bad for Lily. James was the cause of the whole thing, he deserved a bit of ridicule. However I quickly got over such thoughts, as I got a look at the food that was being served. I never thought I'd be so impressed with food in my life. I sampled a few things here and there, finding that I had been missing out. After a bit of munching, I sat back in my chair and observed the many different guests that had attended the Potter's get-together. Interesting bunch I must say.

There were many different races here, wizard and beast a like. It made me wonder if there were any more Metamorphmagi here. Or Veela. I cringed slightly, moving my head in search of one. My gaze landed on one girl, whom Sirius was enchanted by. That hardly meant she was a Veela though. However it was evident she was, for multiple males were paying attention to her. It made me nervous. Was Remus looking at her with googly eyes as well? After many moments of restraining myself, I turned my head to look at him. I was surprised to find that he wasn't looking at her, he was looking at me. My gaze widened. He seemed moderately embarrassed, but he didn't look away.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice curious, but shy. Even when he wasn't trying to be utterly adorable, he was. I don't think he was aware of this. I pointed across the table, then realized my mistake. As he turned his head to investigate, I quickly shot my hand out to cover his eyes.

"No no no." I muttered, turning his face away from her direction. I stood quickly, and beckoned for him to follow me as I wobbled out of the room. I nervously peeked my head around the corner. "There's a Veela in the room, that's all." I said with a sigh. "I wouldn't want you to get bedazzled by her." I added, pulling away from the entry way and peering at him. Remus chuckled softly. He seemed to think a lot of the things I said were amusing, where I found them utterly embarrassing. It was oxymoronic to say, but I felt the most comfortable with Remus, however I also felt the most nervous with him as well. I trusted him with a lot of myself, everything about my life, but there was a part of me that feared he would pull the rug from under my feet at anytime.

"Rose?" I heard a voice say. I swiftly turned my head to look at the voice, without realizing it was Remus and his face was only inches away from mine. My thick curls actually managed to smack Remus in the face when I turned my head, causing him to pull away slightly. His fingers touched his cheek lightly, while his face hosted a shocked expression.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I declared frantically. "I didn't mean to, I mean…I…uh" My mouth quickly stopped working, and my hand automatically pulled on a strand of my hair. As I had suspected, the color was abnormal, it was like the red color of my hot cheeks had seeped into my hair. I scuffled a bit, not wanting to make a huge scene that would make everyone notice me and my changing hair color. I scooted by chair back quickly, to escape this table. "Excuse me." I said shortly, once I rounded the chair I attempted a quick get-a-way but found my shoes weren't going to let this happen. I quickly bent down and pulled them off my feet, and then scurried out of the room. The entrance hall was the closet area that led up the stairs to the rooms, as well as into multiple other various rooms like the study and a restroom. It was funny, but when I was worrying about looking stupid in front of Remus, I wasn't worried about everything else. It consumed my attention, no matter how important the other thing was, it always took charge. I cared what he thought of me most of all. Was that selfish? Ignorant? Stupid?

"Rose!" Once again I heard my name called by the familiar voice that always brought me out of thought. I was thinking so much today! It was possible my brain would collapse from the stress. "I didn't mean to upset you, I didn't respond quickly enough-" he paused, taking a look at my face. A sigh escaped his attractive lips. His wide arms parted and covered me in an embrace. I blinked, and wondered what on my face had caused this kind of reaction. "Rosalie," he said softly, pulling back without releasing me. My eyes perked, it had been quite some time since he had used my full name. "Calm down," he said slowly, "relax," he said in a soothing voice, "you don't have to impress anyone here; you don't have to worry about messing up." he said. His hand soon touched my fair gently, as he brushed a piece of hair out of my eyes. "You can't mess up, Rosalie, it isn't possible…" he said quietly. "You're perfect…" he muttered, his soft gold eyes gazing into mine.

My heart skipped a beat at these words. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, causing me to quickly place my hand on Remus' neck, and pull his lips down to mine. Our lips collided awkwardly at first, but after the initial shock was over they moved together perfectly. I had thought of what it would be like to kiss Remus, but I never really got far enough into thought to consider what it would feel like. There was something wild about it, while also tamed. Like most things about Remus Lupin, it clashed together into a beautiful confusion. The kiss lasted for no longer than a couple of minutes before we pulled apart. That pesky piece of hair that Remus had tucked away, had fallen in my face again. It was rebellious. Before I had the chance, Remus' hand swept across my fair, tucking the piece of hair away once more. Hopefully for the last time. Our gazes met, but neither of us looked away this time. His usual soft smile appeared across his face as he offered his hand to me. He didn't say a word before or after I took his hand, and instead slowly led us back to the dining room.

After arriving in the dining room he pulled my chair out for me, like a gentleman and then took a seat. Still, neither of us said a word. It was as if uttering a word would simply ruin such a wonderful moment. It was obvious something had happened though, for we both wore the same small smile. This was suspicious to, of course, our observers; James and Sirius. James snapped his fingers at us, causing us to give him our attention.

"Oi, what happened to you two?" he asked.

"Better yet, what did you do?" Sirius questioned, a cocky grin on his face. "Snog?" he questioned. "Shag?" he began listing off multiple possibilities of interaction. "Start going out?" he ended with. Remus and I glanced at each other. The smile returned to his face.

"Something like that." he said, looking only at me, smiling only at me.

DUN DUN DUUUN. A bit of fluff :)