The common room was empty when they stumbled in, and the fire was on its last embers. They collapsed onto the couch, having peeled their snow-sodden coats off and kicked off their boots. Although the night before had not been as bad as it could have, it went without saying that mentally they were exhausted. They sat quietly in a tangle of limbs and jumpers, neither mustering the energy necessary to stoke the fire to keep the cold at bay.
"You still angry?"
Remus chuckled, sinking further into the couch with his eyes closed. "No. Scared, mostly. That was a stupid risk. Probably carefully calculated, but stupid."
"Carefully Calculated Stupid Risk is my middle name," she joked, her legs hanging off the armrest as she dropped her head onto his lap. "My parents had issues," she added, jokingly.
"Oh, but you seem so well-adjusted," he quipped sardonically.
"Pot," she blindly pointed in his general direction, "Kettle," she finished, pointing at herself, unaware or uncaring that her companion had both his head resting back and his eyes closed. She assumed he got the general idea.
"You really weren't scared?"
"No." Her reply was simple. The truth was that even between the Animagi and the werewolf, she never once thought it was a bad idea. "I did my fair share of research beforehand, Remus. You know me." She giggled, recalling the night. "Did you know your fur is actually curled? Even as a werewolf you can't seem to tame your darn hair."
There was more silence. Remus's left hand was twisted into her own black mane, brushing it back away from her forehead to fan over the side of his legs. "So, listen… I love you."
The snort that left her was very unladylike. She felt like she could roll her eyes at him all the way into a new dimension. "I'm aware."
"No, you're not, but I a —wait, what?" His head snapped back, looking down at her with a mixture of amusement and fear.
Gabby gave him an are you kidding look, trying her hardest not to offend or send him running to whatever hidey hole he was using, nowadays. "Rem, everyone knows you're in love with me. Dumbledore knows you're in love with me. We've had a fairly detailed conversation about it."
"You never—"
"Of course, I didn't bloody say anything to you about it. Your whole life's purpose is to be eternally miserable and say I deserve more than you. I'm not in the mood to debate how much of an idiot you are, so I just take it as fact." She explained, shortly, grabbing his hand and using it to continue brushing her hair, something he had stopped when she claimed to know of his affections. "You're an idiot."
"Do you—"
"If you even entertain asking that question, I will light your hair on fire. What the fuck do you think?" At his silence, she added. "I certainly haven't been sticking around since first year for the god-awful puns, now have I?"
It could have been the Firewhiskey, or perhaps the utter destruction of everything he had held as truth just a moment ago, but Remus was having a hard time thinking. His mind blasted back, memories rushing past too quick to analyze, in the search of when exactly this had happened and when he decided to ignore it. He had been in love with her the moment she cupped her ink-sodden hands around his face and spoken to the beast as if it were nothing more than a puppy. She had been in love with him when they shared their first kiss that first Christmas when she had gotten stuck under some enchanted mistletoe for two class periods before Remus had gone looking for her. He had been in love with her when in third year, the first holiday they spent in the castle, she surprised him with an inkpot that smelled of chocolate and a scarf that adjusted its warmth depending on how well he was feeling. She had been in love with him in fifth year, when, despite her complaints, he kept and cared for her in his dorm for a week when she had the flu, armed with supplies with Madame Pomfrey. And, also when she returned the favor a week later. He was in love with her when he stopped what might have been a horrible death at her own hands, at the beginning of the year. She was in love with him when she faced his wolf, consequences be damned, head-on the night before. Oh, God, they were in love. They had always been in love. He was an idiot.
"Glad you agree," Gabby commented, a single eyebrow raised in amusement at the statement he had accidentally said out loud.
His face was beetroot red, almost allowing him to blend in with the cushions and disappear. Almost. "You should have told me."
"You weren't ready." With one fluid movement, she swung her legs down from the armrest and sat cross-legged beside him. "And I don't regret not doing it. You're sarcastic, and snappy, and repressed, and foul-mouthed, but you're selfless and loving and ridiculously loyal. It wouldn't have changed anything, except given you more anxiety."
"I'm plenty anxious now, so, don't worry about that." He noted, as he wiped his dewy palms on the legs of his trousers. "Dumbledore? Really?"
"He wanted to know why I had sent you a Valentine's anonymously, when it was obvious we were together."
He looked as if she had just dumped a bucket of cold water on him. "Not the motivational fireworks."
"You were very sad that day. I thought chocolates and encouragements would help."
"I shot Sirius with an irreversible Jelly-legs jinx for that. I thought he was trying to be a prat and embarrass me," he groaned, ruffling his curls nervously.
She giggled, her eyes sparkling with the memory. "Yeah. That was brilliant."
He opened and closed his mouth, looking like a fish on the bank rather than a confused teenager. When his light amber eyes stopped to take her in, they sparkled with amusement. Last Valentine's had been the funniest in recent history. Every time Remus said something in class, or correctly cast a spell, the fireworks would erupt around him, showering him with chocolates, rather than colored sparks. Coupled with the fact that Sirius had to quite literally drag himself from class to class (at one point getting to Potions just as the period was over), due to the jinx he had outright refused to reverse, there had not been any shortage of laughter that day. "Fuck, I love you," his tone betraying the awe he felt for the girl he was staring at.
"Oh, thank fucking Merlin! If I had to watch the will they, won't they dance one… more… time, I was going to shag one of you, just to ruin your lives. I wasn't even picky about which one." Sirius exclaimed, dramatically, as he crawled into the portrait hole with Peter in tow, who was snickering. "I'll take an apology for that jelly-legs jinx, now, Lupin!"
"What, this jelly-legs jinx?" He asked, casually, his wand gently twitching in his hand, followed by the immediate thump of Sirius' body on the floor and a maelstrom of cussing. The group fell into raucous laughter as they watched the heir of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black drag himself to an armchair, his legs jiggling gelatinously after him.
"Moony, you absolute wanker!"
The portrait hole had opened once more, and a stern-looking Minerva McGonagall stepped inside. Remus shuffled in his seat, shoving Gabriela behind him while Peter threw himself into the seat beside him to cover the rest of her body. They all glanced at each other awkwardly as their Head of House paced the common room. It was an uncommon occurrence. "Mister Black, I will disregard your foul language on the basis that we are on break and seem to have fallen prey to Mister Lupin's jelly-legs jinx once again. Mister Lupin, I will disregard any part you took in the curse, as I was not here to presence it," she began, her tone rather bored, as if this was not the first time she had given the infamous Marauders a rundown of their crimes. "However, I do advise against suffocating Miss Lively behind you, as it will probably harm your chances of ever getting a date with her, more than they already are."
"Oh, Minnie, you saucy savage," Sirius barked out in laughter from his position in the armchair, looking at the professor with a admiration.
The older witch chose to ignore his comment as part of the "It's the Holidays" forgiveness package. "Miss Lively, if you will." Gabby popped out from behind Remus, a handful of black feathers caught in the crosswinds of her movement and steadily floating to the ground where they became piles of soot. "Your father wanted to send word that he had a spot of bother with some Death Eaters when he was returning from Ireland, but that he is fine. They seem very interested in your condition, so be careful when you go out to the village on the weekends."
Gabriela, was flush against Remus' back, an arm hanging on either side of his head and her chin resting on his crown. Altogether, they looked like a funny, winged totem pole. "Yes, Professor. Anything else?" She asked, reluctantly.
"Oh, yes, the house elves appreciate you leaving them gifts, but they ask that you stop, whether it be unintentionally or not, trying to free them." They all looked mildly surprised at the calmness in her reaction, considering she knew a student, not from her house, was currently living in a dorm with five boys. "Also, take care of what uniform you are wearing. You spent the whole of last month with Gryffindor robes and a Ravenclaw tie."
"You're not kicking her out?" Peter asked, perplexed.
"Out of a perfectly stable living situation so her dorm mates can harass her? Mister Pettigrew, do be serious. Mister Black, refrain from your comment." Sirius looked a little deflated and proceeded to pout. "Mister Lupin, you were meant to report to Poppy yesterday. You still need your physical. Mr. Pettigrew, if I see you sneaking into Mister Filch's office again, I will give you detention beyond your graduation date."
"Anything for me, Minnie? I'm feeling left out." Sirius commented, partially absorbed with watching his legs jiggle every time he prodded them.
"Other than your parent's weekly letter saying you're a disappointment? No. I've filed them into an album. I intend to send it to them with a copy of your N.E.W.T. scores and your diploma." There was barely a hint of a smile on her face when she said this, but if there was one truth on this Earth, it was that Minerva McGonagall had a soft spot for Sirius Black.
"Thanks, Mum!" He replied with a grin.
Before she could express anything further, the portrait hole opened for the third time, Lily and James scrambling in, lips bruised, hair matter, clothes disheveled, but with panic in their eyes. "Hide Gabby! Hide Gabby! McGon—Professor McGonagall, it's so nice to see you." Lily, corrected, half-way through her tirade, straightening out her shirt and attempting to look presentable.
The witch stared at each of the boys in turn, mouth open in disbelief. "DOES YOUR CORRUPTION KNOW NO BOUNDS!?"
From atop Remus, Gabriela raised her hand, excitedly. "Oooh, I know this one!" Leaving the young werewolf to snatch her hand down while muttering something about the question being rhetorical.