Chapter 11: About-face

Wow, it's been waaay too long. I'm so sorry, I had a huge case of writer's block, and finally got the push I needed from my good friends Music596 and . Thanks again to all who reviewed, and please message me if you are willing to help me with the next couple of chapters; I'm stuck again. Thanks!

The weeks passed quickly, counted only by how much time I spent with my sisters and Remus, respectively. The classes I taught were going smoothly, along with the classes I attended. My grades were high, and I was beginning to be accepted as a teacher by my coworkers. Everything in my life was going well…and it wasn't right. It felt like the calm before the storm, and, whatever the storm was going to be, it would not be pretty.

It was late November, I was walking to my dorm room after a particularly intense Quiddich practice and talking to Kaylynn and Lilith about cute guys…again. I knew they were trying to subtly find out who I was with, and it was certainly interesting to see who they guessed.

"Oh, what about Mr. Weasley? He's so cute!" Kaylynn, being her normal, exuberant self.

"Yeah, and he's only about three years older than you. Besides, we've seen some of the looks you give him." Lilith this time.

I stared at them for a minute, trying to come up with some answer. "I'm surprised at you. I thought you said you didn't want to know who I'm with. Besides, he's a teacher. We can't do anything." It wasn't a lie.

"But of course you can! Who's stopping you? I bet those late 'planning sessions' have gotten steamy." Lilith laughed at the looks on my and Kaylynn's faces, mostly shock, attempting to cover indignation from the suggestion I would ever want someone other than Remus on mine, and shock, a blush, and, strangely, sadness on Kaylynn's.

I decided that sarcasm was the best way to go. "Oh yeah, you know me, I just can't help falling all over his strong muscles. Oh Bill!" I laughed at the utter insanity of the statement, followed by my sisters, until I sensed something different. I looked up to see Remus turning a corner slightly up the hall and smiled, unable to fight back my overall giddiness. Remus's smile was forced, though, and tight as he passed me in the opposite direction, on the opposite side of the hall. That's when I realized that my sisters and I had been fairly loud, and we could have sounded serious…Damn. I'd have to go talk to him as soon as possible, but, for right then, I had to smile with my sisters, change out of my sweat-soaked clothing, and bide my time until I could sneak out of the room to go see Remus.

And bide I would have to, as half of the dorm had caught some cold, and they all laid there, with their coughing and sneezing and whining, until I finally sent a letter to Poppy, informing her of the situation and kindly asking for help. She happily obliged and was in my shared room within ten minutes. It took another twenty minutes for her to heal and sedate the girls and finally leave, making me wait until I finally heard the last of my roommates' breathing slow. That's when I finally tip-toed out of the room, through the common room, and to Remus's room as quickly as possible.

My heart racing for some reason unknown to me, I whispered the same password I had been using for many weeks and entered my lover's sitting room. I could see him, just in the next room, his back turned to the door, cradling a cup of tea and simply looking out the window.

When I couldn't take the silence any longer, I whispered, "Remus," unsure whether or not he'd hear.

A few long moments later, he slowly turned around, a smile ready on his face to greet me. "Hello Andrea, how are you this evening?"

I stared at him for a moment; this was not the Remus I knew, but I thought it would be best to just play along. "I'm doing well, thank you. And you?"

"I'm well." He simply stated, before we lapsed into another uncomfortable silence.

Wondering why he was being so quiet, I stepped forward. "Remus, what's wrong?" He didn't answer me, and I was starting to become worried. "Is it what Lilith and Kaylynn and I were talking about earlier? I swear, I was just joking. They keep feeling me out to see if they can learn who I'm dating. I was really joking-"

"Shh." He stopped me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "I know you were joking. I trust you completely."

"Then what was with your freak out?"

He paused, gathering his thoughts and planning just what to say. "I love you, and I know you think you love me…but your conversation made me think. Bill Weasley is just about your age. You have so much in common; you know his family and he knows yours…I think…I think it would be better for you if we pursued a more professional relationship and you pursued a romantic relationship with someone like Bill."

I would have laughed, if I had any air left in my lungs. I would have told him to stop joking and just lead me to the bedroom, if I could form a coherent sentence. I would have sat his little butt down and made him explain what was going on, if I wasn't shocked senseless. Instead, I simply stared at him and asked, in a small voice, "What-what do you mean?"

"I mean I don't think we should be together anymore. It would be best for all concerned if we could go to being teacher and student or coworkers, with minimal interaction."

I stared at him again. Stared and stared and implored him to take it back, with my eyes. But he didn't. He stood silently, waiting for my reaction. I didn't realize I was shaking my head until my body started reacting along with it. I shrugged off his hands and stepped back. He stood in place and I realized he wasn't going to stop me. I turned and ran out of his door, not bothering to be sneaky or quiet in the halls, yet still not being caught on my way.

When, out of breath, I reached the indignantly awoken Fat Lady and voiced the wrong password (Pumpkin Pasties), I expected to have to apologize and tell her the correct password. Instead, she looked at me strangely. "How did you get the headmaster's override code?"

I stammered, trying to comprehend, but before I understood quite what she was saying, she decided it was too late and she didn't care enough, so she swung open, allowing me admittance to the common room and, ultimately, my bed, where I could lay and think about everything that had gone on until I heard Alexa rise out of bed and realized that I should probably get some sleep on my day off, allowing myself to drift off into the darkness.