Dinner in Cokeworth

That first week after returning home felt like a dream. Had it not been for the full moon in the middle of the week, Remus was certain he would have remained on cloud nine until they had to leave the country. Lyall had made several attempts to snap his son out of his daze, but after Hope had given him a stern talking to, he simply sat back and watched Remus breeze through life.

She liked him.

He still couldn't get his head around it.

She was all he could think about; her laugh, her fiery red hair, the way she helped him in class… It was all surreal.

The day her first letter arrived, the morning after his full moon, he thought his cheeks would break from how much he was smiling.

Lupo, it had read,

Sorry it took me so long to write to you, but my sister's friends were over, so I wasn't allowed to send out any owls. Living in a muggle home after spending months at Hogwarts gives you a bit of backlash, but I'll get used to it again.

I hope your night went well. I would come and see you, but you live on the other side of the country, and my mum's house bound at the moment – the flu, we think – so I can't leave any time soon, though she's getting better. I thought you'd like some chocolate though, so I hope the Cadbury's will cheer you up (not Honeydukes, I know, but it's still great).

I'm so glad you told me about your 'furry little problem' (the toerag came up with that, didn't he). I would have said something sooner, but I guess I was in shock. I still can't believe it happened to you at such a young age. I can't believe it happened to you at all! You are such a kind and gentle person, and I would never wish this on even my worst of enemies.

Anyway, you probably don't want to hear about any of that.

Dad wouldn't stop asking me about you on the way home. I think you made a good impression. He asked me if we were going out, and I told him 'not yet'. He was pretty quiet after that and declared that I had a boyfriend as soon as we got home – it was so embarrassing!

What do you think of that though? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Do we have that kind of label, since we haven't actually started dating yet? Or does it come after one of us has asked the other out?

I think I might stick with Lupo for now. It suits you better than the generic brand.

Where do you think our first date should be when we get the chance do you think?

Mum and dad were wondering if you'd like to come over for dinner one day, with your parents of course, though I suspect that you'll be leaving for Canada soon (I'll make sure to send you some chocolate – I'm told the stuff over there is awful). I hope you can make it at some point over the summer, even if it's just to say hello.

Perhaps dropping those bomb shells on the last day wasn't such a good idea. Now I don't know what to do!

Anyway, I'd best get back downstairs. Tuney's shouting up a storm and I think dad might blow his top if I don't try to calm things down.

Have a restful day and enjoy the chocolate.

Yours,

Dame Evans

PS. You didn't tell me what you thought of the book!

There were still a few days before the flight was to leave, and Remus didn't want to spend them stuck at home, so he mentioned the invitation to dinner to his parents. They were a little confused at first, having never had such an invitation extended to them from one of their son's friends before (James's father was always incredibly busy, and Peter's mum was a little too paranoid for her own good – Sirius didn't even need mentioning), but after a short, private talk in the study, they gladly agreed.

Remus had sent his reply that evening, saying he'd rather mention Lily's more personal questions in person, if her family wouldn't mind having them around before Sunday. A few hours later, it had been decided that he and his parents would go to Lily's home for lunch on the Saturday before they left. The only trouble was convincing Hope Lupin to apparate.

As always, she put up a rather loud fuss, explaining at great length about how uncomfortable and dangerous it was while Lyall tried to explain it was as dangerous – if not less so – as driving or taking a train. By the time the argument was over, it was too late to do anything other than apparate, and so she was forced to concede, though not without swearing a little in Welsh (something she fell back on whenever she felt things were out of her control).

And so, at ten to twelve in the morning, Remus, Lyall and Hope Lupin stood on the doorstep of a plain looking Victorian house in Cokeworth.

"Ready?" Lyall asked his boy, who was wiping his hands on his trousers.

With a quick glance at his parents, Remus nodded and raised his fist to the door.

Moments later, after the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps on stairs and muffled voices, the door swung open, revealing a smiling red-haired girl.

"Lupo!" She exclaimed, almost jumping on him, "You're early!"

Staggering to catch himself, Remus smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. "Sorry. Couldn't wait any longer."

Pulling back, Lily beamed at him before turning to his parents. "Hi! I'm Lily."

Hope smiled. "A pleasure to meet you."

Lily nodded and stepped back, allowing them space to come in. "My mum's in the kitchen at the moment, and dad's gone to the shop to get some wine, so he'll be back in a minute."

Lyall laughed. "Then maybe I shouldn't have brought this," he said, producing a bottle of Merlot from his pocket.

"Is that a Merlot?" asked a voice from down the hall.

"Yes mum," the young girl replied.

Suddenly, a pale woman stood in one of the open doorways, her own auburn hair tied back in a short pony-tail. "Perfect! If I didn't know better, I would have said that wizards could read minds!"

Lily giggled. "We're having beef for lunch," she explained, "and some wizards can read minds mum. It's called Legilimency."

The woman shook her head with a role of her eyes. "I will never understand all of this magic stuff."

"I've been trying to understand it for over fifteen years, and I still don't know what to think of it sometimes," Hope said, taking a step forwards. "Hope Lupin, and my husband Lyall. Lovely to meet you."

The woman extended her hand after wiping it in her apron. "Rosemary Evans, but you can call me Rose, and it's a pleasure."

"Would you like any help?"

"Oh, no! You're our guest! I couldn't ask that of you."

"I insist!"

Lyall chuckled, bringing everyone's attention to him. "There's no point in arguing. When she insists, there's nothing you can do to stop her."

Rose smiled. "Words of a wise husband." She turned to her new friend. "You'd better keep a hold of that one. He's a keeper."

Hope grinned. "Oh, don't I know it. Now, what can I do?"

"Well, there isn't much left to do…"

As the women walked away, Lyall shook his head. "Those two are going to be inseparable from now on, just you watch."

Lily laughed. "Would you like me to take your coats?"

Grinning, the man removed his jacket and turned to his son. "I like her already."

Remus blushed and refrained from saying anything, pulling his own coat off and handing it over, watching as she placed them on the coat rack before leading them both into a cosy living room.

"Would you like me to get you anything to drink?" she asked, "We have tea, coffee, some juice… I think we might have some wine now."

"A tea would do nicely, thank you," Lyall replied, "I think I'll wait until lunch for the wine."

Lily smiled and turned to Remus with an expectant look.

"Just water, please."

With a quick nod, she left the room, leaving the two of them on their own.

For a moment, neither of them said anything, simply looking around at the various photos and pictures hanging on the walls and sitting on the mantelpiece and some of the other small tables dotted around the room. Remus noted that several of the older pictures had both Lily and a taller girl with dark hair, whom he could only assume was her sister, smiling together on varying backgrounds. The most recent one looked about five years old in a park somewhere with a set of swings in the background. He wished they were magic, so he could see how they acted together, but they were simply still frames, stuck in one position forever.

"Well," Lyall said, his voice bringing his son out of his thoughts, "I can see why you like her."

"Dad!"

"What? She's a lovely girl. No wonder you wrote about her so much."

Remus couldn't help but smile.

Lyall made to say more, but the sound of the front door opening interrupted him.

"I'm back!" Harry shouted into the house, closing the door behind him.

"Our guests are in the sitting room!" Rose replied.

A few seconds later, mister Evans entered the room, carrying a bottle in one hand and his keys in the other before dropping them in a bowl by the door. "Hello," he smiled, "I'm Harry."

"Lyall," Remus's dad replied, standing to shake the proffered hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Same to you," Harry replied, "and it's good to see you again Remus."

"You too, sir."

The host shook his head. "Harry, please."

Remus nodded. "Harry."

At that moment, Lily arrived with a tray of drinks.

"Hey dad," she said, placing the tray on the coffee table and giving him a one armed hug.

"Hello, my little flower," he replied, hugging her back and planting a kiss on her forehead. "I'd best take this to the kitchen. Wouldn't want to upset my wife."

"Amen to that, "Lyall said, raising his tea cup in a toast.

Once Harry had left, Lily sat down next to Remus and took a sip of her apple juice.

"My sister, Petunia," she said, noticing how Lyall was looking at the pictures. "She's at her friend's house, if you were wondering."

"Ah," Lyall inclined his head in comprehension. "She looks like a nice girl."

Lily smiled, but was saved from answering when her father appeared in the door.

"Lunch is ready." He declared with a smile before disappearing around the corner.

The dining room was about the same size as the living room, only there was a table in the centre, surrounded by six chairs and covered in a cream coloured cloth. In the centre of the table sat several serving bowls filled with mashed potatoes, carrots, sweed, cauliflower, peas and parsnips. Hope was already sat in one of the seats and Lyall moved to sit next to her just as Harry and Rose entered, carrying a pile of plates and the last of the food; a plate of carved beef and a jug of gravy.

Once they were all seated (Lily strategically leaving only the space next to her free for Remus), Harry pulled the first plate off of the pile and piled on two slices of beef before passing it around the table.

"I hope you all like your beef medium-rare," he said as he passed on another plate, "Our little Lily-flower here insisted."

Lily blushed as she handed a plate over to Remus, who smiled at her thoughtfulness. He had once told her that having fully cooked meats so soon after the full moon didn't always agree with him, and it would seem that she had remembered.

"It's lovely, thank you," Remus said as he scooped some carrots onto his plate.

Lyall sent her a questioning look, but she simply shrugged and smiled, glancing at Remus who was concentrating on gathering food.

Several minutes later, the conversation had somehow turned onto first dates.

"So, Hope," Rose said as she cut into her food, "what was the first date between the two of you like?"

Hope smiled as she thought back. "Oh, it was so romantic," she said, dropping her hands to the table. "We went to this stunning restaurant in Cardiff, with candles, and a quartet playing in the foyer."

"I had to make up for our first meeting," Lyall said, taking a sip of his wine. "It wasn't exactly a wonderful way to meet your future wife."

Hope laughed. "I thought you were rather dashing, rescuing me like that."

Lyall blushed and ducked his head, making Harry laugh.

"That sounds like quite a story."

Lyall shook his head. "It's nothing really."

"I wouldn't say so," Hope argued. "I was working in an insurance company at the time, and I decided to take a walk in the woods, just a few miles outside the city. Everything was fine and dandy when suddenly, this… this…"

"Boggart, dear," Lyall said.

She nodded. "This boggart came out from behind a bush and turned into this… this man. He was tall and he looked vicious. He had a knife and…"

"It's okay, it's over now," her husband said, rubbing his hand along her arm.

Nodding, she smiled at him. "Anyway, I screamed and Lyall here comes running a few minutes later and magics him into a mushroom!"

Lyall shook his head. "I will never understand why you decided to have a boggart-shaped topper on our wedding cake."

The two muggles frowned in confusion as everyone else laughed.

"Boggart?" Harry questioned.

Hope nodded. "The creature Lyall rescued me from. It turns into the thing you fear most."

"We learnt about them in school this year, in Defence Against the Dark Arts," Lily explains. "You have to use the 'Riddikulus' spell against them."

"If that's the case, then why didn't you cast the spell?" Harry asked.

Hope blinked. "Me?"

"Mum's not a witch," Remus said, scooping the last of his mash onto his fork.

"Oh! I do apologise."

"Nothing to apologise for."

Clearing his plate, Remus sat up and turned to Lily. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Oh, it's through the door in the kitchen, just left down the corridor."

Quietly excusing himself, he left everyone to their conversation. By the time he came back, Lily and Harry were clearing things away while Rose continued to talk animatedly with his parents.

Remus quickly made to help, pulling several now empty bowls towards him and piling them up before carrying them into the kitchen.

When he turned back to return to the dining room, he felt a hand catch him by the arm.

"Remus?"

Turning around, he found Lily's bright green eyes staring into his. "Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute? Outside?" she asked, indicating the back door.

"Uh, yeah, sure."

It was a little chilly outside, but not overly so. The sun was hidden behind the clouds that looked as though they were ready to rain, and there was a slight breeze, so Remus hoped they wouldn't be out here too long, though considering what they were going to be discussing, he wasn't so sure.

"So, um… you said you'd rather talk about it in person," she said, rubbing her arm.

He nodded. "It's… Everything's gotten very confusing."

Lily hummed in agreement.

"Would you… I mean, do you want to be my girlfriend?" he asked, searching her face for any sign that he was overstepping his boundaries.

She pursed her lips. "Well, I suppose so."

"You suppose so?"

Lily face split into a giant grin. "Of course I would, Remus!" she exclaimed with a laugh, wrapping her arms around him once again. "I was hoping you would ask."

He smiled, hugging her back before holding onto her shoulders and pushing her back so he could see her face. "I know I'm leaving tomorrow, and I really wish I wasn't going, but how about a date? A real one, without our parents or our friends or anyone. Just us."

"That sounds wonderful."

Remus grinned. "How about a meal, or a picnic or something?"

"Sounds great."

"I'll be back by the first week in August. It'll have to be after that."

"Can't wait."

He sighed and just stared at her for a moment, brushing her hair behind her ear in a cliché moment. "Me neither."

Slowly, Lily began to rise onto her toes, leaning steadily closer towards him as he approached downwards. He could feel her breath on his lips, her nose touching his, his heart beating a mile a minute and…

"Kids! It's time for desert!"

The two of them jumped apart, staring after Harry who had returned indoors.

Lily groaned. "He did that on purpose."

Remus shrugged. "Best not keep them waiting."

Desert turned out to be an apple pie with ice cream, which was extremely more-ish, and by the time the Lupins were ready to leave, it was already well into the afternoon, everyone having spent the majority of the time talking about school, work and magic.

"It was lovely to meet all of you," Rose said from her seat, unable to rise from exhaustion, "I hope you'll visit again."

"We definitely will," Lyall said, shaking Harry's hand. "We'll get Remus to write."

"Your coats," Lily said, handing them over.

"Thanks Lily," Remus said with a smile, shrugging the coat over his shoulders.

Hope went over to Rose and held her hand. "Get well soon. Next time, wait until you're better. You shouldn't have to strain yourself for us."

"It was worth your company," she replied. "Come again soon."

Hope nodded before turning to her husband. "Come on then, let's be off. We still have some packing to do."

"Bye guys," Lily said, giving them a wave as they made their way out the door.

"Goodbye dear," Hope replied, wrapping an arm around her husband's . "Come on Remus!"

Looking back at the open door, he paused for a moment. "Could you… give me a second."

Running back, he pulled Lily into one last hug, holding her close, brushing his cheek against her hair. "I'll keep in touch."

"You'd better," she replied, squeezing him in return, her arms clutching at his coat. Pulling back, she placed a feather-light kiss against his cheek. "I'll see you in August."

"August," he agreed with a smile, pulling away reluctantly and joining his parents who were waiting patiently down the road.

With one last wave, Lily disappeared into her home and the door swung shut.

The next month couldn't pass fast enough.

AN - Oh! So close and yet so far!

Sorry this was a little late. I seem to be going through a busy period - still not completely used to having a job yet.

I enjoyed writing this chapter, even if it was mostly filler. Things seem to be moving along nicely...

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to next week!