Harry Potter fanfiction
THE DARK SECRET

Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
REMUS

Remus walked into the scarlet Gryffindor common room, followed by Peter Pettigrew, and following the ever-confident Sirius Black and James Potter. They had just come from a very satisfying dinner in the Great Hall and were stuffed with roast chicken, steak and kidney pie, roast potatoes, and custard tarts and ice cream. The common room was filling up with Gryffindors of all years.

He spotted Lily Evans sitting at a desk in the far corner of the common room, a candle's flame illuminating the light of her face and brightening her red hair. Her almond-shaped green eyes glistened in the candlelight. Remus noticed she was concentrated on a book in front of her, a quill in between her fingers and scraping against the parchment that lay before her. His shining eyes skated towards one of his closest friends. James Potter's hazel eyes lingered on Lily's frame with such admiration, admiration Remus himself could relate to.

"Aha. Ol' Prongs's lover's about," Sirius teased, nudging James in the side. He scowled at him and shrugged him away. "Hogsmeade is open to us this weekend," Sirius continued. "Perhaps you should get her to go with you."

"Brilliant suggestion, Padfoot," chimed Peter Pettigrew. Sirius grinned.

"So how about it? Gonna give it a try?" he asked the pondering James. Remus thought about he himself asking Aislinn Blair to Hogsmeade as well. He did, after all, owe her a date, since he had to decline her offer last weekend because of the full moon. He involuntarily smiled at the thought of wandering through the romantic rustic town alongside her, her dainty form close to his tall athletic one.

"Do it, Prongs! You should," sang Peter. Remus looked at his friends, noticing Sirius's arms crossed over his sturdy chest and Peter eyeing James with a smirk. James narrowed his eyebrows briefly before turning back to the studying Lily.

"I suppose it's worth a shot. After all, she can't possibly reject me for a seventh year in a row," he said. Sirius slapped James on the back with praise.

"Atta boy. Now that's rightful thinking, mate. Go for it." James nodded and strolled confidently off towards Lily. The remanding Marauders crept off towards the circle of scarlet sofas, fixed in front of a brilliant orange fire. They discreetly kept their gaze on James and Lily, anticipating her answer, but appearing oblivious to the passer-by's eye.

"So, Moony. Thinkin' about taking Miss Blair to Hogsmeade as well?" Sirius suggested with a wry grin. "You could double-date with ol' Prongsy, should Miss Evans agree to his offer."

Remus shrugged and thought wistfully of the idea, averting his gaze to the fire. Of course he was thinking about taking Aislinn to Hogsmeade. He always wanted an excuse to be with her. Lucky for him the two of them were good friends and she enjoyed being around him. He continued to feel utter dread and guilt when he thought about his rejection to her offer to Hogsmeade. He cursed himself for being what he was, and he also cursed the dreaded creature who made him what he was.

That damned werewolf, he thought disdainfully. Fenrir Greyback …

He mentally snarled at the infamous werewolf's name. If he'd never been bitten, he wouldn't have to deal with what he went through now. He wouldn't have to be a pity case for Dumbledore. He wouldn't have to drink that rotten Wolfsbane potion to contain the abysmal power of the lycanthropy. He wouldn't have to lie to Aislinn and all of his other friends. He was grateful for the Marauders. Without them, Remus didn't know how he could survive in school. The secret was too heavy to carry on his own.

"Oy. Looks like Moony's got his head in the clouds thinking about his Ravenclaw beauty." Sirius's teasing voice pulled Remus from his thoughts, and he was relieved. He hadn't wanted his thoughts to drift that far. If he'd been dreaming about Aislinn Blair, then that would have been different, but the lycanthropy gave him nightmares awake or asleep. It was a nightmare he couldn't ever escape.

Remus rolled his eyes and scoffed at Sirius, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. Peter snickered beside Sirius.

"Oy, Padfoot. Looks like you're right. Ickle Moony-kins has his mind on Blair." The pudgy one of the group chortled in his seat, Sirius's handsome face spreading into a wide foxlike grin.

"So what?" Remus said finally. "You already know, I already know, I suppose there's no use hiding it." Sirius nodded with approval.

"Exactly. So, are you going to ask the girl?" he inquired.

"I do owe her a date," admitted Remus. "She asked me to Hogsmeade last weekend, but, for obvious reasons, I had to decline. She looked so sad and heartbroken." Remus's face fell to a frown and sadness swept across his features.

"Sounds as if Aislinn wanted a date with you too, Remy," said Sirius, his tone no longer teasing. Remus glanced at him and noticed a sympathetic smile crossing his lips. Remus's frown turned upside-down to a nice smile.

"Perhaps she shares your feelings, Moony. Would be nice, wouldn't it?" asked Peter, growing a gap-toothed grin.

"I sure do hope so. After all, my relationship with her has been nothing like Prongs's and Lily's," said Remus, his gaze shifting towards the corner where James was leaning casually over Lily's desk, and all over her work. She looked a tad annoyed, and Remus had a gut-feeling that this wouldn't turn out as well as James had wanted it to.

"That's for sure. At least you can stand with Blair without her snarling at you to move away," Sirius said. "I'm not aware she knows how to snarl anyway. Does the girl possess any negative emotion?" The last bit was a joke, as they all knew how kind and gentle Aislinn Blair was. Incredibly shy, as well. Remus knew she couldn't stand in front of a crowd and give a lecture to save her life. She spoke so softly, as if she didn't want anyone to hear her, and she never wanted to upset others. Remus found her so attractive, both on the outside and the inside. There was nobody more pure than she.

"Little Aislinn Blair. Very true, my friend," said Peter. "The girl is so delicate; a frown would break her face."

Remus rolled his eyes, but he thought about it. He always saw Aislinn smiling. Did she ever frown?

Immediately, his thoughts drifted back to that memory, the one where he'd rejected her. Her angelic face had plastered a frown then, and he'd produced it. Guilt, yet again, twisted his gut as he shut his eyes to cast away the pain. He'd make up for it. All he had to do was ask her out.

Just then, James Potter came around the sofa and planted himself next to Remus, perching his feet up on the coffee table in front of them and folding his arms behind his head. He wore a silly confident smirk as he sighed heavily. Sirius arched an eyebrow.

"I'll just assume that Evans finally agreed to take you up on your offer," he said and crossed his legs, folding his arms over his chest.

"You would be very right, my friend," replied James. "Ah, nothing could ruin this night. Finally. Finally—Evans has agreed to go out with me."

"It's just one date," Remus reminded, but he added when James scowled at him for attempting to ruin his mood, "but it's a start." They smiled at each other, and James sighed again.

"Oh, that's right. Moony, Evans agreed to go to Hogsmeade with me under one condition, but I figured it wouldn't be a problem at all," he started. Remus arched an eyebrow.

"Well?" he pressed.

"You've got to double-date with us, with Aislinn Blair. She won't go unless you two join us. I guess she doesn't fully trust me yet," he muttered.

"You guess?" Sirius snickered.

"Oh. Well—"

"You were asking on Blair to Hogsmeade this weekend, weren't you?" asked James. Remus rolled his eyes. James would have blown a casket if Remus had told him otherwise. He finally nodded.

"Yes. I am asking Aislinn to Hogsmeade," he said.

"Oh brilliant. This will be great. Blair will, of course, say yes, since she bloody fancies you too"—Remus arched an eyebrow and slightly scowled, even though the confidence in his friend's words made his heart flutter. James hadn't been the only one who thought Aislinn shared his feelings for her—"and Evans and I will finally have the date of our dreams. She'll regret ever rejecting me for these past six years," he said. Remus, Sirius, and Peter all gave their friend congratulatory grins as James basked in his utter happiness. Remus glanced over at Lily Evans, who, to his surprise, had been watching the four of them, her bright green eyes lingering particularly on James himself, and watched her smile at him before going back to her schoolwork.