now when i say I've been gone for a while, I mean it. i've been gone for a while. god, it's taken quite a while to get this up and running. i know that this is a popular excuse but it's totally true. I was busy. i'm sorry. i'm not a high school student with alot of time on my hands. i've got things to do, you know! between birthdays and homework i'm booked up! still, i feel really bad for not posting these chapters. I suck, I know.

if you're still reading this story, thank you so much, it means alot. i know my time management skills are crap but if you've stuck with me this long, thank you. thank you so much.

onto the story!

Disclaimer: the original idea for Harry Potter is not mine and I have no intention of claiming it as such.

"Remus?" Remus looked up from the book, curious at who was calling him.

"Oh!" it was Tiffany. She was in a blue t-shirt, a black jacket around her figure, and jeans. In her hand was a small book that looked like it could fit into her pocket. "Hi, Tiffany."

"Hi," she blinked twice as if she was still unsure that he was there, "Um, I thought you'd be at Arthur's party. I mean, it is being held in your Common Room."

"I thought you'd be there as well," he lied, "students from other houses can come in tonight."

Tiffany shrugged and flipped her bangs back, "I'm not really into the partying." She admitted, smiling a little.

"Neither am I."

"That's hard to believe," she said laughing. When Remus questioned her with a look, she explained, "You hang out with Sirius Black and James Potter. They love the whole 'social gathering' thing."

"Just because they do doesn't mean I have to."

"True." She rocked back on her heels like she was nervous, "So you're just gonna sit here and read?"

"Kind of, yeah. Care to join me?"

"Sure." She sat down in a nearby chair and stretched a little bit. Then she cast a glance at the bookshelves. They were tall and filled but she only gave it a moment's notice before reaching forward and pulling one off the shelf. Tiffany opened it, her eyes scanning the words quickly, taking it in with interest. Remus had to stop reading at this because he had rarely seen her this focussed. Whether it was class notes or their research, they'd always end up comfortable and relaxed. But this was different. Watching Tiffany read this book, he was aware that she was tense, her frame stiff as if she were on edge, expecting something to happen.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, lightly tapping her shoulder.

She flinched and looked at him, "Uh, yeah, I'm fine." she mumbled, eyes downcast. "It's no big deal."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal. Forget it." She buried her face into the book again. Remus smirked as she risked a glance over the rim, noticed he was staring, blushed, and looked down. He let out a laugh.

"Are you that bothered by it?"

"It's not that I'm bothered by it. It's just… something happened to me a little earlier. I'm a little worried about it but I can deal with it later."

"I see…" Remus thought for a bit. She looked really bothered by whatever had happened and he wanted very much to remove it from her mind. What she needed was a distraction… but how…"Are you seeing someone?"

"W-w-what?" she spluttered, eyes widening in shock. Her cheeks began to darken until they were a dark red.

"I said are you seeing someone?"

"Erm…no?"

"Are you interested in anyone?" this was a question Remus had wanted to ask since the previous night. Tiffany was interested in someone, he knew that for a fact. She had told Lily about it. If Tiffany lied, it meant that she didn't trust him or she was too shy to admit it. If she said yes, it would only make him more curious and he wouldn't be able to let it go. To an extent, he wanted her to say no, but that'd mean she didn't trust him and he really wanted her trust. But if she said yes, it would under his skin all night and the feeling would haunt him until he found out.

And did he really want to find out?

"Like, right now?"

"Sure."

Tiffany looked down awkwardly and he suddenly felt very embarrassed. He shouldn't be asking those questions. He shouldn't even care about the answers to his questions, and yet the curiosity was far too strong. He may have been the most polite of the Marauders but suddenly that didn't seem to matter. "Yeah, I do."

Remus froze. "Pardon?"

"I said yeah, I do." She raised an eyebrow, "You going deaf or something?" just like that, her confidence was restored. Remus wasn't sure which side of Tiffany he liked better. The quiet one he'd researched with or the bold, confident one that spilled through every so often. Like back in detention, or now, in the library.

"Naw, maybe I'm just tired." Tiffany shrugged and went back to her book. Remus stared at her a little longer before returning to the paperback in his own hands but the effect didn't last long. His eyes kept shifting towards Tiffany, wondering who she was interested in. She had no real need to tell him. After all, they weren't exactly the closest. Still, Remus would have really liked to have just asked her, to be blunt and confident. To just say, 'who do you like?' Who do you like?

"Pardon me?"

"Huh?" He'd just said it out loud. He flushed in embarrassment but it was nothing compared to the red that was coating Tiffany's face. "I didn't say-" he thought for a moment, "You fancy someone, right?"

"Yes. What's your point?"

"Eh, who is it? The bloke that you fancy, I mean." Tiffany looked down and looked like she was thinking very hard on something. "I mean, you can tell me if you want to. But if you're not…comfortable with it then it's fine."

Tiffany looked up tentatively and Remus saw his answer blatant in her eyes. Not yet. Not yet. "How about later then?"

"Yeah, later." She said, breathing out all at once. "Thanks." She smiled, small, but it looked like she was relieved. Remus smiled as well. It was fine as long as she was more comfortable. Tiffany returned to the book in her hands and Remus watched her read. She was more into it this time, he noticed. Her dark eyes would flit across the page, reading each sentence and soaking in the words. She didn't look up again.

Remus wondered how long she would last. He kind of hoped that she would glance up, acknowledge he was there, maybe talk to him, but it seemed that she'd rather read.

Tiffany had always struck him as different. He sometimes wondered what she was thinking, especially now, in the silence of the library, he had to guess what was going through her mind. She was already hard to read, it didn't help that her actions gave nothing away, that her expressions were hidden and unknowable. She was good at controlling her emotions, he could see that. But he could also see how tense she actually was. The tightness in her shoulders that had been more prominent at the beginning had faded until it was only slightly noticeable to him. He wondered what was bothering her now. It was small, but he could still sense it. It was his werewolf instincts that could sense the discord in her emotions. Was it his question? Was she still concerned about answering him? It didn't really matter who the bloke was. At least, not to him.

But perhaps that was a lie. Every time he thought about the possibility that he was the one she fancied, his heart swelled and his face felt hot. The thought that it was someone else? He wasn't sure what he would do. It wasn't like he could change her mind. And he wouldn't stop her from liking whoever she preferred over himself. She deserved him if she wanted him. He was sure that whoever it was, he would be kind and caring and good enough for her.

He sighed and turned to his own book. He was about to turn the page when Tiffany suddenly shut her book. "What's wrong?"

"I need to go to bed." She stated, her eyes smiling, "Too bad I can't read the book later."

"Why not?"

"I'm busy. I've got things to do, people to see, things to buy. After all, tomorrow is our Hogsmede trip. "

"Yeah, it is." Remus closes his own book and slipped it into the shelf. "Can I walk you?"

"?"

"To your Common Room."

"Oh, um, sure." She flicked her bangs to the side, falling back in to place seconds later. They left the library silently, waving good bye to their librarian and not looking back. They walked down the lengthy hall, turning when they needed to, and climbing the staircase in a comfortable silence. Remus wondered how the party at Gryffindor tower was. He hoped that Sirius wasn't being too much of a downer. His friend could be incredibly serious when he wanted to be. It would ruin the party and then... well, things wouldn't go the way they planned.

He absently wondered how James was doing. Everything Tiffany had documented was true. If James was kidnapped like they thought, then he was being held for a legitimate reason. He wasn't anywhere in the castle, Professor Dumbledore had been sure of that. He'd had the teachers search their houses to see if James was anywhere. It wasn't exactly like James could leave if he wanted too. He had no real means of transportation and his plans to woe Lily had been incomplete. Remus hoped that James was on the grounds somewhere. They had been the only area he hadn't checked.

Then it dawned on him. James' parents. Did they know? They had to. James wrote to them once a week and they'd always written back. And Dumbledore, their Headmaster must have sent them some kind of letter to tell them that their eldest and only son had gone missing. There wasn't much else that could have been done. But had Sirius been right? Had he really waited too soon? Had everything he had planned been wrong? What if James really couldn't be found? What if James was somewhere of in a distant city and they had no chance of finding him? Who would have the motive to kidnap him anyway?

Remus glanced at Tiffany who walked obliviously through the castle, casting the occasional glance at the portraits, most of which were somewhat drowsy and falling asleep. He wondered what he would do if it were her, and not James, that had gone missing. Would he have waited, trusting her ability to survive? Or would he have just left to search for her?

Now that he knew her, he couldn't quite imagine life without her. It was impossible. He figured that Lily, in all her attempts to deny her feelings, must have been starting to comprehend her love for James. Who else would worry to the extent of missing sleep and failing classes? Who else would have braved a sea of rumours to ask about James on the first day of his disappearance? Lily would be realizing her feelings quite soon and when she did... he wasn't sure how she was going to react.

"Remus?"

"Huh?" Remus looked over curiously at Tiffany. "What is it?"
"Can I ask you something?" Remus' walking slowed but he otherwise continued.

"Sure. Anything."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yeah." He said.

"Okay, hold on to that."

He looked at her oddly, hoping for an explanation but she just stared straight ahead, ignoring him. "What do you mean?" he voiced the question in his head.

"It's nothing," she said, glancing over, "Just –"

"Just what?"

"Here's my stop."

Remus looked in front of them. Without realizing it, the pair had arrived at the Ravenclaw Common Room. You couldn't really tell though. It didn't have a giant portrait like the Gryffindor Common Room. Instead, it had a large door, a door that looked extremely plain. It was thick and wooden, with no handle or keyhole. Just a bronze, eagle shaped knocker.

Tiffany smiled and reached up to knock, the sound echoing through the halls of Hogwarts. Then, strangely, the eagle opened its mouth and spoke: "What is more useful when it is broken?"

Remus blinked twice and turned to Tiffany hoping for another explanation but she just tapped her cheek twice and smiled as if she'd had a 'Eureka!' moment. "Broken usefulness," she said confidently.

"Well said." said the knocker, before the huge doors swung apart revealing a brilliant, silvery-blue coloured room.

"It's amazing," said Remus, completely in awe of the room. He'd never seen other Houses' Common Rooms. Ever. "Astounding."

"I know. It almost always feels like night time here." She said affectionately. Remus stiffened slightly. Night... "Oh, I'm so sorry." she said, hands up defensively, "I didn't mean it like that. It must a sensitive subject." She added, somewhat to herself.

"What do you-"

"Good night, Remus." She said, making for the door.

"Good night, Tiffany." He murmured, the doors closing behind her. For a moment, he just stared at the door, wondering if that had been the right send-off. After all, he might not have the ability to see her before he and his friends left the school in search for James. After a few moments, Remus sighed and walked away, hands in his pockets but then he heard a sudden creak behind him and swivelled to see Tiffany running after him.

"Remus!" she huffed.

"Tiffany? What are you-"

She caught up to him and threw her arms around him. Remus just stood still, dumbstruck. He wasn't totally sure what was going on until she pulled back, her eyes concerned. "Please be careful and-and" Tiffany reached up and pressed her lips to his cheek. Remus gasped, surprised at her action. "When in doubt, just trust James." She moved back, her face flushed and she raced back to her Common Room, not looking back.

Once more Remus stood in the hall, frozen in shock this time. His hand moved to touch his cheek and he realized that his face was beginning to burn, the memory fresh in his mind. She'd just…

He scratched his head, his mind a jumble of words and pictures, walking back to his Common Room and if you'd ask anyone who saw him walking back, they would have told you he was the colour of roses.

end of this chapter. y'know? I think i have many chapters but they're way too short. I have the urge to lengthen them.

oh well :3

if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please review.

thank you and have a wonderful day [: