Chapter 39 Home for the Holidays
A/N: Just a reminder: Sirius calls the chocolate Flower Blossoms that Mrs. Lupin makes French Kisses to embarrass her. Also, just in case, I'm giving the following definition:
Eunuch: 1. A castrated person employed to take charge of the women of a harem and act as chamberlain. 2. A man or boy whose testes are nonfunctioning or have been removed. (So he has no raging hormones. ;)) A eunuch, of course, was ideally suited to guard the bedchamber of women. (From on that lovely note, on to the chapter.
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Remus twirled his fingers through Lindi's dark hair, gathering the smooth strands into his fists as he leaned in to kiss her again. It was like warm silk in his hands. All those months he'd dreamed of running his fingers through it, and now he could, without fear of having his hand slapped away. Lindi seemed to enjoy it too, so he intended to take full advantage of the opportunity.
But it was more than just enjoyable; it also served as a way to keep his hands from running other places that she probably wouldn't approve of at this point in their relationship. He didn't want to move too quickly, but he'd wanted this for so long and in the heat of the moment—well, it was better not to run the risk, so he kept his hands occupied with her hair, just in case his mind failed him. He absolutely could not think straight. He was kissing Lindi—and had been for some time now. It was like a dream, lying there in front of the fire. His lips were all tingly and he felt his breathing quicken when she smiled up at him.
But what was that noise?
He rolled over and looked at the entrance to the secret passageway.
"Hello," a muffled voice called, accompanying the light rapping on the mirror.
Oh, for the love of Merlin, go away! he thought. Couldn't people just leave them in peace? He decided he would just ignore whoever was there. He turned back to Lindi.
But she was gone, vanished right out from under him. Crap! She must have Disapparated to get away, not wanting to get caught. After all, they were out well past curfew.
But wait a minute…she couldn't have Disapparated; it couldn't be done within Hogwarts grounds. Then what happened to her? Remus's heart started to race, not from desire this time; something was wrong.
The rapping on the mirror grew more urgent. "Oy…are you up in there?" the voice called.
Remus blinked, forcing his eyes to focus in the dim light. Oh, bloody hell! It hadn't been like a dream after all; it was a dream! He let go of the bed sheet he had twisted up in his fists and rolled over with a low groan. He realized he really should have known better, when he had imagined them lying on the floor together. But what a wonderful dream! Oh, why did he have to be interrupted just then?
"Wake up, you lazy lugs! We'll miss the train!" said Lily, her voice recognizable now that Remus was awake and the door was opened. Then he heard her gasp. "Gawd, blimey, Black! Put some clothes on!"
Remus peeked through the velvet bed curtains and saw Sirius, sprawled on his bed in nothing but his pants, his bed linens wrapped around his knees and flung haphazardly over the edge of the bed. This was not unusual, since Sirius slept the way he did most things in life—with reckless abandon. But it was unusual to have Lily enter their room.
"Mornin, Evans," Sirius said through a wide yawn. He stretched, kicking off the sheets and swung his bare legs over the side of the bed. Then he stood up and stretched again, grunting lightly.
Remus looked around for Lily and saw her standing in front of the opened door, her back turned. She glanced quickly back at Sirius before whipping her head around again and her cheeks took on a rosy tinge. "Bloody hell, Sirius, have you no shame?" she snapped.
"Sure I do, but only if I have something to be ashamed of," he said. Not even his gravely morning voice masked the arrogance, (playful though it was) in his statement. Sirius could not be accused of false modesty. After all, it was the truth. Remus thought he might be likely to walk around in only his pants if he looked like that…Well, no, he probably wouldn't, but he still wouldn't mind looking like that.
"Oh, you are so full of yourself…" Lily sighed. She turned around then, with great composure and looked him in the eye, as if proving that she would not be intimidated (or impressed). "Never mind, I'm going to go get my things now. I just wanted to make sure you lot were getting ready."
When the door closed behind her, James rolled out of bed and lobbed his pillow at Sirius. "You smarmy git!"
"What?" Sirius asked innocently.
"You know full well what," said James.
"Hey, she's the one who barged into my room."
"Bollucks! You are a smarmy git, and you know it!" James said, smirking in that way that showed he was annoyed, but not seriously so. "How would you like it if I walked around starkers in front of Haversham?"
Sirius pretended to be giving it serious consideration, looking James over appraisingly. "Sorry, but I don't think I'd feel threatened or anything," Sirius teased. "I mean, you're alright but…" He motioned towards himself and added, "Come on."
"You bloody wanker," James cried, breaking into a reluctant grin. "Sometimes I wonder why we are even friends."
"Because you are a smarmy git, too," offered Peter, pulling on his bathrobe.
"Oh, yeah, well you're just a git, Wormtail," said James, chucking a slipper Peter's way.
"Well, we're all going to be gits-who-missed-the-train if we don't hurry," said Remus, finally rolling out of his own bed. He was stiff and achy from all the dancing, but he didn't mind; it was evidence that he hadn't dreamed everything about last night. Which reminded him… "Speaking of gits, what did you put in the punch last night? Please tell me it wasn't Veritaserum."
"It wasn't Veritaserum," said James and Sirius together.
"That would be against the law," said James, pretending to be indignant.
"Oh, well, that's a relief. What was I thinking? I should know better than to even consider that you might do something illegal, Prongs," Remus said with as much sarcasm as he could muster, which was considerable. "So, what was it then?"
"Verboserum," said Sirius.
"I rather liked the name Vomitus Your Thoughticus," said James.
"Yeah, well that's just stupid," said Sirius.
James feigned taking offense. "Sirius doesn't think it's dignified enough for his work. His most noble Black side is showing."
"I'll show you my noble Black side," said Sirius, turning around and grasping the waste band of his pants.
"Aaanywaay," said Remus, determined to keep them focused, as they were clearly in a mood. "It might be stupid—no offense James—but it seems to fit the potion."
"True," said Sirius, forgoing exposing himself further.
"So, unlike Veritaserum, which makes you answer questions truthfully, Verboserum makes you blurt it right out, without even being asked?" Remus asked to clarify. "So it is actually worse than Veritaserum."
"Well, not exactly," said James. "It isn't nearly as powerful as Veritaserum."
"It has similar properties and uses a lot of the same ingredients," said Sirius. "And we added some that would invoke the same sort of response from a Babbling Curse. But it isn't necessarily a Truth Potion."
"It's more a blabbing potion," said James. "It makes whatever pops into your head come spewing out, whether it's true or not."
Remus remembered Darlene's hateful words to Lindi as she was being dragged away. Obviously it wasn't' a truth serum, since Lindi was anything but an 'ugly little slag'.
"Well, there was an awful lot of whatever being spewed, thanks to you lot," said Remus, his tone disapproving.
"You're not kidding," said James, clearly proud of their accomplishment.
"It was amazing," said Peter.
"Yes, amazing," said Remus, smirking. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to do it?"
"Because we didn't want you nagging us about it," said Sirius bluntly.
"And we didn't want you to be distracted from your date," said James.
"You were already a nervous wreck," added Peter.
"Ahh…Well, thank you for your consideration," said Remus dryly. "In your concern for me, did it ever occur to you that I might drink the punch?"
"You were drinking butterbeer," said Sirius.
"Yes, but I could have very easily decided to try the punch," insisted Remus. "Can you imagine the things that might have popped into my head and that I might have spewed all over the Great Hall?"
"Yeah," sniggered James. "I can imagine." He cleared his throat and, in an obviously exaggerated imitation of Remus, said, "Gawd blimey, but you're beautiful, Lindi."
"Or—Lindi, can we please go snog some more?" added Peter, grinning.
"How about—Well, yes, Lindi," Sirius joined in the teasing. "I do care about your arse and bristols. What do you think I am, a eunuch?"
Peter and James snorted in amusement and Remus almost joined them. But when he reminded himself of some of the other things he might have let slip, he found it easier to control his laughter.
"Of course," said Remus. "I might have concluded with, 'Well, I'm not a eunuch, but I am a werewolf. You don't mind, do you?"
"You wouldn't have," said James, still sniggering.
"How can you be so sure?" asked Remus. "It pops into my head from time to time, you know."
"That you aren't a eunuch?" asked Sirius, amused. But Remus knew he was just trying to divert the conversation.
Still, he couldn't help but grin and he felt his lip crack. Hmm…they were awfully chapped, but that would have to wait. "I mean it, Sirius," he said.
"Look, you wouldn't have said anything like that. We told you; the Verboserum isn't nearly as powerful as Veritaserum. It isn't going to make you tell important things that you really don't want to tell," said Sirius.
"Well, Lindi was saying things she obviously hadn't intended to share," Remus argued.
"Yeah, well, you aren't Lindi," said Sirius.
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Remus. Something in Sirius' tone caused him to bristle.
"Nothing," said Sirius. "It just means that someone like you isn't going to be affected the way someone like Lindi is."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Remus asked.
"It just means that someone with your strong mental abilities probably wouldn't be affected at all, at least not once you realized it was happening," Sirius explained. "Especially now, with your training in Occlumency, you would've been able to counter it easily."
Remus found that he took great offense to this explanation. "Are you implying that Lindi is weak minded?"
Sirius sighed. "No," he said mollifyingly. "It has nothing to do with her intelligence, Moony. I know she's not stupid. It's more a matter of—of her awareness—being on guard. You know how she is. No offense, but she can be a bit oblivious. I doubt Lindi knows what it means to be on her guard. I mean, hell, she thinks Snape's a decent bloke."
"And the biggest secret she's probably ever had was that she'd never been kissed," James added.
"'Till last night," Peter said, waggling his brows.
James grinned. "So I highly doubt she gives much thought to the need for mental defenses, much less that she has ever practiced them."
"Exactly, so don't go getting offended," said Sirius.
"Yeah," said James. "You should be thanking us."
Remus looked incredulous. "Thanking you?"
"Sure," said James. "Thanks to us, you know she thinks you're a great kisser!" He puckered his lips and started making the loud smooching noise.
"Oh, would you stop it?" Remus implored him, trying not to smile.
"Oh, Remus, I want you to kiss me," James teased instead. "You're just so good at it!"
Peter sniggered. "Did you see the way she looked at you? Now I know what Mum means when she says someone swooned." He looked at Remus, nearly awestruck. "You made her swoon."
"I tell you; I'm almost tempted to snog you myself, just to see what all the fuss is about," said Sirius.
Remus's face burned. "Will you all please knock it off?" he begged. "We're going to miss the train." He gathered up his bath kit and a towel and left his friends sniggering madly. As much as he enjoyed being teased about Lindi, (because it helped convince him it was real) he just couldn't help being embarrassed.
Still, while she might not have actually swooned, shehadseemed very pleased with his kissing. Of course, it doesn't mean anything, when you consider all she has to compare it to, Remus told himself. She has so much experience, after all.
But then again, she had a little experience now, enough that it had given him chapped lips, anyway. He smiled just thinking about it, as he looked into the bathroom mirror. The grin pulled at his cracking lips. He'd have to work on toughening them up. Clearly he hadn't been getting enough experience himself…
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The Marauders met Lily in the Common Room and made their way quickly towards the Entrance Hall where they were to meet Lindi. They were running late, after all the joking, and risked missing the train. But Lindi wasn't waiting for them. Instead, they nearly collided with her as they rounded a corner across from the passage to Ravenclaw Tower, when she came dashing through, obviously running late as well. It looked like she hadn't even combed her hair and Remus's stomach fluttered when he considered that some of the tangles might have been his fault. After all, he knew he hadn't dreamed everything about last night.
They didn't have time for a proper greeting, which was probably just as well, since he doubted he could get away with kissing her right there in front of all his friends, but Remus did get a glorious smile before she gasped out her hellos. He couldn't help but notice her lips were a little on the chapped side, too. More proof that it was real…Theymay not have been lying on the floor together, but he had kissed Lindi till their lips were nearly raw. Unless this whole thing is one amazing dream.
If it was, he hoped he never woke up.
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In order to avoid missing the train, James and Lindi were going to fly ahead to buy everyone's tickets, since they had both brought their brooms. Remus had planned to buy Lindi's, since he had invited her, so he took her aside to give her the money, but she refused, pointing out that the others were his guests, too, and they were paying their own way.
"Yes, but they invited themselves," he argued. "Well, I invited Lily, but…"
She grinned up at him. "You know I can't let you do that; it's too much. Maybe next time."
Remus smiled in defeat. It had been their first squabble as boyfriend and girlfriend. He was lightheaded just thinking about it that way, and he knew it wasn't due to lack of sleep. He hoped all their squabbles were so satisfying. Somehow, he felt that even though he had lost the skirmish, he had won. She was expecting a next time.
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When the six friends boarded the train, Remus and Lily stuck their heads into the prefect compartment to check in, and then they all found a compartment together. They squeezed their things in before Remus and Lily had to go perform a quick prefect round. Fortunately, they didn't have their trunks with them, as it would have been impossible to fit them all. It was a little snug, now that Peter had decided to join them. He wasn't staying for the entire holiday like James and Sirius, but he had convinced his parents to let him come for the first couple of days, unable to tolerate being the only Marauder missing from the party.
While it was a little cozy, the compartment wouldn't exactly be uncomfortable for them all. Still, Remus almost suggested that he and Lindi find one to themselves. After all, they wouldn't be getting a lot of privacy at his house, not with Mum there. But he thought that suggesting it might be obvious and awkward, and he didn't want to embarrass Lindi. Besides, he enjoyed riding the train with his friends and thought Lindi might, as well. She had never ridden the train with the students, since she lived in Hogsmeade. And it was another chance for her to get to know his friends better, now that they all seemed to be getting along again. Plus, he felt like he owed it to Lily, not to leave her alone with James and the others. So they all crowded in, careful not to elbow one another as they began removing their winter cloaks, scarves and hats.
The train whistle sounded and, slowly, the village of Hogsmeade disappeared into the cold misty morning. They were on their way.
Remus folded his cloak neatly and set it under his seat. He had a feeling he might be using it as a pillow when they all started falling asleep in a little while. He sat down for a moment, getting out of the way of the others, and watched as Lindi unwound the Blue Ravenclaw scarf from her neck and stretched up to put it in the luggage bin overhead. Then she sat her valise on the seat beside him, opened it and removed what appeared to be a toiletry kit.
"I need to go clean up. I'm afraid I overslept," she said. "I haven't even washed my face or brushed my teeth, yet." She made an apologetic face, covering her mouth.
"I hadn't noticed," said Remus, smiling. Of course, he hadn't had a chance to get close enough to her to notice. That compartment to themselves really would have been nice. Oh, well… "I'll probably be making rounds when you get back."
"Alright," she said, and started to squeeze past Peter for the door.
"You've got something all over your neck, too," said Peter. "Just so you know."
"Oh really?" Lindi asked. She reached up and rubbed her hand on her throat and looked at it, but nothing was on her fingers.
"It's more to the side," said Peter helpfully.
She wiped at it again, but still, nothing came off on her hand. By now, the others were finished stowing their things.
Suddenly, James and Sirius started chortling, and Lily made a funny face, as if she couldn't decide if she should laugh or not.
"I don't think that's going to rub off," said Sirius.
"You'll only make it worse," added James.
"Ree-mus," said Lily, a hint of playful accusation in her tone.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"Oh, don't play innocent with us," said Sirius.
James reached out and pulled Lindi's hair around to one side and inspected her neck closely. "Blimey, Moony, Padfoot's right, you can knock off the innocent routine." James grinned appreciatively. "You animal."
Lily gave James a disgusted look. "You are such a pig."
"Why, I didn't do it?" James asked.
"Didn't do what?" asked Lindi, slapping James's hand away.
"What are you talking about?" asked Remus, standing to see what all the fuss was about.
"The love bites all over Lindi's neck, as if you didn't know," said James snidely.
"What?" Lindi and Remus gasped in unison.
Panic filled Lindi's eyes and she started rummaging through her toiletry kit, finally pulling out a small compact mirror, while Remus lifted the hair from her neck and felt his eyes bug.
It can't be. But there was no disputing the fact that Lindi had a spray of small bruises along the side and back of her neck. But he hadn't…had he? No, no there was no way he could have done that and not realized it. He might have been a little intoxicated from snogging Lindi, but he had still been mostly in possession of his faculties and he hadn't done that. They had only kissed for Merlin's sake!
"Oohhh…Oh, my gosh!" Lindi cried. Her eyes bulged in the reflection of the mirror, staring in horror at her neck. "Remus! What did you—how did this—I didn't—Oh my gosh!" She turned, red faced, and looked at him imploringly, desperate for some explanation.
"Lindi, I didn't—we didn't. You know we didn't," he said. There had to be another explanation.
"Well, if you didn't do it…" said Sirius, raising his brows to finish the thought.
Lindi looked around, bright crimson splotches on her cheeks. "Are you suggesting that I—that someone else…"
"No body did it," said Remus steadily, realizing what must have happened. "Well, obviously somebody did, but not like that."
They all looked at him, intrigued.
"Those aren't love bites," Remus explained. "They're just regular bruises. It must have happened when Darlene grabbed you round the neck when you were fighting."
A collective sigh of understanding arose in the compartment.
Relief flooded over Lindi's features and she let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh, thank heavens. I thought I'd lost my mind."
"Well, it looked like you'd both gone a little crazy," said James, sounding disappointed and finally taking his seat.
"I have to admit, I thought so, too," said Lily, sitting as well. The excitement was over and everyone started to settle down.
Everyone but Lindi…
She held the mirror up again. "They do look like love bites, though, don't they?" she asked, frowning.
"Yes," said Lily. "But not bad ones," she added quickly. "They're small and kind of faint."
"That's true," said James, glancing at Lily, and clearly following her lead. "I was thinking they were rather pathetic, actually. I have to say I'm relieved that they aren't love bites, because I'd expect better from Moony."
Lily let a smile slip before catching herself. Remus expected her to call James a pig again, but instead she let out a sigh and shook her head.
Remus glanced up at Lindi to find her looking at him. She looked away quickly, but had the hint of a smile on her own lips. Was she thinking about the quality of his love bites? His pulse started to speed up. He really wished they had their own compartment. For the love of Merlin, Remus, what's gotten into you? But he knew exactly what had gotten into him.
Lindi looked at the bruises again and the shy little smile faded.
"But they do look like them," Lindi said, furrowing her brow.
"But they aren't," Remus reassured her.
"But people will think they are," Lindi insisted. "More to the point, your mum and dad will think they are." The panic crept over her face again. "I can't go. I can't let them see this."
"Don't be silly," said Lily bracingly. "You have to go. They're expecting you."
"But what will they think?" Lindi said rather desperately.
"That you and Moony had a really good time after the ball," said James.
Remus considered hexing the prat he called friend, but Lily took care of it for him, swatting James hard across the chest.
"Owww, blimey, Evans," he said, rubbing the spot.
"Mum and Dad won't say anything, Lindi," said Remus, ignoring James's dramatics. "They probably won't even notice anything." Remus tried to sound convincing, though he thought it was unlikely that either of his parents would be so unobservant. Still, he knew they wouldn't say anything in front of Lindi or his friends. Now, he was another story. He hated to think what his mum might have to say to him if he had put those bruises on Lindi's neck.
"Oh, Remus, they'd have to be blind not to notice!" Lindi said. "What am I going to tell them?"
"Why not the truth?" said Peter.
Lindi seemed to consider it for a brief moment. Then her brow knitted severely. "I can't tell them that. I can just imagine what Mrs. Lupin would think. Can you see her face when I tell her? 'Why hello, Mrs. Lupin, good to see you again. By the way, I'm sure you've noticed my neck, but I want you to know those aren't what they look like. They're just bruises I got in a Muggle brawl I had with a girl at the ball last night, fighting over your son.'" Lindi groaned again. "Oh, yeah, that'll impress them. I think I'd rather they thought I'd let Remus gnaw on my neck."
Remus grinned against his will. She was so bloody adorable, and he rather wished she'd got the bruises letting him gnaw her neck, too. But then again…
"Moony gnawing on a neck….interesting image," said Sirius thoughtfully. Remus could see each of the Marauders' jaws clenching to bite back the laughter. Poor James was struggling so mightily that his nostrils were flaring in and out. Someone needed to change the subject immediately.
"Lindi, don't worry about it. I'll tell them something if they notice. It'll be fine. And Mum has a really good bruise healing paste. They'll be gone by tomorrow."
"In the mean time, do you have any makeup we can cover them with?" asked Lily. Lindi nodded. "Good, I'll help you when we get close. And try to keep your hair pulled over to that side," said Lily.
Lindi gathered her long locks and draped them over her shoulder.
"There, that's good. They actually might not notice it," Lily said optimistically. "Why don't you go wash your face now? Then come back and relax. I want to hear all about the ball when I get back."
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When Remus and Lily returned from their rounds, Remus was happy to find the others apparently enjoying themselves. From the sounds of the conversation, James was challenging Lindi to some sort of flying contest. Lindi seemed to have calmed down about her bruised neck. Lily shifted the conversation to the ball and when the spiked punch came up almost immediately, the Marauders feigned ignorance. It was really amazing, and a bit disturbing, how well they all lied. Remus wondered if any of the others felt the little pang of guilt over lying to the girls, but he rather doubted they did. And they clearly felt no guilt over the humiliation they had caused Lindi. She buried her face in her hands when James started making his smooching noises and repeating what she had said under the influence of the potion, but she couldn't hide the blush glowing all down her neck and to the tips of her ears.
Lily, for her part, came to Lindi's defense, telling James to leave her alone. Yet the look on Lily's face was one of sheer glee. She winked at Remus while Lindi wasn't looking, before changing the subject to the destruction of the ball decorations. Eventually, Lindi joined back into the conversation.
Soon, they were all growing drowsy from the very late night, together with the early morning and the swaying of the train. The snack trolley came along and they shared some pasties and warm spiced pumpkin juice, then, one by one, they started to doze off. It wasn't long before the three other Marauders were sleeping soundly. Lily had pulled out a book and started to read, while Lindi leaned against Remus's shoulder and looked over him, out the window at the wintry landscape rolling by.
"Do you want to trade spots?" Remus asked softly.
"No, thank you, I'm fine like this," Lindi said. But she sat up. "Unless it bothers you… Would you be more comfortable if we switched?"
"No," he said. "I was quite comfortable, too."
She leaned against him again. He liked it. Soon, Lindi's soft steady breaths told him that she, too, was asleep. He glanced down at her, snuggled up next to him. Yes, he was quite comfortable. He looked around the compartment at his sleeping friends and smiled contentedly.
Lily looked up and met his eye. "Having a happy holiday, Remus?"
"Yes," he said sincerely.
She smiled and put her book aside. "I think I'll try to get some sleep, myself. You should, too."
He agreed and stretched for his cloak, careful not to wake Lindi, and put it up to rest on the window. Before he closed his eyes, he took one more glance around. Happy was quite an understatement. Sitting there, surrounded by his closest friends, the girl of his dreams resting her head on his shoulder, on his way to see the two other most important people in his life, Remus was sure he had never felt warmer. He finally had memories he didn't want or need to hide in Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve.
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The shrill whistle of the train sounded, waking Remus from a pleasant sleep. He looked out the window to see that they were pulling into the station at King's Cross. Lily was also stirring, and she shook James, who had apparently been using her as a pillow. Remus did the same to Lindi, though a bit more affectionately.
Soon, they were all gathering their things to hurry off of the train, in order to beat the rush and catch the Knight Bus to Llanberis, where his dad would meet them and carry them home. The bus would be much faster than the Muggle train, though less comfortable. Remus sometimes wished Mum and Dad had gotten connected to the Floo Network. It sure would save a great deal of time and nausea, but Floo Powder was expensive, and being connected also made it easier to be traced. Mum and Dad felt sure that the Ministry wasn't above tapping the network, especially these days, and Remus figured they were probably right. Not that the Lupins were engaged in illegal activity. Although, there was that matter with the Werewolf Registry. But he didn't want to think about that….
Still, the last thing his parents wanted was for people to be able to find them easily, especially now with Greyback freed and everything else that was going on. So, the Lupins remained one of the few families unconnected to the Floo Network, and Remus had to Side-Along Apparate with Mum or Dad to get around quickly. Not for much longer, though, since he would be seventeen and able to get his Apparition license in March. But for now, they would be taking the Knight Bus.
They disembarked and wound their way past the people waiting to greet the other students. Looking down the expanse of the platform towards the barrier, Remus noticed two wizards loitering on either side of the wrought iron archway. There was something in the way they were watching the people coming and going that set Remus a bit on edge. He glanced around and noticed another pair of wizards at the other end acting similarly; all four had their hands deep in their pockets and Remus was quite sure they were firmly clutching their wands.
Members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad…Aurors?
He wondered if something specific had happened to cause the Ministry to increase security, or if it was simply the way things would be from now until the Death Eaters were stopped; he hadn't looked at the Daily Prophet this morning. He felt for his own wand, just to be sure he had transferred it from his robes to his Muggle overcoat. He wanted to be able to reach it easily.
But they were given the all clear to go through the barrier without incident and were soon loaded onto the Knight Bus and careening towards home.
Dad was sitting in the old carriage, waiting for them on the outskirts of town, when the Knight Bus jerked to a halt. As they prepared to get off, Remus found that he was a little nervous. He was about to introduce Lindi to his father. He was surprised at how eager he was for Dad to like her, as if there was anything not to like. But after the conversation he and Dad had had about Remus's feelings for her last summer, Remus was quite self conscious. Not to mention, he had told Dad that Lindi was just a friend when they'd agreed to invite her. Of course, they had been just friends—at the time.
Remus climbed down first and reached up to help Lindi down. She fidgeted with her muffler, making sure the bruises were covered before taking his hand. He could tell she was nervous as well. James, Sirius, and Peter had teased them about Remus taking her to meet the in-laws and Lindi had glowed red, but grinned sweetly. For his part, Remus only wished that he could be so lucky. Maybe someday. The thought made his stomach flip.
As soon as they were all off the bus, it was gone in a screeching flash, spooking the horses. Dad calmed them, then turned and smiled broadly as they approached.
"Hello, son," he said, shaking Remus's hand and clasping him on the shoulder warmly. "Good to see you."
"You too, Dad," Remus answered. James, Sirius, and Peter made their greetings, each shaking Dad's hand in turn.
"Nice to see you again, boys," Dad said.
Then Lily stepped forward. "You remember Lily Evans," Remus said.
"Of course, welcome, Lily," Dad said shaking her hand, too. "Let me have that bag." He took the suitcase from Lily and turned, smiling warmly to Lindi. "You must be Lindi."
"Yes, sir," she said. "It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Lupin."
"The pleasure is mine, Lindi. Let me take that bag and let's get back to the house. Remus's mum will be anxious to see you all, and she has hot cocoa."
Lindi handed his dad the bag with her thanks, then turned and smiled at Remus.
Feeling a flutter of excitement swirling in his stomach, he led her around the carriage to the opening. As he passed his father loading up the bags, their eyes met and Dad lifted his brow, looking slightly amused and rather pleased. Remus got the distinct impression that Dad had figured out that Lindi wasn't just a friend anymore. Fortunately, he didn't seem to be bothered by it.
Let's hope Mum is happy about it, too.
The others clambered into the carriage, Peter, Lily, and James with their backs to the front, and Sirius sliding over to allow room for Lindi and Remus.
"Do you mind if I sit up front with Dad?" Remus asked Lindi quietly.
"No, of course not; you should," she said and she hoisted herself into the carriage.
"There are blankets under the seats," Dad called from the driver's bench. "It'll be about twenty, twenty-five minutes. We got a bit of snow in the hills last night."
Remus was suddenly torn between not wanting to leave Dad up front by himself, and not wanting to leave Lindi in the back by herself. It was going to be perfect for snuggling and sight seeing. The mountains of Snowdonia were beautiful. Of course, he wasn't leaving her by herself. But somehow, seeing Sirius toss the blanket over Lindi and himself didn't make Remus feel a lot better about the arrangement. He couldn't help but notice Lindi's reaction, the way she looked sideways at Sirius. Obviously, she still wasn't completely comfortable in his presence. Remus knew that would probably take some time, and as ridiculous as he knew he was being, he couldn't help but feel a hint of—what—satisfaction…relief?
Stop being stupid and get on the carriage, Remus.
The drive was quite pleasant, if a bit cold, and he did have a few twinges of regret now and again, at not being snuggled with Lindi under that blanket. But it was always good to catch up with his dad. They talked of his father's work. The thestral foal was doing well, as were the Crup pups. They would be ready to have their tails removed while Remus was home for the holidays. Dad asked about his marks, of course.
"They should be descent," said Remus, knowing they weren't quite what they could have been had he not spent so much of the term preoccupied with his feelings for Lindi. "All but Potions, that is. I think I'm going to have to drop it." He hated to quit, though. It wasn't in Remus's nature to give up, and especially now, with Lindi to help him. "But I'm going to give it a few more weeks."
Remus glanced back periodically, usually finding Lindi and the others looking out at the beautiful landscapes. But Lindi seemed to sense him looking and would turn and smile, causing his stomach to flutter. After several times, Remus caught his father looking at him out of the corner of his eye and smirking. Remus tried not to blush, but couldn't stop it, so he just grinned and enjoyed the warmth.
"So, how long has this been going on?" Dad asked in an undertone.
"Not very long," said Remus. "We had a sort of falling out shortly after I invited her home with me. But we had a long talk a few days ago and worked things out, so I asked her to the ball. That was our first date."
"I take it that it was a good one," Dad said. Remus nodded and glanced back again, wondering if his friends could hear. No one seemed to be paying attention, as Peter had his head lolled back against the seat, eyes closed and mouth open, sound asleep. James was pointing something out to Lily and Lindi, and Remus looked to see a deer darting into some brush. Sirius had gone the way of Peter. He too, was sound asleep, slid down in the seat so his long legs were pressed against the coach sides, head resting on Lindi's shoulder. She had been forced to slide up against the edge of the seat. She caught him looking.
"I should have sat up there with you and given Sirius the whole seat," she said. She wiggled her shoulder under him, but he only grunted and kept on sleeping. Lindi laughed. "Does he always sleep like the dead?"
Remus nodded, and James said, "Yeah, he says it's because he has such a clear conscience."
"More like no conscience," grunted Peter, sleepily. And they all laughed.
Finally, they rounded a bend in the trail, and Remus caught a glimpse of home through the trees. As soon as they broke into the small clearing, the door opened, and his mother came out to greet them.
"Here we are," Remus announced unnecessarily.
"Good," Lindi smiled. "I've lost the feeling in my fingers and I think he's drooling on me. Sirius, wake up." She jostled him lightly.
"He's probably shedding on you, too," said James.
"I do not shed," Sirius snarled, sitting up and stretching. "And I rarely drool." He wiped at his mouth to be sure. "Only when I think about Mrs. Lupin's wonderful French kisses," he said loudly, for they had drawn up to where Mum was waiting for them.
"Don't you start, Sirius Black," Mum said sternly, though the look on her face betrayed her affection. "Or you can stay in the barn."
"Yeah," said James, climbing out of the carriage, "with the other animals."
"As if you're much better," said Mum, grinning now.
Remus jumped down and gave his mother a hug while the others folded their blankets and retrieved their bags. "I'm so glad your home," she said, hugging him tightly. "I could hardly stand the thought of you kids traveling alone, what with everything that's been going on."
"Mum, we're not exactly children," Remus said, noticing how Lindi was watching and hoping his mum wouldn't treat him like one.
"I know that," said Mum, loosening her grip. "But I can't help it." She finally let him go and hugged his three friends. When she got to Lily and Lindi, she smiled warmly, but didn't hug them. After all, she didn't know them that well. "Welcome, girls; I'm so glad you got to come. It will be nice to have some female company for a change. Let's get inside where it's warm."
They followed her into the house and she gathered their winter gear and took it to the closet. "Richard, show the girls to their bedroom and where the bathroom is, so they can freshen up if they want, will you? Remus, you and the boys go put your things up in your room and then come down. We'll have a bite."
Remus watched as his father led the girls down the hallway, before he turned to follow Peter up the stairs to his own room. Mum was watching him while she hung their things, a slightly worried look on her face. "Is something wrong, Mum?"
"No," she said, smiling rather bleakly. "I'm just glad you're home."
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Remus's room had been stretched to accommodate the three extra beds and James, Sirius, and Peter had each dropped their bags on one and were making themselves at home. Remus set his suitcase down and started to unpack. The sounds of china clinking drifted up from the kitchen below and Remus decided to put an Imperturbable Charm on the old exhaust pipe in the corner to block out the sounds and to prevent his mum overhearing anything they might say. There was no way of knowing what might come out of one of their mouths. Just as he pulled his wand, he heard his dad's muffled voice filter up through the vent.
"I don't mind telling you, I think I might enjoy having the house full as much as Remus does."
"More, maybe," said his mother, rather tersely.
"What do you mean?" asked Dad. "Is something wrong, Rena?"
Remus hesitated before casting the spell. His mother didn't answer right away.
"I just feel so bad for Remus," she finally said.
"Why on earth for?"
"Because of that girl," Mum answered.
"Who, Lindi?" Dad sounded confused.
"Well, who else, Richard?"
Remus held up his wand, tapped the pipe and said, "Clarus." He wanted to be sure he didn't miss any of this.
"You've lost me, love," his dad said, his voice more audible.
Remus was feeling a little lost, too. Why would she feel bad for him because of Lindi? He'd never been happier.
"Didn't you see how he looks at her? He's obviously still completely infatuated with her," said Mum.
Remus glanced at his friends, wanting to crawl into a hole. As soon as they saw his expression, they burst into a fit of sniggering.
"Shhh!" hissed Sirius, as Dad's voice drifted up.
"I think it goes a bit beyond infatuation, Rena. But I still don't quite follow why you feel so bad for him."
"Well, why would he do this to himself?"
"Do what to himself?" Dad asked.
"Let him bring her here!" snapped Mum, becoming impatient. "So it's right under his nose. I'd think he'd want to get away from it."
"What on earth are you talking about?" asked Dad.
"What do you mean what am I talking about? Aren't you paying attention, Richard? I'm talking about your son's feelings being trampled by one of his best friends!"
A rather stunned silence followed, and Remus could only imagine the look on his dad's face.
"What the hell is your mum talking about?" said Peter. Remus shrugged, at a complete loss.
"And I don't mind telling you," Mum continued, though she lowered her voice a bit. "I'm just a little surprised at Sirius."
Sirius looked up sharply. "What did I do?"
"I know he asked her out first," Mum continued. "But he has to know how Remus feels about her. Merlin knows it's written all over his face."
Now the picture was starting to come into focus, though it was still a bit murky.
"I'd think he'd be a little more sensitive to Remus's feelings, and at least not be all over her in front of him," Mum went on.
The Marauders looked around at one another, somewhat confused and highly entertained.
"Rena, I think you are mistaken," said Dad.
"How do you mistake something like that?" hissed Mum. "Maybe you didn't notice how cozy they were in the carriage, with your back to them. Well, now I understand why Rosmerta wanted to be sure we were going to be here. I don't know Rosmerta that well, but I'm a bit surprised she would permit Lindi to come, even if we are going to be here. I think the world of Sirius, but I wouldn't trust him with my niece for one second."
Sirius snorted. "What do you tell your mum about me?"
"Trust me, I don't tell her about your sexual exploits," Remus assured him.
"Face it," said James. "You're famous."
"Infamous, you mean," said Peter.
"I don't know why…"
"Shhh!" James interrupted Sirius so they could hear what was going on downstairs.
"I think Lindi is her cousin," Dad was saying.
"Well that is beside the point," snapped Mum. "In any case, we'll definitely have to keep an eye on those two."
"Who, Sirius and Lindi?" Dad's voice had taken on an amused tone. Apparently, the picture was becoming clear to him, also.
"Yes, Richard," Mum sighed. "Why are you having such a hard time following? Am I speaking in riddles?"
"Well, actually…" Dad laughed then. "Rena, I don't think you need to worry about Sirius."
"Oh, don't be naïve, Richard."
Remus chuckled at the irony of Mum calling Dad naïve. Actually, the whole conversation was rather humorous. Of course, sooner or later, Dad was going to tell her the truth.
"Sirius is—well, Sirius is—well, did you see Lindi's neck?" Mum sputtered.
Remus flinched. He had almost forgotten about that.
"No, apparently not," said Dad, a little less lightly.
"Well, if you had, you would understand why we need to keep an eye on them. I've never seen so many love bites on one neck."
"Are you sure?" Dad sounded a little taken aback.
"Trust me," said Mum. "It doesn't surprise me about Sirius, but I have to say, I was a little shocked at Lindi. She didn't even try to hide it."
Sirius made another insulted face, while James and Peter sniggered quietly. Of course, Remus was a little worried and knew he was going to have to offer them an explanation about those love bites.
"But Rosmerta is trusting us to keep an eye on her, so you might just want to have a word with Sirius. That might not be a bad idea anyway," said Mum thoughtfully.
"What would you like me to say to him?" asked Dad.
"Well, you know," said Mum. "I think Sirius could use some guidance. I worry about him."
"Good gawd!" said Sirius. "Your mum wants your dad to give me the talk!"
Remus was sure James was going to wet himself he laughed so hard.
"Erm, Rena, I don't think Sirius is the one who needs guidance in this case," Dad said.
Oh, no, here it comes. Remus grimaced.
"Why not?" asked Mum.
Dad hesitated for a moment and Remus could picture him looking at Mum, deciding exactly how to tell her.
"Because Sirius didn't leave those marks on that girl," Dad said gently. "Your son did."
Remus cringed at the sound of breaking glass.
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A/N: Well, I know it has been a long time between updates. I hope some of you are still with me. If you are, I'd love to hear from you, and I hope this wasn't a big letdown, after the long wait.