Chapter 43
I enter the Great Hall in a bit of a slump. I'm tired, my body aches all over—no thanks to Sirius or James (Peter's animagus form is too little to cause a lot of damage)—and I'm starving.
I sit between Sirius and James who are laughing maniacally at Peter, who had accidently tripped and knocked into a bowl of cream.
"You look like hell, Moony."
"I feel like hell."
"Well at least you don't smell like sex," Sirius joked. I rest my head against the table, too tired to kick his ass. My stomach growls loudly and I prop myself up and seize a piece of toast.
"Mail's here." The owls swooped overhead. One landed on my shoulder with a letter and the paper. I take them from the owl and he flies away. I set the letter aside and look at the paper.
My eyes widen. I'm awake now.
"What?" James said, peering over my shoulder.
WEREWOLF PACK APPREHENDED IN SOUTHAMPTON—FENRIR GREYBACK ON THE RUN
My pack is in Azkaban—all except Greyback. Which wasn't good, he'd know I turned them in, but he won't risk coming out in the open for a long while.
I stand and approach Severus at the Slytherin table. It was unheard of, I know. Slytherins and Gryffindors don't approach each other's tables for a good reason. That's why there're on the other side of the hall.
"Did you see the paper?"
"I don't get the paper," he said, "Can't afford it at this moment."
I hand it to him and he scans the article. "So…"
"I'm out of the pack."
"Not entirely."
"He's the pack leader and he's in hiding. I'm not surprised he escaped. Yeah, a little disappointed, but not surprised. But for now, I'm free." I can feel the glares from the other Slytherins. I think some of them are just itching to throw their food at me. "I should go before another food fight starts."
Severus glares at his housemates, but nods.
I escape before a bread roll filled with butter hits me. I catch it instead and eat it.
Severus is yelling at Goyle.
#
I scan the letter from my mom again. She's demanding that I come home for Christmas. I'll need to write her and Dad that Severus is coming over again, but at least, I hope, I'm forgiven.
Severus returns and removes his robes. "Remus, are you okay?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"You've been out of it all day. I thought you'd be in a more celebratory mood."
"I've gone nearly forty-eight hours without sleep, Sev," I say, laying my head on his shoulder and closing my eyes. "I've been going on coffee and chocolate all day." I barely hear him, having fallen asleep.
#Severus#
"Perhaps you should go to bed early," I suggest. But I've spoken a little too late. Remus is sleeping as he is with his head on my shoulder.
I sigh. I'm as gentle as I can be in moving Remus to the bed. I get his shoes off before heading back to the couch and taking out whatever essays I had been assigned to complete.
I stop every so often to look at Remus. The curve of his lips, parted slightly. His pointed chin and sharp cheekbones. The small curve of his nose which flares slightly as he breathes. His brow, usually furrowed even when he's unaware of it shows his worry. Now it's relaxed. He's completely at peace.
The fifth time I caught myself staring at him I approached and kissed his cheek. "I love you."
Remus doesn't wake. Good, I didn't want to wake him, yet there's a smile on his face.
I return to the couch, staring at the parchment. I run my fingers through my hair and pick up my quill, returning to work.
Remus is talking in his sleep. I glance at him. His brow is furrowed and he's thrashing. He's having another nightmare.
Probably afraid that he'll lose control over his lycanthropy again.
I set my quill down and sit beside him taking his shoulders and shaking him.
"Remus." He wakes, sitting up and breathing heavily. It usually takes a little longer to wake him. "Hey, it's okay."
He presses his head against my chest. "I hate being a werewolf," he mumbles.
"I know." I rub his back. "But you're in control. You manage it very well." He yawns. "Go back to sleep. I'm right here."
"Sev?"
"Yes?"
"Could you hold me?"
"Sure." I release him and head over to my side of the bed. I lie next to Remus and wrap my arm around him.
I suppose I can do the rest of my homework tomorrow.
#
~Two Weeks Later~
Remus and I step off the train into the freezing air of King's Cross Station. We move to the fireplaces and floo to his parent's house. I step out of the fireplace after Remus, who's dusting himself off.
"Mom? Dad?" he called.
The back door opened and Mrs. Lupin stared at Remus for a moment before embracing him, tears streaming down her face. She's oblivious to me. I can't help but feel a little awkward.
"Mom, er…you know, I wasn't sure I would have been able to get out of…without Sev's help."
She releases him and looks at me. "You helped him?"
"Yes, Ma'am," I answer. Like that, she embraces me.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," I answer, patting her back. I don't what to say or do. It's one thing when it's Remus. Another thing entirely when it's his mother.
She releases me and dries her eyes. "Are you hungry?"
"Yes, Mum," Remus answers. She heads into the kitchen. I glare at him. He looks at me and narrows his eyes, crossing his arms. "What?"
"Did you have to tell her I helped?"
"You know what it's like seeing her cry? It's unnerving. If my mom starts crying and hugging me and there's another person in the room, I will sic her on them. That is my right as a son."
"No, it's not. You're job is to suck it up while I sneak upstairs away from any awkward mother-son moment."
"You were going to leave me to rot?"
I nod, smirking.
"That's cruel."
"I would expect no less from you if that was your mother," I say, meaning every word.
And it would happen. My dad may be a bastard, but my mom is relatively nice. I just don't like how much of a weakling she is.
Mrs. Lupin returned to the parlor. "Grilled cheese sandwiches?"
"Sure, mom," Remus said. "We'll be upstairs in my room."
She nodded and we took our things upstairs.
We forced the trunks under the bed and Remus put anti-parental warding spells around the room. I smirk.
"Really? You just came home for the first time in nearly six months and you're putting up spells already?"
"Well, I don't exactly want my parents walking in on us," he says, smiling coyly while putting his wand on the table. "Do you?"
"Definitely not," I say, placing my hands on his hips and kissing him. "It could be a little hard to explain why I'm shagging you, not to mention awkward."
"You have no idea." We kiss again. "None at all."
"Remus, Severus, lunch is ready," Mrs. Lupin called.
"We need our own place," Remus groans.
"Right now, that would be a bad idea. Neither of us have jobs, we're both in school. And I think you're parents would have killed you if you didn't come home this year. Especially with what happened over the summer."
He nodded and I followed him out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen where two plates of grilled cheese sandwiches awaited.
#Remus#
Severus was having a conversation with my mother inside while I sat outside under the canopy with my father.
"I had a talk with Moody a few days ago," he said.
"So…"
"I know what really happened."
I can't bring myself to look at him.
"I'm not going to tell your mother, Remus."
"Thanks for that, Dad," I say, looking back at her. She's laughing. I turn away. "Dad, I'm sorry."
Dad sighs. "For what?"
"Being such a disappointment," I say. "I mean, being what I am, it's got to be hard on you and Mom. But I try. I really, truly try."
"Hey, look at me." I glance up at him. "You've never once disappointed me or your mom. I figured someday you might have wanted to join a pack or would someday. Be with others like you. I wish there was a different pack, but…it was the closest. And I'm glad you were decided to turn them in."
Would he bring up the people I killed? I didn't want to talk about it, so I decided to derail him to a different topic, something he can be proud of. "I got scouted by M.S.L.'s college division," I say. Okay it wasn't a completely different topic, but still.
"Really?" I nod. Dad smiles. I can't begin to describe how happy I am to see him smile. "You know, they wanted you when you were six. Your mum and I didn't see eye to eye. She wanted you to stay home. She would have taught you magic if it was necessary. She didn't like the idea of sending you away from home so early. I actually thought you should have gone. It had been a long hard year, we were not capable at the time at taking care of you. But in the end she won the argument and you stayed here."
"I thought that you guys thought it was a pack."
"No, no. We knew it wasn't. But still, New York. Pretty far from home. Especially for a six year old."
"Hogwarts is far."
"But not on the other side of the world. You're old enough to handle that now." He took out a pocket watch and handed it to me. "You left this here last summer."
I take it. My watch, the one I got on my seventeenth birthday last March. "Thanks, Dad."
"I expect you to be a wizard, Remus. Not a werewolf."
