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CHAPTER 11

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REMUS knew this was a mistake, but it was already too late to take it back. He had promised the others in the Order he would volunteer for his first-night watch shift, though at age twenty-four, and all of them now graduated out of Hogwarts a few years ago, he would be the first to admit that he did not know what to do, though he dared not ask questions as he wanted to appear confident in front of the others and not come across as a burden.

He sighed in a rather dramatic fashion as he allowed himself to collapse onto the edge of the roof that overlooked downtown London, just outside of a suspected Death Eater's home. Closing his eyes, he focused on the feeling of the brisk evening's chilly air and of the cold, smooth surface underneath him.

Lupin could tell he was going to be cold tonight, especially considering Alastor would not allow them to have a large fire out here in the open on top of the rooftop just across from a well-known Death Eater's home. Remus felt the stony floor of the rooftop with his fingertips as he sat on the ledge of the building, finally afforded the opportunity alongside Frank, Alice, James, Sirius, and Lily, to receive some much-needed rest after a long, demanding meeting.

Alastor, not to mention Professor Dumbledore, both of whom were not exactly easy wizards to keep up with, so of course, Remus was more than exhausted, and did not bother questioning, though he was curious, what this Death Eater could possibly be up to that would warrant their group standing guard on night watch outside the man's home, but it must have been serious enough to warrant garnering the Headmaster's attention.

Enough so to send detail. It was dark by now. Had been for hours. They'd been sitting out here by the light of the waning moon for longer than the werewolf could even say. Lupin was exhausted, so tired, and was happy at least, for this small modicum of peace granted them.

He was torn between wanting to curl into a fall and sleep on the roof, sleeping bag or not be Merlin damned, and wanting to persist in his attempts to allow Alastor to relax on his 'no fire' rule, a result of his paranoia, and insisting if he allowed the group to light a fire up on the roof for light and warmth, Lord Voldemort's follower would surely take the strange sight as a sign he was under surveillance by a group of Aurors. And he or she wouldn't necessarily be wrong in that regard, Lupin thought, looking affectionately towards James and Lily and Frank and Alice.

"Who's on watch tonight?" Moody barked gruffly as he hobbled his way past Lupin's perch at the edge of the rooftop, bumping the younger man's shoulder and jostling it on accident slightly in the process. "I've lost track of time. Is it my turn again?"

James perked up at the noise and shot a mischievous smirk towards the scarred and disgruntled Auror. "If you're volunteering, Mad-Eye, the rest of us won't mind," he snorted, one hand on the small of his wife's back. "I could surely use the sleep."

"It's my turn, Alastor, I'm staying up. Don't worry about a thing. Get some sleep while you can, sir," Remus quietly reminded Alastor, unmoved from his spot though he swiveled his head to look at the grizzled aging Auror from his spot on the ledge, surprised when Frank and Alice moved to sit next to him, Frank on his right, Alice to his left.

Noticing Alice smiling at him out of the corner of his eye, Lupin slowly swiveled his head to his left and looked at his best friend. "You don't have to stay up with me, Al. You two should get some sleep."

Alice nodded, though she tried her hardest to stifle a yawn with the back of her hand, her fiancé, ever the intuitive one, noticed it.

"Al, c'mon," Frank murmured thoughtfully, resting his hand on the small of Alice Prewitt's back. "Remus is right. We'll be of no help on the second watch if we're exhausted and can barely keep our eyes open."

"Are you sure?" Alice asked, furrowing her brows as she looked towards Remus for confirmation, seemingly not convinced that he was going to be just fine to supervise the entire group all alone on his own.

"Positive," Lupin answered with a sigh as he looked towards Frank and Alice. If he had to keep watch, he'd sooner rather get it over with as he felt his shoulders slump forward, thinking tomorrow was going to be difficult to navigate through only just barely two hours of decent sleep.

He bit his lower lip and turned pointedly away from Frank and Alice as his friends moved back away from the ledge of the rooftop, waving their wands, and conjuring a couple of pillows and sleeping bags.

It was a huge undertaking and responsibility, keeping watch over the others and watching this Death Eater's house to ensure no suspicious activity was taking place. Remus had never been put yet on guard duty by himself, Mad-Eye had always volunteered to stay up with the younger members of the Order and sit with them through the night, like last time.

It wasn't exactly something that Lupin was excited to undertake, but at the same time, putting it off might very well keep him from sleeping, as he'd stay up worried over it, and considering Frank and Alice's wedding was tomorrow evening, he wanted to be well-rested.

Frank grinned before moving to join Alice underneath the purple sleeping bag she had conjured for the two of them and dragged the sleeping bags and pillows next to Sirius, James, and Lily. "Wake us up in an hour."

Lupin heaved a sigh and stood on the top of the rooftop, stretching his aching arms and legs, which, if he was being entirely honest with himself, needed no stretching at all, as he looked tired out at the night sky and towards their intended target's house, no sign of any activity.

His legs were already but throbbing from walking so much this afternoon, helping Frank and Alice with the final preparations for tomorrow, and he wanted nothing more than to sit down and bloody rest. But Remus knew better than most that if he granted himself just that one moment to lie down that he would surely fall asleep, and he couldn't very well keep watch on the group if he was sound asleep, no.

So, to offset this, Lupin merely proceeded to pace the length of the rooftop, their makeshift campsite for the evening, keeping a rather nervous watch in all directions. There had been no activity from the Death Eater's home.

No one Apparating or Disapparating, no one coming or going, at least, not that Remus could see, even with his heightened wolfish site. Besides the crackling of the fire that Alastor and Sirius had lit to provide light and warmth aside from the lighted tip of Lupin's wand he held out in his hand, Remus heard absolutely nothing.

He was quite sure he had never heard a quieter life before in his life. Was the silence alone on this rooftop enough for warrant cause for concern? Did the fact that he could hear nothing mean that something sinister was about to happen? Lupin frowned and looked around again.

Remus knew within the first half-hour of his first-night watch solo that he hated it. He still didn't rightfully know what exactly he was looking out for. There were no visible signs of activity in their target's home, no animals that seemed suspicious, no signs of life anywhere save for those of them who were sleeping peacefully on top of this rooftop.

Strange noises or sights, surely, yes, he would watch out for those, but Mad-Eye Moody would murder him himself if he woke him up for nothing, and the werewolf was quick to imagine if he startled Frank and Alice and the others awake because he thought things were too quiet, then he would only be rewarded with several angry shouts and insults.

Lupin strained his eyes in the pitch-black darkness, doing his best to keep an eye out for anything that he or the others would deem 'unusual.' The waning moon still shone dimly in the sky, currently hidden behind a few clouds, so he could see, alongside with the aid of the lighted tip of his wand, so that was saying something, at the very least.

There didn't seem to be anything noteworthy of alerting Frank and Alice, he thought as he glanced down over the ledge of the townhouse's rooftop and towards the Death Eater's home. There could be any number of Dark witches or wizards secretly entering Rookwood's and he supposed that none of them would be any the wiser for it, then, and Remus, even with the gift of his wolfish, slightly enhanced sight when the full moon was approaching wouldn't be able to see Lord Voldemort's followers until it was too late if one of them spotted Remus.

Lupin let out a sigh, though he froze, stilling his movements as he swore he saw a movement in the shadows. He blinked a few times and stared off into the distance. He didn't see anything now, so what was it?

He probably never had. It was just his overactive imagination and slight paranoia that he felt sure was direct causation of spending increasing amounts of time around Alastor during Order meetings, yes.

With a sigh, Remus closed his eyes for a moment. He was so tired. Stifling a yawn with the back of his hand, he glanced over his shoulder at Alice's sleeping form, her hand intertwined with Frank's.

Lupin stepped forward with hesitation, trying to gauge whether it was a good idea to wake either one of them so they could take over the night watch. But his best friend and tomorrow, her husband, they looked so content and peaceful in the throes of sleep.

A soft smile tugged at Alice's lips in sleep. Remus let out another sigh and took back the step that he had forwarded just a few seconds ago, thinking it wasn't worth it to wake her or Frank for something that was probably nothing at all. Glancing down towards the Death Eater's home at the flickering of movement on the doorstep, nothing more than a black shrouded shadow, he retreated, thinking he would be better to leave.

Remus turned on the heel of his shoe, intent on Disapparating down to the street to get a better look at that mysterious shadow he had thought he'd witnessed, when a white figure despite the dead of night, snatched his attention, coming from behind him. Lupin squinted his eyes and saw the familiar-looking figure stood and vanished on the heel of her boot, but not before pointing downward with her thumb and grinning.

Follow me, she mouthed, smiling shyly, and raising a finger to her mouth and shushing him, motioning for Remus to be utterly silent.

Alice. He recognized her short brown hair, now wavy and chin-length, framing her pale oval face in soft wisps and thick stray strands, grown out slightly for her wedding to Frank Longbottom tomorrow evening. Remus opened his mouth to speak, to demand Alice get back here and take her turn on night watch, but she Disapparated to the street below before he could latch onto her arm, the pads of his fingertips just grazing the sleeve of her jeans jacket.

Merlin damn you, Alice Prewitt. Lupin would swear to anyone willing to listen that trying to catch his best friend in his grasp was like trying to catch the wind. Impossible.

He copied her movements and righted himself the moment he Apparated onto the almost practically deserted sidewalk of London below. "Alice!" he exclaimed angrily, his peaky face draining of colors as he caught her backside walking towards the Death Eater's home's stoop.

A droplet of rain kissed his light brown hair, and he groaned softly at the promise of the thunderstorm that threatened to deluge its wrath on the city of London this chilly early October night. Remus glanced up at the night sky above their heads only to find more of them plotting to soak the two of them, and thinking, he raised his wand and using a nonverbal incantation, said a Water-Repellant Charm to keep them dry.

Alice continued to stare at Remus, furrowing her brows in a frown.

"You followed me, Rem. I didn't think you would. Why did you?" There was something unusual in her breath when she spoke, and Lupin's nostrils flared as his wolfish sense of heightened smell smelt it himself.

"You've been drinking," he accused, and his suspicions were confirmed the moment she did not answer, merely proceeding to lift up a half-empty bottle of Fire Whiskey, before glancing around nearby and chucking the bottle into the waiting trash can before letting out a sigh.

Alice started wiping at her face as she collapsed on the front stoop of the Death Eater's home, seemingly not caring if whoever was on the other side of that door caught them. She glanced over her shoulder, and sensing that it was safe, started rubbing at her arms, as though freezing.

She almost blended into the pitch blackness of the night, save for her bone-white skin and her light brown hair flecked with golden and copper highlights, dressed in black leggings and a black coat for warmth.

"What were you thinking? We should go back before the others wake up and notice we're gone, Frank will have my head if I let anything happen to you the night before you marry him, Alice," Remus asked in the familiar rough voice that Alice had become accustomed to over the years whenever her best friend was displeased with a choice she made.

To the best of her recollection, Lupin had not sounded like this since the day that she had chosen to forgiven Crouch for attacking her, and that had been a few years ago now. All of them were older, mid-twenties and Alice hoped wherever Barty was, he was much changed.

Alice took her time to consider her response as she rested back against the stoop, absently picking at a spot of mud on her high-heeled black leather boots. "Time alone," she whispered. "Couldn't sleep, Rem."

"I am very enlightened," he snapped by way of answering his best friend, though unable to stay irritated with Alice for too long, and she knew this, Remus let out a sigh and draped an arm over Prewitt's shoulder and pulled the young witch close. "Wedding nerves?" he asked.

She did not reply, and instead inclined her head towards him. "Yes, I guess you could say that," she said at last after a long, awkward pause.

Alice laughed as she glanced down at the stoop beneath her boots, but not the happy laugh that Remus knew and secretly loved. But rather, this time, it was just amused, though it sounded somewhat forced, yes.

"Had to down a few swigs. I um, borrowed it from Moody, Rem."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate you stealing his Fire Whiskey, Al," Remus sighed, glancing at Alice Prewitt out of the corner of his eye.

Alice was smiling faintly, her face was turned towards Remus, but she was not looking at him, but rather to the side, out into the sidewalk.

Lupin was stunned to see the crystals glimmering at the edges of Alice's eyes. Her face crumpled and twisted in pain, the same sight he had witnessed for himself that night that Crouch had attacked her in—

"I know it's been months, Rem, but I—I still see his face. Barty's," she whispered, sniffing and wiping at her nose with the sleeve of her coat, trying in vain to fight down the salty liquid that ran down her lids and the hollowing of her throat as she swallowed down past the lump in it.

Alice paused to wipe at her eyes and try to flick away her tears. Remus was stunned, unable to remember the last time aside from that night when Alice had cried. Ever since they had all graduated Hogwarts a few years ago, Prewitt, to some extent, had hardened considerably.

She was still the same Alice, still, his best friend and always would be, though these days, as an Auror alongside Frank at the Ministry of Magic, she had learned (albeit too late in his mind) to be less forgiving.

"I try to imagine him, you know…changed. What he would be like as a—a friend," Alice continued speaking, wanting to let it off her chest.

Remus looked down, shifting his knee up so his elbow could rest on top of it, thinking that perhaps for the third time in his life, the first being the night Dumbledore visited his parents' home when he was eleven years old and played Gobstones with him and told him he could go to Hogwarts in spite of his condition as a werewolf, the second the night Alice was attacked by Crouch, that he found himself at a loss for words as to what to say in order to make his best friend try to feel better.

But this time, he sensed that what his friend wanted from him right now, was for him to listen, and it wasn't to Sirius or James, for a change.

He waited until he heard the ceasing of Alice's sniffs and sobs. The smile returned to her face after she wiped at her eyes, but not her eyes.

"You didn't answer me, Rem. How are you?" she questioned, looking him carefully up and down, noticing how peaky and tired her best friend looked, and it did not stop her from furrowing her eyebrows.

Lupin cleared his throat before leaning his head against the wall behind him, careful to keep his voice low, just in case their suspected Death Eater happened to have been alerted to their presence just outside his home. Remus realized this was perhaps the first time he and Alice were left alone to talk, considering over the last few weeks she had been dealing with Augusta Longbottom's constant nagging over wedding planning for her and Frank's ceremony tomorrow that the two friends had not had a moment to themselves to simply talk one-on-one like this.

Alice let out a sigh, understanding the minor stubborn streak that was innate in her best friend.

"I—I never got the chance to thank you, Rem. You and Frank. For—for saving my life," she whispered, picking at a loose thread on her red beanie as she tore her hat off her head and fiddled with it in her hands, only stopping when Remus smacked her hand away to get her to stop it, albeit gently so as to not hurt Alice. "You make me hopeful, Remus. And if I ever…if I ever find myself in a situation like what happened with Barty again, I…you'd be the first one I'd look for."

Remus gave a start, unsure if he felt flattered or lied to. His nose gave a twitch as he caught the faint scent of Alice's shampoo, whatever she was using smelled like apples, and the wizard and werewolf seemed to find his eyes had automatically drifted from Alice's face to where the tips of her waves rested at the edge of her jawline.

He pointedly looked away, recognizing he had been staring at Alice Prewitt for far too long than was appropriate, only to find that she, in turn, was staring at him.

Her lips were curved into a soft smile as if suppressing back the urge to laugh and alert whatever Death Eater was resting inside his home to their presence outside of his stoop. Remus felt his neck sting with declaration as he immediately looked away, clearing his throat.

He started chewing on the wall of his mouth, not sure what to do. Lupin swallowed and gazed at his best friend with tired, curious eyes, and she knew the answer just by a single look.

The two of them remained quiet with their heartbeats racing in their chests and breaths slowing down, and behind Alice Prewitt's mask of calm façade, he saw only her.

Remus could see Alice's old self no matter how much she denied her weakness, which was Barty Crouch Jr., wanting to forgive the man.

He could smell the fear pheromones she emitted, felt the trembling of her fingertips as he instinctively reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze, and the chill from the cold air that ran down her spine.

"C'mon, Al," he murmured, groaning, and wincing at the stiffness in his knees as he rose to stand, never relinquishing his grip on Alice's hand as he helped the young brunette witch to her feet. "Let's go back."

Alice nodded numbly, and the pair Disapparated back to the rooftop without another exchange of words, not needing to say a word.

She let out a tired sigh as she perched herself at the edge of the rooftop, twirling her wand lovingly in her fingers as she glanced back towards Frank, still sound asleep in the sleeping bag where she'd left him. "You watch yourself, Remus. Get some sleep, Rem. I'll take over."

Remus watched as Alice's eyes widened, and his best friend slowly pursed her lips into a thin line as she took in the sight of how tired he was. His face remained apathetic and she could see the sheen of light sweat covering along the edge of his brow and sliding down his temples.

Alice thought he would need shaving before her wedding tomorrow, and a proper haircut with Mrs. Longbottom would lessen his ragged look.

Remus wanted to say something, anything which might lessen her nerves for her wedding, but suddenly, his jaw had locked itself uptight.

Lupin searched for words and tried hard to open his mouth to speak some small words of comfort, but nothing came to mind, and he clicked his tongue in frustrated disappointment and turned away from Alice.

Before he could stop himself, his fingers coiled themselves in her brown hair as he pulled Alice closer to him in a tight, warm embrace.

He relinquished his hold on her strands and strode his palm slowly across her right cheek.

"I hope Frank knows how lucky he is, Al," he whispered, his voice hushed and faint as he looked towards Frank sleeping peacefully, the only sign Longbottom was even still alive was the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Alice lowered her lashes as her eyes curiously followed the trail that his hand made, and she imitated Remus.

Lupin stepped back, however, the moment her hand rested above his heart and he was afraid she could feel his heart's thundering pulses.

Alice looked at Remus in amazement, and before he could even open his mouth to utter the first syllable, she stopped his lips from parting by putting a finger to his mouth and shushing him. "Don't," Alice whispered in a faint smile and slowly let her index finger off his lips. "I don't need to hear it, Remus. I know. I've always known," Alice said softly.

"But at least you should know."

Alice swallowed nervously and folded her arms across her chest, eventually reluctantly tearing her gaze away from his and back out and down into the bustling streets of downtown London towards the Death Eater's home.

She did not need his words in the same quiet, reserved voice that sent a chill of pleasure down her spine whenever he spoke and secured her at the same time. She did not need Remus's words to know what he illegally felt for her, considering tomorrow, she'd be a married witch and would never be able to act on what she did feel for her friend.

They would be enough to melt the principles that her parents had instilled within her growing up, and that which everyone expected of her. Remus was everything that Alice did not want to end up with, but right then, just the man's words alone were enough to cancel those ideals. Alice rose, her wand in her hand, realizing her mistake in saying that she was aware of it. She let out a sigh and finally met Lupin's gaze.

"You'll find someone who's right for you, Rem. She's out there, and when you do," she added, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips as he flashed him a brilliantly white smile, hers was that of warm sunshine, that Remus had always wished he could bottle into a vial and keep it close to his chest. "I want to be the first one to meet her. Do you promise me, Remus?" she begged, biting down on her bottom lip.

Lupin startled, surprised at Alice's insistence that he would one day meet a woman as kind and as brilliant as Alice Prewitt was, and he began to realize the mistake of his seclusion in such close proximity of Alice and began to walk towards his sleeping bag with one last thought that he voiced, knowing that, even if it never happened for him, Alice still needed to hear it from his lips.

"I will. You will be the first. I promise."

I wanted Alice and Remus to have another nice moment of their friendship, even if it is* outside a Death Eater's house lol. Hopefully, the next chapter is a little bit lighter as we finally get to see Frank and Alice's wedding!