41
NORAH swallowed nervously as the pair of them Disapparated onto the rooftop of Headquarters with a rather loud crack! that never failed to make her heart race. She let out a squeak and clamped a hand over her racing heart, trying to ignore Ollie's light chuckle at the noise she let out. She blushed as her new boyfriend met her gaze with his piercing blue eyes, not understanding why the blood was rushing to her head as he stared openly at her.
Her angry seething with that strange, veiled witch in the park slowly subsided, leaving her a bit unsure of what to say to Ollie as an intimate moment of words unspoken passed between the two new lovers.
Truthfully, Norah was surprised Ollie hadn't flown off the handle even more than he had back in the park. She supposed she ought to be grateful that the only thing Ollie had done was chuck a rock at the old hag's head to get her to let go of Norah.
She began to think that maybe Ollie was trying, perhaps his best, to help her feel safe and comfortable, not just in the Order of the Phoenix, but also with him as her boyfriend now. Norah shamefacedly lowered her head at the thought, part of her feeling grateful, another part of her feeling guilty for expecting the worst. He furrowed his brows in a frown.
"Let me see your thumb. It's still bleeding," Ollie murmured. Without even waiting for permission, the former Slytherin and Legilimens caressed Norah's left hand in his, cradling it gently, as though the appendage were made of the finest china in the whole world, as if one wrong touch, and she'd shatter.
Norah cringed and held out her thumb, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and unable to veil her reflexive gag, looking away, repulsed as a droplet of blood trickled from her thumb and onto the ground. Ollie noticed and hurried to wave his wand to conjure a Band-Aid to wrap around her thumb to cause her no further distress.
A slight smile passed over Norah's features as she kept her head turned away while Ollie wrapped her thumb and stepped back, pleased, she thought, with his handiwork.
"How is it that you can kill a man in battle and yet you've not the stomach for blood?" Ollie asked his new girlfriend, still feeling a strange euphoric warmth at the thought that Norah Jameson had said yes.
As he smiled at her, he could not help but notice how the light in her pale blue orbs dimmed a little. His smile immediately fell.
Ollie had not meant it as an insult, merely an observation of another cute quirk he found endearing about the werewolf and his new girlfriend. He gave her hand a light squeeze as he waited for her to collect her thoughts.
Her cheeks reddened as she looked away, studying the ground far too intently. Timidness at this moment would never have been questioned in any other woman, werewolf or otherwise.
Was everything about her and her life's plight to be mocked tonight?
Ollie inwardly groaned, cursing himself as he noticed Norah's angry, crestfallen expression and realized she'd mistaken his query. "I—I'm not judging, mind you," he stammered as he motioned for her to join him on the rooftop, neither wanting to go inside. "It's not the most enjoyable thing to see, Nor."
He gave her a nervous white smile that told the werewolf the Legilimens was trying his best and the look on his face told her the truth.
Something within Norah realized that she had no reason to distrust her new boyfriend. He'd been more than understanding and helpful with her, and so full of surprises.
He had been the one who had initiated most of the conversation during their dinner, grilling her about her favorite things: favorite color (green), favorite books, and Muggle movies, if she read or watched them (To Kill a Mockingbird and An American Werewolf in London), her favorite places (Scotland and Romania), places that she wanted to visit (anywhere for her that wasn't her home.)
Ollie had paid for their dinner, and Norah did not want to seem ungrateful. She supposed it could do no harm as to enlighten the man as to the reason for her disgust.
"When I was a little girl," she began slowly, finally sitting down on the edge of the rooftop next to him, "Then—the first time I—I transformed, I…woke up covered in blood. My own," she whispered. "I—I couldn't look at it."
Her gaze was distant as she turned her head to look at Ollie, not really seeing him, as if she were lost in an unpleasant memory of hers.
Ollie said nothing, instead choosing to listen intently to his new girlfriend's every word. She poured out her painful memories to him, glad to finally release them after so long.
She swallowed hard and closed her eyes as if the thought were too disturbing to face alone.
But she wasn't alone. Not anymore. Not when she had him by her side, and good friends in Lupin and Tonks and the rest of the Order. Sensing the blonde werewolf's hurt and pain, Ollie stirred. He scooted closer to Norah, wanting to ease her discomfort in any way he could. Her face hardened as Ollie neared her.
"I've never hesitated in a duel though." Her fist clenched in triumph as her hand drifted to Ollie's thigh and settled there. "I've never lost a duel yet," she added, bragging slightly, tilting her head to look at Ollie now.
"I bet," Ollie spoke up proudly, admiring his new girlfriend's valor and her inner Gryffindor bravery and fearless attitude. "I would fight beside you any day, Norah," he vowed, his blue eyes beaming with pride.
Norah nodded numbly, trying to shake away the image of the so-long ago trauma from her mind, almost as if Ollie's voice brought her back to the present reality of her new situation. That this man was now her…boyfriend.
And she was helping Dad to kill him. If that wasn't a feeling of conflict, she didn't know what was.
Even as Ollie smiled at the thought of her bravery, she couldn't look into his eyes, wishing to hide the embarrassment on her face. She'd not meant to be so candid, to talk about her past like this, to give so much of herself away. Seeming to understand her discomfort, Ollie rested his hand on her arm.
He wanted to tell her he hated the wretch that had changed her life at such a young age when she'd received the bite that turned her like Remus. He wanted to tell Norah that if the monster were still alive, that he would find the beast and slit its throat if that's what she wanted.
"I'm sorry that happened to you," was all he said quietly. "What can I do, Norah?" As Ollie cupped Norah's chin firmly in his rough, calloused hand, he was surprised to find her burning blue eyes full of stifled tears.
She slowly lifted her gaze to find the same sorrow in his own blue eyes at her pain. Part of her was so overwhelmed with Ollie's unexpected empathy that all she wanted to do was lose herself in his deep blue irises. The part of her that won, however, was the part that wanted to crawl away and hide.
Norah blinked, snapping herself back to her usual hardened stoicism, and hid her emotions just as quickly as she let them surface.
"Well, I—I should…i-it's late, and I'd better..." Norah stammered uncomfortably, "get some sleep. Tonks and Mrs. Weasley asked me to go dress shopping with her tomorrow, and aren't you going with Remus to get him new dress robes? If we're going to get an early start tomorrow, then we ought to get some sleep if we can, Ollie…"
She hopped up as if the rooftop around her was on fire, brushing her hands on the skirt of her light pale pink maxi dress, her cheeks flushed. Remembering her courtesies, she shifted the box of their leftovers in her hands and added, "Thank you…for the dinner, Ollie. It was delicious. I had a great time with you tonight. I look forward to our next date."
And this much was truer still. He'd made mention of wanting to take her to a new place the next opportunity, a quaint local place for ice cream and to take a walk by the Thames. She'd agreed. She bashfully turned her head to eye him out of the corner of her lowered and shy gaze.
"Thanks again, Ollie, for everything tonight. And…for listening. And for…daring to take a chance on me when no one else would," she gasped, truly grateful and overcome with awkwardness and a foreign emotion in her chest. It was one she couldn't identify but liked the feeling of, this warmth that Ollie gave off.
Norah looked at Ollie and was caught by the tall man's almost arduous, loving gaze. Without any semblance of hesitation on her part, she bravely stared right back, matching the intensity of his gaze. Their blue eyes held each other for longer than should have been comfortable, considering their relationship was admittedly very, very new, and foreign to them.
However, neither wanted to be the first to go inside, as if looking away would steal away something that they'd never have again. Something far too precious to take so lightly, a feeling, a bond, not to be taken for granted, something she had always wanted.
Norah felt her body leaning closer to Ollie, surprising even herself at her boldness. She itched for her mate's kiss on her mouth, she could almost feel the tender caress on her body. She longed for it so bad it ached.
She wanted…she wanted Ollie. Just him. Her brain raced to try to determine the exact moment that it was she'd begun developing these almost lustful feelings for the man, to need him so close to her. Was it St. Mungo's?
Or maybe she always had wanted it, but something, or rather in this case someone, that someone being Father, had blinded her towards Ollie.
She recalled her first night in the Order, despite their rocky start.
How her heart raced wildly in her chest and her face flushed as he'd sat across the kitchen table from her during dinner. Norah had stolen more than a few timid glances then, wanting desperately to see for herself if the same intense fascination with which he'd stared at her alongside Dumbledore when she'd woken still lingered.
She quickly dropped her gaze to the ground and pulled her hands away from him.
Ollie did not protest, nor did he try to maintain his grip on her hands. As much as he wanted nothing more in that moment to wrap the prickly tiny blonde werewolf in his arms and stay there, forever, he wouldn't push her.
He wanted to kiss every inch of her body and feel the sensations of loving her all night between the sheets, but he understood.
Just how deeply the werewolf had been hurt throughout her life. How it might take some time for Norah to open up more, to fully trust him. He would go as slow as she needed.
Ollie could not—would not—take advantage of Norah's weakness like this. No. He would do the right thing and wait until she was ready. He'd wait forever if she needed him to. When and if she gave herself over to him, it would be on her terms and there would be nothing standing in between them when it did.
He let out a content sigh and cupped her face in his hands. He knew the longer they stood out here in the chilly night air, holding Jameson's beautiful face in his hands like this, fighting against the trembling that betrayed him, he was likely to kiss her again. He wanted to feel her soft lips move against his in a kiss again, but he wanted her to feel comfortable.
Ollie nervously watched Norah watching him and thought perhaps he saw a faint glimmer of hope twinkling in her sky-blue orbs as he held onto her face, his thumb caressing her cheek. He hoped it wasn't simply what he wished to see, that she felt what he felt, too.
Reluctantly, Ollie forced himself to pull away, not wanting to take advantage of her like this. Instead of telling Norah how he felt, he turned his head to the side once and coughed.
"You look tired, Norah. You should get some sleep. We're getting up early to head to Diagon Alley. I have…business in Knockturn Alley to take care of, but I'll meet you both at Flourish and Blotts when I'm finished, okay?"
Business. In Knockturn Alley? This was news to her. Her eyes widened in shock and surprise, wondering what in Merlin's name Ollie had skulking around that awful place, but then she remembered, he probably still had some loose ends here and there regarding his father's funeral to tie up. She let out a sigh.
Norah swallowed past the lump in her throat and quickly nodded, relieved to be saved from herself, and the lustful thoughts that threatened to take control of her any moment.
"Y—yes, we should," she stammered, a fiery heat creeping to her cheeks. "Tomorrow is probably going to be a long day. I hope I can help Tonks find a suitable wedding dress."
"You will. Tonks is pretty laid-back. I think she'd get married in jeans and her favorite Weird Sisters t-shirt if Remus and Molly let her, but they won't," he teased. He smiled reassuringly at her, hoping to ease the burden she carried, wondering what was bothering his new girlfriend, yet not wanting to pressure her into talking if she wasn't ready.
Smiling shyly, Norah strode towards the door of the rooftop that would take her to the second floor to her bedroom, peeking back over her shoulder to see her new boyfriend unmoved. "Um, well, then I guess…this is goodnight," she wished him thoughtfully.
"Goodnight," Ollie replied quietly in what Norah almost perceived as a loving tone.
It made her smile as she turned away, their leftover box of food tucked under her arm that she'd need to take downstairs to the fridge first before going to bed. She didn't look back as she descended the stairs and dropped off their leftover Italian food in the refrigerator, not stopping until she reached her bedroom.
Norah did her best to relax and unwind as she dressed for sleep in an oversized blue and purple sleep t-shirt, collapsing against the bed and allowing sleep to wash over her body.
The bed was soft and warm, and welcome. She tried to sleep, but her mind felt empty. Her mind lingered on thoughts of her dad's plan, and how she was genuinely developing feelings of affection and maybe even love for her new boyfriend. She couldn't.
She missed the feeling of his arms around her, wanting to feel his lips move in sync with hers in another kiss again. She could see Ollie's face as clearly as if he were laying on the bed right next to her, could hear his voice.
The wall that separated their bedrooms might as well have been a hundred miles thick.
Norah swung her legs over the bed and nervously walked towards the wall that kept them separated from one another. She leaned against the wall and land her hand softly on the peeling flowered wallpaper, her body and mind trying to sense her boyfriend on the other side.
Feeling foolish, Norah gritted her teeth and chastised herself. But her conflicted mind and even more tormented heart refused to let her rest. As tears began to pour from her lids, Norah was coming to terms with the understanding for the depths of emotions that had grown within her for the stubborn man.
Standing alone in the cold darkness of her room without her partner by her side, aching for Ollie's presence, Norah quickly realized what she could no longer push away. That she cared for him. That he was her mate, and she was growing to really love Ollie.
Somehow, against all odds and despite what Greyback was making her do, she'd actually managed to fall in love with the very man who Father was ordering her to help kill.
She could only pray to Merlin and God above, anybody who would listen to a werewolf's silent plea, that there was a way out of what Father was making her do, somehow…
Her mind felt like it was reeling and working overtime to process her new feelings. She couldn't quite shake the feeling like she was going to crawl out of her very skin, to shed it like a snake if she didn't do something, and fast.
The walls of her bedroom felt like they were closing in around her, rendering her claustrophobic.
She needed some fresh air to help her think. She wrenched open the door and padded barefoot back towards the rooftop, not even caring that she was just wearing an oversized t-shirt that was way too big for her.
The cold immediately hit Norah's face and stole the very breath from her lungs, but she didn't give a damn about that. Thoughts of Ollie and Father's plan already left her winded. The chilling sensation invigorated her body, breathing new life into the werewolf's straining lungs as she gasped for breath.
Satisfied that she had had enough, she whirled around on the balls of her bare heels to head back inside, but her progress was stopped as she barreled into Ollie's chest on accident.
A horrified squeak escaped past her lips as she clamped a hand over her mouth and staggered backward. She hadn't realized…
His face registered pleasant surprise to see her as Ollie's arm shot out to take her by her left elbow to steady her uneven gait. Norah was shocked to see he'd not retired to his room, but not altogether displeased to find him here.
"You can't sleep, either?" Ollie teased, not relinquishing his grip on his girlfriend, not even after she straightened her posture and lifted her head slowly to look him in the eyes.
"What?" she questioned numbly. "U—um, n-no," she squeaked, wanting to convey her meaning that her lack of sleep hadn't been the reason for leaving her room and coming back out onto the rooftop, but she didn't protest either at Ollie's misunderstanding.
Perhaps this gave her a more plausible excuse. At least, that's what she told herself.
Coming back to herself, Norah smiled nervously at Ollie, having to crane her neck up to look at the man, given the height difference.
"Join me then?" he asked, motioning with a wave of his arm back towards the door.
Norah nodded eagerly, hoping her eyes didn't betray her nervousness and excitement.
Ollie set his hand lightly on the small of the werewolf's back and guided her off of the rooftop, back down the stairwell, and into his room, hoping that she wouldn't recall the first time she'd ventured into his room, how in one of his horrible fits, he'd yelled at her and almost would have assaulted her against the wall.
But that was the furthest thing from his mind. He could think of no better way than to end the evening of their first date than by sitting by the fire with her, though other thoughts were prevalent in his mind as well.
But then he remembered his discussion with Lupin and Tonks about being patient with Norah. He would have to be satisfied with simply enjoying her company, for right now.
That would come later if he were lucky. Once inside his room, Norah awkwardly shifted her weight from one foot to the other, turning at the waist while she waited for him to lock the door. Her gaze was drawn to the bed and she shivered, suddenly averting her gaze from the bed, not wanting to linger on the taunting bed.
She watched Ollie move, waving his wand once with an expert flick of his wrist without even having to utter the incantation to send a small ball of light to the little lamp that rested on the wooden night table beside the king-sized bed to give the room a little light.
Norah bit down on her bottom lip, unsure when the last time was that she felt so nervous.
Yet, standing here in the room with him like this and realizing she was more or less falling in love with the very man Father wanted her to help him kill, she could not recall a time when she felt…when she felt so comfortable.
Despite everything, she felt safe with him. Spurred by the closeness the two of them shared and eager to show Ollie how she felt, Norah could no longer stand the distance between the two of them.
As he turned from the bed to pour them a glass of the house-elf made wine she was confident he'd nicked from Sirius's stores in the cabinet in the kitchen, she crossed the hardwood floor barefoot and stood nervously in front of her partner and boyfriend, halting his movements, her arm winding around his bicep. Grabbing onto his shoulders with shaking hands, she braced herself to Ollie.
"I um…I want you, Ollie," Norah declared.
Unsure, and disbelieving of her own actions, but wanting to close off the gap of space between them, Norah pressed her lips against Ollie's mouth and passionately kissed the man before he could open his mouth to say anything. She inwardly winced as she felt him stiffen, hoping she hadn't overstepped some invisible boundary just now, but couldn't take it back.
Merlin, she didn't want to take it back.
Ollie stood there shellshocked for a moment and unable to move. It took him a second or two to realize Norah was kissing him again, and another three-point eight seconds to realize that he was kissing her back.
He was shocked that this was happening to him, but it was with the stupor of being given everything that he wanted the most and felt undeserving of. He was afraid if he moved, then it would all disappear.
He couldn't afford to take risks. Even if this was exactly what Jameson wanted, he had to be sure, though his doubts were quickly assuaged and laid to rest in that instant as Norah slanted her head, deepening the kiss.
Drawing Norah closer to him, Ollie wrapped his arms around her, kissing her long and slowly. The taste of her lips drove him mad. He didn't protest as Norah's surprisingly strong hands propelled him back towards the bed, as she was eager to show him how she felt in the only way that she knew how, to love him and feel his movements inside of her.
Her fingers clamped onto his back and she could wait no longer.
She needed to mark the man as hers, lest another witch thinks him available. If Norah had managed to regain better control of herself, she would have tried to slow down to make it more romantic for them both.
What she was about to offer of herself, she had given to no man before, but as it was, Ollie had her pinned to the mattress, straddling her lap and clawing at her nightshirt with such violence as though the fabric offended the man by serving as the only barrier against their bodies. She wondered how she'd lost herself.
"Wait, wait, wait," she insisted breathlessly, grabbing onto Ollie's hands and stopping the flustered man from very nearly ripping her oversized t-shirt off her body.
His left eye twitched as did a muscle in his strong jawline in irritation. "What?" he growled, sounding thoroughly frustrated. "You know that I won't hurt you, Norah. I swear it."
"I—I know… I just… you need to be sure. What I want, if you'll…let me mark you as my…as my mate," she swallowed, "then this is permanent. There's no going back from it, Ol."
She swallowed thickly past the lump in her throat, feeling like she was failing to hold back the vulnerable feeling as Ollie weighed the decision of what she was asking in his mind. The she-wolf within her whimpered.
"Please be sure, I…I don't want to—to force you into it if you're not comfortable," Norah begged hoarsely.
Instead of answering her with a verbal confirmation, Ollie grinned and crossed his arms in front of his broad chest, gripping at his thick black woolen sweater and lifting it above his head, revealing a muscular but scarred chest underneath. No sooner had he chucked it aside in the furthermost corner of the room than did the werewolf beneath his thighs snap.
Her lips met his with fervor as they collapsed against one another, still caught in a passionate embrace, her teeth grazing against the column of his throat as Norah marked him.
She didn't give herself the opportunity to second guess or doubt her decision as she closed her eyes, pressed her lips to Ollie's, and lost herself to the sensation of loving him in his bed, even if it was just for tonight or however long they had left together once he learned the truth about Greyback.
She owed it to him to tell him the truth, but not tonight. Tomorrow.
She loved the arrogant bastard just the way he was, prickly temper, and huge ego and all. She did not see what the others saw whenever they looked at him. She didn't see a beast, a monster, but she chose to see the Legilimens and former Slytherin, exactly as he was. As a man.
And it was that man who, whether he knew it or not, held her heart that she allowed herself to give all that she had left to give here in the man's bedroom, not even feeling the chill of the cold air in the room as she lost herself to the sensation of loving Ollie.
Norah decided she wouldn't trade this euphoric feeling for anything else in the world. As long as she was in her mate's arms, she didn't care if Lord Voldemort set the entire city of London on fire.
As long as Ollie was moving inside of Norah when it happened.
Norah's sense of awareness came to her early the next morning. The sounds of people stirring downstairs in Grimmauld Place's kitchen for breakfast roused her from sleep.
The young blonde witch lay still for a moment, her eyes still closed, reveling in the passionate memories of last night as the sun carefully poked through the closed curtain.
She could still feel the sturdiness of Ollie's body pressed against hers, his strong arms wrapped around hers, whispers into the shell of her ear, promises that he meant to keep, words of affirmation meant for only her.
Norah could still feel his hot breaths on her skin, the taste of his own blood from the pinpricks that would forever serve as a permanent reminder that Ollie was her mate.
Yet, she decided she didn't want to open her eyes. She was terrified if she opened her eyes on the cold and garish light of the day, these good sensations she felt that warmed her would just disappear, and she'd be right back to square one of feeling cold and desolate, alone.
She didn't think she could bear it again.
Yet, a startled yelp from Mrs. Weasley coming from downstairs told her that the ornery git Mundungus Fletcher had managed to try to sneak something inside Headquarters again, effectively forcing Norah to open her tired eyes.
Norah cautiously used some of her inner Gryffindor strength to dare to open her eyes as she let out a slightly shuddering breath. Norah felt Ollie's rough hand rub against the arm she'd draped across his scarred and bare chest.
She let out a relieved breath to find him laying on his side, one elbow propped up to look at Norah, regarding her like she was the most exotic and beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
He was smiling softly at her as he held her firmly in his arms. Tenderly, he bent down and kissed her hair and then Norah's forehead.
Norah's initial apprehension that perhaps he had regretted what had happened last night vanished, replaced with a sleep-filled but affectionate smile as she gazed at Ollie.
"Morning," he greeted Norah warmly, relaxed laziness in his otherwise hoarse voice. He ran his hand along the growing stubble of his rough, closely cropped beard and winced, thinking he'd need to shave soon for Lupin and Tonks's wedding, whenever they planned on having it. They'd not said much to him, but he knew they wanted something relatively low-fuss, though he suspected the party would be hosted at the Burrow if Mrs. Weasley had her way.
"Mmm. Good morning," Norah answered, lost in her boyfriend's embrace, reaching over to nuzzle his nose with hers.
She had to prop herself up on her elbow to lean over to kiss him. Ollie met her lips just as eagerly, and soon, just one kiss wasn't enough. Their unexpected morning explorations of each other's bodies threatened to explode into a passionate heated fever again.
Both wanted it, though another yell from Molly broke the pair out of the intimate embrace.
"WILL YOU LET GET DOWN HERE NOW PLEASE? TONKS IS READY TO GO!" came Mrs. Weasley's bellowing voice up the stairwell, causing the pair to shirk away in response.
Norah let out a terrified squeak and burrowed even deeper under the moss green duvet. Ollie chuckled and rose to sit up straighter against his mountain of pillows, raking a hand through his short black hair, bringing Norah with him, not letting her hide.
He sat stock-still for a moment, kissing her back, not caring it was littered with scars. It was another thing they had in common. Her scars, self-inflicted bites from her transformations, and his, from his father.
His arms engulfed protectively around her middle as he pressed his lips to her cheek. "I suppose…we should…get moving…" he murmured in a low growl, telling Norah in between skimming his lips along her shoulder.
Norah smiled softly as she rested her head back against his. "But you're making it difficult, Brennan, let's stay up here, Ollie," she smiled dreamily, resting her hands over his at her waist, holding Brennan firmly in place.
An exasperated and frustrated sigh burst from his mouth as he made to trail down Norah's spine, though he halted in his movements the moment he heard Mrs. Weasley holler again from the foot of the stairs.
"Fine," Ollie acquiesced in a thoroughly disgruntled voice. Moving around to face his new girlfriend, he kissed her mouth long and slow one more time before heaving himself off the bed. "But you owe me one later, Jameson, for taking the fall," he teased. He rose to his feet and outstretched his hand to help her up.
"Gladly," she flirted and smiled passionately at her new boyfriend.
Ollie grumbled under his breath as he tossed Norah her clothes and began to dress, shrugging into a thick black pullover sweater and jeans, lacing up his boots. He watched with regret as she covered the splendor of her body.
Ollie was confident he'd never come down off the high of enjoying last night's shared experience. Once she had dressed in a simple black pencil dress, running a comb through her short blonde tresses, he walked her downstairs. Though the moment they entered the kitchen, they found themselves exposed to over half the Order seated at the kitchen table.
Neither of them gave a damn anymore as they shared a passionate kiss. Lupin and Tonks knew damn well better to make any snide comment or remark over it, though they did exchange a triumphant, gleeful smirk, particularly Tonks that Ollie was tempted to jinx the smug smirk right off her pretty face.
Lupin, who'd been about to take a sip of coffee, lowered his mug as he noticed the subtle glances the two new Order partners and from the looks of things, more than that, shared as the pair moved to help themselves to pieces of buttered whole-wheat toast with grape jam and cups of steaming coffee that Molly had made.
Happy for his fiancée's best friend, Lupin merely grinned and shook his head, his hand drifting to settle on top of Tonks's thigh.
The pair were accompanying them to Diagon Alley this morning to hopefully find Tonks a wedding dress, and Lupin needed a new set of dress robes for their simple planned ceremony upcoming in another two weeks.
He knew Tonks had been right all along, that Ollie would get what he wanted, in the end. It seemed that Norah had as well. He was overjoyed for them both, and they were too.
Lupin chuckled as he swiped a handful of Floo Powder out of the pot that Mrs. Weasley held out to them both. Molly shot Norah and Ollie withering glances for keeping them waiting, mumbling curses under her breath.
Though the two of them didn't notice.
The pair were still holding hands as they stepped into the fireplace and vanished by means of the Floo Network to Diagon Alley. He was reminded of a saying he had once read in a Muggle book once. How did it go?
If you find someone worth holding onto, never, ever let them go.
Encouraged, he squeezed onto Tonks's hand as they followed right behind the new pair of lovers closely, brushing the soot off their pants as they materialized in the grated fireplace of Madam Malkin's, where Tonks kissed Lupin goodbye, and Norah did the same for Ollie, shooing the wizards away. Tonks's dress was to be a secret.
Ollie was in good spirits this morning as Lupin led him out of Madam Malkin's and towards another shop away from Tonks so the pair could shop for wizards' dress robes in private, promising to meet the women over lunch, that he did not notice Augustus Rookwood skulking in the shadows of Knockturn Alley, watching Norah and Ollie's every move.