* * * *
With a heavy sigh, Remus Lupin approached the Great Hall the next morning, dreading the eventual meeting between himself and Lucius Malfoy. He was pretty sure the former Death Eater already hated him, but Lupin had to admit to himself that the feeling was almost mutual. Even if he had accepted that Glory was now beyond his reach, he couldn't help but blame Lucius for it. If he hadn't become her guardian she never would have fallen for him.
He frowned as he caught sight of Snape sitting at the head table and his mood darkened even more. If it hadn't been for Snape's abduction she wouldn't even need a guardian and maybe, just maybe, things could have been different. He sighed again, but made his way up to the head table and took the extra chair Dumbledore had arranged for him. Between his chair and Snape's was two empty places, presumably for Glory and Lucius once they arrived for breakfast.
Lupin kept his head down when they entered the room, not wanting to see them together. When he chanced a glance in their direction they looked like anyone else in the entire room, both content, but not staring at each other in the sickening way Lupin had expected. Maybe he had been completely wrong about her feelings for Lucius, maybe he had been imagining obstacles for himself.
He smiled at Glory as she made her way over to her chair and she smiled back, touching his arm gently.
"Are you alright now?" she asked.
Lupin nodded. "Yes, thank you."
"Good," she said, still smiling.
Lupin felt the grin blossom across his face until he saw Lucius's fingers pressed against the small of Glory's back, guiding her to her chair. It was a tiny gesture really, but it brought everything into perspective. Lupin was kidding himself and he knew it, he had to accept it. She had changed in the past years and so had he and now she was in love with someone else.
Breakfast went by agonizingly slow, Lucius and Glory talking softly to each other. Her occasional attempt to bring Lupin into the conversation went unnoticed and he preferred it that way. He would rather remain an outsider to what they had than to be brought in as a third wheel with no place. He kept silent during the meal, sliding his chair back when Dumbledore finally dismissed the students.
Snape caught up to him in the hall and smirked at him.
"I thought you were not here for yourself, Lupin," he said.
"I'm not."
"Don't try to hide it," Snape said. "I saw the look on your face when she spoke to you." Another smirk passed over his lips. "You want to be with her."
Lupin pressed his mouth into a thin line. "Despite what I may want, being with her is not a possibility, Severus." His eyes locked onto Snape's. "Perhaps that is something you must learn as well."
Snape glared at him. "Surely you're not suggesting that I have some sort of interest in her?"
Lupin shrugged. "It doesn't matter what I suggest. Just stay away from her. Lucius will keep her safe, she doesn't need you." With that said, he walked quickly away, leaving the Potions Master alone.
"I will keep her safe," he growled softly to the empty hall. "I don't trust Lucius and I will keep her safe."
* * * *
Daphne Heyman stood in the doorway of the Muggle house and watched the long road for any sign of Lucius. It had been more than twenty four hours since Voldemort had called him and there was still no sign of him. The Death Eater could Apparate, she knew that he could and yet he hadn't appeared on the winding road that led to the tiny house.
"He's not coming!" she said vehemently, for what felt like the hundredth time. One of the other Death Eaters glanced at her, but said nothing, fearful of her wrath. She was a powerful witch and she knew everything there was to know about the Dark Arts and how to defend herself. It would be no easy task killing her if she decided to attack.
"He couldn't be trusted," she growled. "I knew it all along. We never should have trusted him."
"Come off it, Daphne," another woman said, standing and going to her. "We all know you did more than just trust him."
Daphne glowered at the other woman. "Did I ask you to speak Tina?"
"You forget sometimes," Tina murmured, "you don't scare me. I'm stronger than you, I'm faster than you and the Dark Lord likes me better than you." She smirked, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. "You're just worried that Lucius found someone else. Open your eyes, love. He was married and he had you on the side, but he was fucking anything else that walked."
"Don't you ever say that," Daphne hissed fiercely, whipping her wand out of her robes. "He loved me, Tina. He still loves me."
A sad grin crossed the face of the other Death Eater and she shook her head. "You never understood, did you, Daphne? He didn't love you. I don't think he even loved very much of Narcissa. He loved her."
"Her?" Daphne asked. "Who?"
"The girl in the dungeons. The girl Severus found at the Three Broomsticks," Tina said. "The one Voldemort is looking for now."
"Don't be stupid," Daphne hissed. "She was nothing more than a whore. He could never love a worthless thing like her. I knew her, Tina, I pretended to be her best friend. He could never love her."
"You're so blind," the other woman said. "I wouldn't have believed it, but you really are. He completely blinded you, but I couldn't be surprised. He completely blinded himself as well." Tina shook her head. "He didn't know anything more of his love than you do. He pretended that he hated her, he probably even convinced himself that he did. I know the poor girl thought he did."
"He loves me," Daphne insisted.
Tina smiled grimly. "No, you're wrong. He loves Glory and that's why he's not coming back. I'll bet my life on the fact that he's at Hogwarts with her."
Daphne ignored the other woman and went back to the door, her eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of the man they were all waiting for. She would give anything to see the top of his blonde head coming over the hill in the distance. All she wanted was to look into his eyes and see the love that she had convinced herself was there, it was the only thing in the world that she lived for.
Her eyes narrowed as she thought about what Tina had said to her. Lucius couldn't love Glory, there was just no way. If anything, Glory had seduced him with her long hair and her beautiful eyes. Daphne hated her more than she ever had, thinking about what the woman could do with her looks. She had always been gorgeous, despite the scar that marred half of her face and she had always been able to have any man she wanted.
"Why Lucius?" Daphne murmured to the fading sun. "Out of all the men in the world, why him?"
Tina chuckled dryly from inside the house. "It's called love. They didn't get a choice."
* * * *
With a heavy sigh, Remus Lupin approached the Great Hall the next morning, dreading the eventual meeting between himself and Lucius Malfoy. He was pretty sure the former Death Eater already hated him, but Lupin had to admit to himself that the feeling was almost mutual. Even if he had accepted that Glory was now beyond his reach, he couldn't help but blame Lucius for it. If he hadn't become her guardian she never would have fallen for him.
He frowned as he caught sight of Snape sitting at the head table and his mood darkened even more. If it hadn't been for Snape's abduction she wouldn't even need a guardian and maybe, just maybe, things could have been different. He sighed again, but made his way up to the head table and took the extra chair Dumbledore had arranged for him. Between his chair and Snape's was two empty places, presumably for Glory and Lucius once they arrived for breakfast.
Lupin kept his head down when they entered the room, not wanting to see them together. When he chanced a glance in their direction they looked like anyone else in the entire room, both content, but not staring at each other in the sickening way Lupin had expected. Maybe he had been completely wrong about her feelings for Lucius, maybe he had been imagining obstacles for himself.
He smiled at Glory as she made her way over to her chair and she smiled back, touching his arm gently.
"Are you alright now?" she asked.
Lupin nodded. "Yes, thank you."
"Good," she said, still smiling.
Lupin felt the grin blossom across his face until he saw Lucius's fingers pressed against the small of Glory's back, guiding her to her chair. It was a tiny gesture really, but it brought everything into perspective. Lupin was kidding himself and he knew it, he had to accept it. She had changed in the past years and so had he and now she was in love with someone else.
Breakfast went by agonizingly slow, Lucius and Glory talking softly to each other. Her occasional attempt to bring Lupin into the conversation went unnoticed and he preferred it that way. He would rather remain an outsider to what they had than to be brought in as a third wheel with no place. He kept silent during the meal, sliding his chair back when Dumbledore finally dismissed the students.
Snape caught up to him in the hall and smirked at him.
"I thought you were not here for yourself, Lupin," he said.
"I'm not."
"Don't try to hide it," Snape said. "I saw the look on your face when she spoke to you." Another smirk passed over his lips. "You want to be with her."
Lupin pressed his mouth into a thin line. "Despite what I may want, being with her is not a possibility, Severus." His eyes locked onto Snape's. "Perhaps that is something you must learn as well."
Snape glared at him. "Surely you're not suggesting that I have some sort of interest in her?"
Lupin shrugged. "It doesn't matter what I suggest. Just stay away from her. Lucius will keep her safe, she doesn't need you." With that said, he walked quickly away, leaving the Potions Master alone.
"I will keep her safe," he growled softly to the empty hall. "I don't trust Lucius and I will keep her safe."
* * * *
Daphne Heyman stood in the doorway of the Muggle house and watched the long road for any sign of Lucius. It had been more than twenty four hours since Voldemort had called him and there was still no sign of him. The Death Eater could Apparate, she knew that he could and yet he hadn't appeared on the winding road that led to the tiny house.
"He's not coming!" she said vehemently, for what felt like the hundredth time. One of the other Death Eaters glanced at her, but said nothing, fearful of her wrath. She was a powerful witch and she knew everything there was to know about the Dark Arts and how to defend herself. It would be no easy task killing her if she decided to attack.
"He couldn't be trusted," she growled. "I knew it all along. We never should have trusted him."
"Come off it, Daphne," another woman said, standing and going to her. "We all know you did more than just trust him."
Daphne glowered at the other woman. "Did I ask you to speak Tina?"
"You forget sometimes," Tina murmured, "you don't scare me. I'm stronger than you, I'm faster than you and the Dark Lord likes me better than you." She smirked, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. "You're just worried that Lucius found someone else. Open your eyes, love. He was married and he had you on the side, but he was fucking anything else that walked."
"Don't you ever say that," Daphne hissed fiercely, whipping her wand out of her robes. "He loved me, Tina. He still loves me."
A sad grin crossed the face of the other Death Eater and she shook her head. "You never understood, did you, Daphne? He didn't love you. I don't think he even loved very much of Narcissa. He loved her."
"Her?" Daphne asked. "Who?"
"The girl in the dungeons. The girl Severus found at the Three Broomsticks," Tina said. "The one Voldemort is looking for now."
"Don't be stupid," Daphne hissed. "She was nothing more than a whore. He could never love a worthless thing like her. I knew her, Tina, I pretended to be her best friend. He could never love her."
"You're so blind," the other woman said. "I wouldn't have believed it, but you really are. He completely blinded you, but I couldn't be surprised. He completely blinded himself as well." Tina shook her head. "He didn't know anything more of his love than you do. He pretended that he hated her, he probably even convinced himself that he did. I know the poor girl thought he did."
"He loves me," Daphne insisted.
Tina smiled grimly. "No, you're wrong. He loves Glory and that's why he's not coming back. I'll bet my life on the fact that he's at Hogwarts with her."
Daphne ignored the other woman and went back to the door, her eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of the man they were all waiting for. She would give anything to see the top of his blonde head coming over the hill in the distance. All she wanted was to look into his eyes and see the love that she had convinced herself was there, it was the only thing in the world that she lived for.
Her eyes narrowed as she thought about what Tina had said to her. Lucius couldn't love Glory, there was just no way. If anything, Glory had seduced him with her long hair and her beautiful eyes. Daphne hated her more than she ever had, thinking about what the woman could do with her looks. She had always been gorgeous, despite the scar that marred half of her face and she had always been able to have any man she wanted.
"Why Lucius?" Daphne murmured to the fading sun. "Out of all the men in the world, why him?"
Tina chuckled dryly from inside the house. "It's called love. They didn't get a choice."
* * * *