What Happened in Flourish and Blott's
"No, Remus!! You can't!!" she yelled near hysteria.
Remus looked at Sylvia in surprise.
"Sylvia," he laughed. "I just need to go shopping in Hogsmeade, that's all."
She hid her trembling hands in the pockets of her sweater.
"Then…then," she stammered. "Have Sirius go with you!"
He gave her a curious look, but smiled and shook his head. "Sirius is busy and can't go. He told me to go tomorrow when he'd be free, but I really need to – "
"I'll go with you then!"
He paused, and studied her closed expression.
Finally, after a moment, he shrugged and nodded.
"Very well, I guess if you really want to. But –"
She quickly left to get her coat and didn't allow him to finish.
The wind howled and blew viciously against Remus and Sylvia's robes.
Due to the weather, the streets were deserted, even though it was about two in the afternoon. The two crouched against the wind and continued their trek towards Flourish and Blott's.
The musty scent of dust entered their nostrils as Remus held the door open for her. They presumed the owner was somewhere in the back, as the booth was empty, though surrounded by piles of books and paper.
The two stood there, rubbing their hands together for warmth. The bookstore glowed inviting around them, setting a quiet, warm, and comforting tone. The fire in the back of the room crackled softly. Almost unconsciously, Sylvia leaned into Remus, trying to get warm. To her surprise, she felt him wrap his arms around her and hold her to him.
She shut her eyes tightly, her heart pounding, feeling her body tingling where he was pressed up against her through her robes and coat. She leaned her head against him, hardly daring to breathe, and listened to his breathing, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest contrasting with that of her own.
Remus looked down at the woman in his arms in shock. He hadn't been planning on wrapping his arms around her; it just sort of happened. Though he had to admit, this felt quite nice…natural, even.
They both held each other for a while, each matching their breathing to the other.
Slowly, Sylvia looked upwards, not far, because she was only several inches shorter than he.
Hand met hand, gold eyes met silver, and she was vaguely aware that she was leaning upwards even as he was leaning down.
They kissed each other softly, almost hesitantly. And while Remus wondered if they were doing the right thing getting involved this way, Sylvia knew that this moment would live on forever in her dreams, even if he decided to break off whatever they had before it had even begun.
Remus gently pulled away, and they studied each other's eyes. They both sprang back from one another when the store manager cleared his throat.
"Are you both quite finished?"
Professor Lupin walked through the deserted hallways, the deep sound of his footsteps echoing somewhere far beneath his thoughts.
After Flourish and Blott's, he and Sylvia had gone to get a quick mug of butterbeer before returning to the castle. Neither said much, and no one said anything at all about what happened in Flourish and Blott's.
As the two were old friends, they were accustomed to giving each other familiar hugs in departure, but today had been different. Normally, their hugs were quick and loose, but this time, he found himself holding her just a little closer, and he wondered if he had imagined her holding onto him for just a second longer. Not that he minded, of course, but –
"Oh!"
Gasping, he saw a brief flash of amber before he stumbled back into a wall.
Recovering his wits, he blinked and looked down at the fallen creature he had stumbled upon. Lynn Alkaiser.
She stared wide-eyed up at him. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Professor Lupin! I wasn't watching – "
He laughed and shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he smiled. "I wasn't either." He stepped forward, lifting her up effortlessly off the ground, and she handed him back his papers she had succeeded in scattering upon the floor.
He leaned back on his heels and placed his hands back behind his robes and into his trouser pockets. He hadn't really spoken to her since the night of the full moon two weeks earlier. She looked much healthier, though still a little pale and tired – not entirely unlike him.
"What are you doing out so late?"
Apparently hitting the girl's main concern, she took on a frightened look and quickly began explaining quite rapidly.
"Well, you see, Professor, I was just… I tried to go to sleep, honest, but you see –"
The amused look on his face told her he wasn't going to turn her in.
She quieted sheepishly and gave him a meek smile.
"New moon," he commented, glancing out of one of the castle's windows.
He nodded once, "I understand."
Her smiled faded not entirely, and he marveled the sadness revealed in her eyes.
They studied each other; her the child examining a mentor who seemed to understand her, he the lost soul seeming to find another stray traveler traveling the same road as he.
Quietly, he repeated himself softly in his rich tone.
"I understand."
She opened her mouth to respond, but closed it once a choking sound erupted from her throat. She sank to her knees and hugged him around his waist, burying her face in his robes.
Swearing softly, he lowered himself to her level and embraced her comfortingly, suddenly envious that this girl had someone to comfort her who understood what she was going through. He, unfortunately, never had that same luxury.
Slowly, she pulled away and wiped her eyes with the handkerchief he offered her.
"It's not fair," she whispered, a bleak look of despair in her eyes.
"It's just not fair."
He forced a small laugh. "Of course it isn't…it never is."
The sound of his voice seemed to bring her back, and she hurriedly wiped her eyes again, standing up shortly after he.
She glanced away from him, as though ashamed to look him in the face. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…"
"Nonsense," he cut her off shortly. "You've nothing to be ashamed of," he added in more quietly.
She didn't respond and with a sigh, he looked out at the new moon.
"You want to come into my office for tea?" He shook his head. "I doubt either of us are going to get any sleep tonight." He turned back away from the moon, as if anxious to get out of its line of vision.
She looked up at him, looked away and nodded. "Thank you," she said quietly.
She walked beside him, trying to sneak looks at him whenever possible.
How did he do it? How did he manage to cope with it so well?
His hair was dusted with strands of silver, his eyes, though bright, looked tired. Yes…his body was suffering from his condition, and was slowly deteriorating, as would her and Allen's in a few years' time.
But he had a way of keeping his head held high. He had a way of keeping his posture sure and steady. He had his way of looking you directly in the eyes when you spoke, as if everything you had to say mattered, and held a high degree of importance. Though there was one other, more important thing that amazed her about him.
He smiled.
Oh, sure, she and Allen "smiled" all the time. Everyone smiles. But it is a rare thing to see a real smile. A real smile is only possible if one is truly happy, deep inside. Even if it's only for a split-second. You can give an imitation, you can curl your lips into the formation. But you can always tell a real smile from a fake, and Professor Lupin had his many fake smiles; but he also had his real ones, too.
He glanced at her, giving her one of those in-between smiles. "Alright, there, Lynn?"
She gave him a fake smile and nodded once.
He stopped in front of the door to his office and pulled out a set or keys from his pocket. As he unlocked the door, he flashed her a quick smile.
"I use both keys and charms to lock my door," he explained, tapping the doorknob with his wand. "I find it's doubly effective."
He pushed the door open and held it so, allowing her to walk in first.
He shut the door behind him silently and strode across the room, pulling Lynn's chair out for her automatically. He sat down in front of her and tapped a dark blue teapot that she could have sworn hadn't been there a moment ago.
As they waited for the tea to heat up, they both sat in companionable silence.
Remus looked up from the teapot and he blinked, realizing the girl had been staring at him. She smiled in apology and looked away.
The teapot began singing and he poured them a cup of tea. He handed her a cup and took a sip of his.
He studied her over the rim of his cup. This time, she caught him staring and he looked away, embarrassed. She set her cup down and smiled in amusement.
Remus looked up at her to ask her a question.
"I, ah…"
She tilted her head at him. "Yes?"
He looked at her for a moment.
"During your transformation, I noticed that…"
"Oh," she nodded understandingly. She took a sip of her tea.
"Yes," she continued. "I got that from my mother. She turns into a fox on full moons. My brother, on the other hand, inherited his type of lycanthropy from our father." She swirled her tea absent-mindedly.
"So you both were infected – "
"-Since birth," she finished for him.
He nodded and finished his cup of tea quickly. He couldn't imagine how horrible it must have been for them.
She took a final draught of her cup and set it down. They both stood up.
"Thank you very much for the tea, Professor."
He waved a hand. "It was nothing, Miss Alkaiser."
He opened the door for her and they both walked together in a comfortable silence.
He left her at her chambers before he continued on toward his rooms.
As he lay down to go to sleep he briefly wondered if perhaps he had overstepped his boundaries today as her professor. Shaking his head, he decided it didn't really matter. He was simply trying to help the girl, as he would have liked at her age.
He closed his eyes and pushed aside the day's events, both at Flourish and Blott's and in his office.