By: Milah Luciana Merverosa
A/N: Remus is allergic to
silver, and I'm allergic to lawyers. I have cloves of garlic and shark
repellent everywhere to keep them at bay... Stay away! It's not mine, and I'm not
making money off of it... Only Milah and the plot is mine... Everything else
goes to Rowling the Magnificent! *Douses house with shark repellent and casts
protective wards on computer* "Awayus Evillus Lawyerus of Deathus!"
Milah cries!
***One comes near me, and he's zapped instantly, like a moth to flames... *a
low rolling laugh is heard* "Didn't stand a chance..." Milah murmurs.
Thanks, Kirbee Angel, for leaving me this little present. It's the best thing
anyone could have done. I have all sorts of things drawn up... heheheheheh...
*Evil Slytherin laugh* Stick with me!
I draw my stories from my actual life. The whole proposal scene actually
happened, as did many other not-so-pleasant scenes. I also come from a school
in Italy. I speak next to no German, and learning English has proved quite a
tough job... *Wipes sweat off brow* Hmm... *thinks about other similarities*
I'm an aspiring singer/dancer who served three years in the United States Air
Force... I'm also rediscovering myself... Should be an interesting read, and I
sincerely hope that you stay with me...
Kind regards,
~Milah Luciana Merverosa
Still in flashback... Night before Halloween ball...
Chapter twelve
"Milah, it's nearly nine thirty. The library was supposed to close two and a half hours ago." I was floating through the isles, trying to find one book in particular.
"Just leave me the keys to lock up. I'll get them back to you in the morning…" I stated from the very back. She thought for quite a bit before agreeing, and told me not to tell anyone about what she did. "Have a good night!" I said as I heard her make an exit. All alone in my favourite room.
"Score! I found it!" I undusted the gray book that I had in my hands. "Werewolves and Wolves: A comparative study, By: Moon Cusimano" Over the past two years, I noticed a recurring pattern in Remus' sickness. Today I was going to find the truth. I carefully took the book to a desk and immersed myself in its pages. I didn't even hear him come in.
He placed his hand on my head. "What's a nice girl like you, doing in a you doing in a place like this, at such an ungodly hour?"
I quickly hid the book, "Madame Libri said that I could stay. I'm doing some research for LeStrange…"
Much to my dismay, he picked up the book. When he read the title, he dropped it. "Research on what?" He croaked.
I decided to openly question him. "Okay, so I lied." I began to wring my hands. "I noticed a pattern in your absences… I figured it out Remus… I know what you are."
He flopped on the ground. "And I won't deny it. I won't lie to you, Milah. This is no game. This is my life. Students would riot if they knew… Voldemort is picking werewolves left and right because of their terror. Villagers are killing them in droves… You can't say anything." He buried his face in his hands. I could see the intense worry, but also the relief that he didn't have to hide from his favourite Italian.
"Does this mean that you won't speak to me anymore?" I looked into the eyes of my sad English tutor.
"No, we still have English to learn." He sighed. "Does this mean that you don't care about what I am?" He looked hopeful.
"Remus J. Lupin, by knowing that you're a werewolf makes me like you more. It's easier to relate to you because you didn't have a normal life either." My eyes were downcast. "My kind are persecuted against as well."
"You know something about me that could destroy me. Please don't let it slip."
"I won't Teacher Remus. I promise." I stood from my chair. "We need to leave now." I grabbed the keys from the front desk to lock the door.
"Milah?"
"Hmm?" I was busy digging through the mass of keys trying to find the one to lock up.
"I can't dance." He hung his head down in shame.
I picked my head up sharply, and smiled brightly. "Good! There's something that I can teach you then…" The door made a satisfying click, and I gave a good pull to make sure… "Well, I should be off to it then."
"Wait. Let me walk you down…"
"You'd only get lost. All the corridors look the same… I'll be fine on my own. Arrivaderci, Remus." And like a flash, I was gone.
*****(scene/time change)*****
"G-d Lily…" James' mouth hung in midair. "You're positively stunning…"
"You look beautiful Lily." Remus agreed.
"You aren't going like that are you?" James inquired
"There's nothing wrong with my dress robes." Remus looked down defensively
"But they're all shabby… Borrow mine" He tossed Remus some Maroon robes. "There, much better. You'll knock her out of her socks like that…"
"Here's hoping."
The Great Hall was filled with students all dressed up in their best robes. Even the class nerds looked amazing. "Remus, where's Milah?"
"She said not to wait for her. We'd be able to easily find her from inside. But she said that we needed to sit as close to the dance floor as possible..." He silently prayed that she wasn't ditching him now that she knew the truth. He wouldn't blame her if she did.
They stepped inside the great doors and were greeted by many round tables instead of the usual house tables. The center of the floor was now a place where couples could boogie. The teacher's dais became the entertainment center. A juggling skeleton was just finishing his rather amazing act. Leave it up to Dumbledore to dream up something so cool.
Dumbledore stood up to speak, "Thank you, Mr. Bones. Fabulous job." He clapped. "And now we have a bit of local talent. For your visual and auditory pleasure-" He stepped to the side to reveal two beautifully costumed teenagers. The girl wore a form-fitting emerald green dress with silver accents in all the nicest places. Her head also bore a sheer black cover. Her partner wore a skin-tight black suit with a black sequined vest. "May I introduce Electric Blue, and her partner Louis, who flew in all the way from Italy to perform here tonight."
The crowd was stunned. They didn't recognize the lady at all, but she was supposed to be a student. She was incredible. Eyes were mesmerized on her as she crossed the now cleared dance floor. She was not wearing normal robes. Her bare arms were intensely muscular, and people were surprised to see the sheer power in her presence. She turned to face her partner. Very exotic Flamenco music began to sound through the hall. She curled her arms to cup her face, and all was a blur from there. The couple moved with the ease and grace of professionals. He looked old enough to be one. They seemed to dance for hours. They did Tango, Salsa, Flamenco, Turkish belly dancing, sword dancing, and she even did one Can-Can number. The crowd was absolutely delighted. Just then, the music ended.
"Well now, I'm sure we didn't just come here to watch other people…" Professor Dumbledore stated. "She'll be back in a bit to sing for us. Mille Grazie Electra e Louis." They bowed deeply, and music played again.
"Where is she?" Remus had given up hope. They were sitting close to the center, but hadn't found her yet.
"Don't worry Remus, she'll be here." Lily put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you…" and it was true, I had been.
Every person at the table gaped with wide mouths. None wider than Remus, though. "That was you?"
"'Fraid so… Why? Was it bad?" My accent garbled my phrase a bit
"No… It was the most wonderful thing that I ever saw…" Remus said with his mouth wide open.
"You can all close your mouths now. I'm no different from you…" I was still standing. I crossed my bare arms with self consciousness.
"Good Lord Milah, sit. Please." Remus pulled back a chair for me to sit in. "Who was that guy you danced with?" He looked a bit jealous. "And who's Electric Blue?"
"I'm Electric Blue. It's the show name that I used to tour Europe when I was an older child." I looked down at my hands.
"But you always wear green…"
"Remus… Have you looked at my eye colour lately? First words out of my mum's mouth was 'Dear G-d, look at those eyes'." The whole table stared at me. Sure enough my eyes were blue. Blue as the sky on a crystal clear day. Blue like the ice on the polar caps of the earth...
"Pity I never noticed them before. What about the tight clothes guy." He pointed at the man in the corner who was talking animatedly to Professor Dumbledore.
"Oh, Lewie? Don't worry about him. He was my partner. We grew up together and always performed shows together. After we sing, he'll go back home."
He noticed my eyes fall. "You miss it, don't you."
"What?"
"Your birth country."
"Sometimes, but I try not to think on it. England has its good points too."
"Will you dance with me, Teacher Milah?" I laughed when I heard my nickname for him being reversed on me...
"Si, signore. I'll dance forever if it please you."
*****(Present day)*****
"Milah, I need you to listen to me… The potion is not working. You must cooperate. Try to will yourself out of this. Fight like you would for the Imperius curse." Dumbledore pet my hand as Severus told me the news, but my mind was in a thousand places at once. I was unable to concentrate on anything much less fight it…
*~*~*~*~*~(F/B) *~*~*~*~*~
"I'd like to welcome Electric Blue to the stage. She'll be providing tonight's entertainment here at Twisted Sisters nightclub."
"Thank you. Thank you!" I was smiling and waving at the enthusiastic crowd. "It's so wonderful to be here tonight, in front of all of you good people. I've just graduated from school, isn't that exciting?" I beamed. The place was packed and all of my old school chums came to see it. Even Severus… "My first number will be an old folk legend from my mother country. It's called Amon Hen."
"I've heard her sing this one." Lily commented "It's beautiful."
"Everything that comes out of her mouth is beautiful." Remus said, but he was quite distracted.
"Have you told her how you feel yet?" James looked at his sickly friend. "She's obviously special if you ventured out of your home one night before-- you know what…"
"No. I'm afraid that she'll laugh at me… No one wants something like me. She probably only sees me as a friend, anyway."
"You're not a thing, Remus. You're a man. You have wants and desires as well. You have hopes and dreams… She likes you. I'm a girl, I know these things… Tell him, James!"
"Life with someone who loves you is the greatest gift on earth. You should tell her. She may feel the same way…" He kissed his fiancé and directed his attention back to the stage. "Where's Sirius, by the way?"
"He's still in Auror training. I'm surprised that Milah made it out as early as she did. Always was a fast learner." Remus suddenly drew in his breath. She had begun to sing. "What language is she singing in?"
"Elvish." The entire table snapped around to see who had spoken. A dark figure was hidden in the dimly lit setting. Sitting all alone at the bar, with a drink in his hand, was Severus Snape.
"How would you know?" Remus stated bitterly.
"I was her best friend and housemate. I know her lineage, as well as the language. Which unfortunately, none of you seem to have a clue about any of it…"
I saw the impending fight from the stage. It troubled me greatly to see my two best friends about to fight. Only two more songs to go… I'd never tell them that they put a damper on my first night. Thankfully, Sirius arrived, saving the day. He asked Remus a question and he answered something. All eyes were back on me. Just the way I wanted them to be…
*****(present day)*****
"Fight it, Milah. You have to fight!" Remus was holding my hand.
"How did she come out of it last time?" Dumbledore asked.
"Her arm hurt." Remus stated without moving.
"Oh." He looked to Severus, who nodded meaning 'he knows'. "Then I'll lift this to see what things look like under here." He lifted my long sleeved black robe to check out my mark. It didn't hurt. I didn't even know that I had a body. All things seemed to just disappear. I was only my memories.
*~*~*~*~*~(F/B) *~*~*~*~*~
He rehearsed over and over in his mind what he would say. "Milah, you have been the driving force in my life for many years. You were my good friend all through school. I would like to take our friendship to the next level..." 'dork' he thought bitterly, 'she'll never want a monster like you.'
"Are you ready, Remus?" I walked into the living room of my new house.
"As ready as I'll ever be. Are you nervous?"
"No... Yes... Maybe..." I put my wand in my sleeve
"Milah?"
"Hmm?" I was looking in the mirror, checking to see if my makeup was perfect.
"Milah?"
"Que, dolce mio?" (For all you non-Italian speaking folks: What, my sweet?) I never turned from the mirror. He stepped behind me.
"You look fantastic. Don't worry about what that mirror says..." He smiled.
"You look nervous, and I'm the one going under the gun..." I grinned still looking at myself in the mirror. He whirled me around. "You're full of energy, all thing considered..." I looked up at him and said, "You're much taller than your friend, you know..." He grinned.
"It's hard not to be taller than you, Milah!" He shuffled his feet.
I cocked my head to the side, "Sta bueno?" (Are you okay?)
"Ummm... Well... We've been friends for a long while, right?"
"Nearly five years, Remus. Why?" I didn't see what he was getting at, but it didn't appear to be good because his facial expression was so worn.
He held my forearms, whether it was to steady me or himself, I do not know. "Well, I wanted to... tell you..." 'Come on Remus, don't be a git... You can do it,' he thought to himself. 'The worse thing she can do is turn you down...' I was quite beside myself, trying to figure out what he couldn't tell me. "I wanted to know, if you wanted to maybe... I don't know... Take things to the next level, maybe, if you wanted to... Ummm..."
I was stunned. Here I am, waiting for him to tell me that he had an incurable disease (besides the lycanthropic issue), and he asks this! "Ai..." I put my hand to my head, "We'll talk in a bit, Remus... I'm going to be late..." My head was spinning.
'Way to go Moony... Now you screwed up your only friendship with an available female... Smooth move, she hates you now.' That was Remus' final thought as he felt her hug him close for apparation.
*****(Present Day)*****
"She's not fighting, Headmaster." Severus spoke, looking down at his patient. "Milah, you have to listen to me... Perhaps you can invoke the magic of your people to protect you. I'm simply grasping at straws here. They have changed my own method since I left Voldemort's inner circle. A mere potion cannot cure you..." He wiped the sweat off my brow. "Maybe our people can help..." Severus met Albus' gaze, Remus looking quite puzzled. "What do you think headmaster?"
"I certainly think that it's worth a try, but do you remember the incantation?"
"How are muggle Italians going to help her?" Remus was truly confused.
"Shut up Lupin, as I told you before, you know nothing of her lineage..." Severus snapped at Lupin. "I remember, professor." He drew himself to full height, raised his left hand in the air, stretched his right arm across my weak body, and began to chant with my old Headmaster.
"A Elbereth Gilthoniel, silivren penna míriel o menel aglar elenath! Na-chaered palan-díriel o galadhremmin ennorath, Fanuilos, le linnathon nef aear, sí nef aearon! A Elbereth Gilthoniel o menel palan-diriel, le nallon sí di-nguruthos! A tiro nin, Fanuilos!" Repeatedly they chanted, but it didn't seem to be working. I was lost to darkness again.
*~*~*~*~*~ (F/B) *~*~*~*~*
We arrived at the large concert arena just in time. I was wearing that familiar green dress that Remus had seen at the Halloween Ball back when we were in school. I was opening for a world renowned wizarding band called the Flying Mops. A stage manager walked up to me, "You're on in five. Get him out of here." He pointed at Remus, and I told him where his seat was.
"Come back up in ten, okay?" I looked him in his tired eyes. "Brighten up, amico. We are going to talk later..." I gave him a suggestive wink that caused his entire body to shiver. "Apparently you aren't used to that?"
He was laughing. "No... I had better get to my seat." He hugged me. "Good luck, Milah, but don't break a leg..." I watched as he disappeared, and listened as they gave Electric Blue a formal introduction.
I stepped out singing, and the show began...
"Electric blue eyes, where did you come from?" I raise my arms in the air "Electric blue eyes, who sent you?" I shrugged my shoulders with question. "Electric blue eyes, always be near me. Electric blue eyes I need you!" I spun in a circle and brought my raised arms down to cover my heart. I chanted for a bit... It went perfectly with the music.
"Domine, domine deus..." Remus was watching me. I could feel his gaze. "G-d, she's beautiful." 'Why does she look and sound so sad?' He thought to himself. "Yeah, she's hot." The guy next to him yelled. "I'm going to see if I can't sneak down to her chamber later..." "You most certainly will not!" My tired friend spoke quite boldly to the older man. What's your problem, buddy? Are you her keeper or somethin''" "As a matter of fact, I am..." Remus shot a warning glance at the man, who suddenly drew himself to full height. "What are you going to do about it?" "It's time for me to fetch my wife... I don't need to do anything, with you that is... Good evening sir." Remus left the angry man where he was, and returned to the side of the stage to wait for me. "Domine, aduiva me... Domine, domine deus... Domine adiu, aduiva me..." People were clapping and screaming, just for me. This show was going so well... "If you should go, you should know I love you..." I brought my arms around myself to hug myself, and noticed Remus at stage left. I gave him a meaningful smile. We were going to have quite a conversation later... "If you should go, you should know I am here... Always be near me, guardian angel... Always be near me, there's no fear..." As I finished my song I walked off the stage. Remus was speechless. I helped him out a bit though. "Let's go back to my place. I haven't eaten in ages... I'm starved!" He laughed nervously. "Fine with me. I'm not too heartbroken about missing them perform." He pointed to the band who was now screaming and jumping about on the stage. He held me as we apparated back to my home. "Would you prefer your meat cooked, or shall I simply place it in a bowl for you?" I asked with a menacing gleam in my eye. "I'm just not sure..." He teased as he hung our cloaks on the coat rack by the door. "Medium-rare seems like a nice compromise." He heard me clanking around the kitchen. 'Maybe she forgot all about it. I can't believe that I told her... Stupid, stupid Remus...' Just then, he saw me standing in the doorway, appraising him. "Voglio parliamo" "I speak English, Milah." "I want for us to talk about this." I said abstractly. 'Oh, no! Here goes everything' "So you did hear me?" He looked down at his feet. Remus was quite nervous. I crossed the room to sit in one of my chairs, motioning for him to sit beside me. "I'm an Auror. Anything that anyone says to me is filed away until I need it." The Slytherin part of me loved watching him squirm. I won't play for too long... I feigned sadness, and even let a sigh escape. "I'm sorry, Milah. Did I overstep my boundaries?" He was gazing at the floor. "Of course not, Remus. You only told me how you felt, which is more than I could have asked for. It was pure, unedited truth..." I buried my face in my hands in mock frustration. Poor guy... "But Remus... I'm sorry that I-" He cut me off. "It's okay, Milah. I only wanted you to know... I never expected you to love a monster like me..." He let a tear drop from his cheek. I couldn't stand it anymore. I stood from my chair, crossed the room, took his hand, and said, "You are not a monster... Now, let me finish." He wouldn't look me in the eyes, so I reached up and pulled his chin to face me. "What I was saying, Remus J. Lupin, was that I was sorry to inform you that however long you've had feelings for me, I've had them twelve times as long..." It was his turn to be stunned. "I... don't know what to say. Oh, my G-d!" It must have just hit him... "Really!?!" He was positively glowing. I'd never seen him so happy. He looked down at me, "It's nice when you're in love with your best friend." He took his hands and wrapped them around my waist. He pulled me oh so close, closer than we had ever been before, then began to rub the small of my back. "And you are my best friend..." Now standing, he loomed over me, just inches from me now. "What about James? Peter? Lily? Sirius?" "I can't do this with them..." History was made that night. I'm sure that everyone heard the giggling coming from my living room floor. I'm sure everyone heard the smoke ward go off... We were so busy that I forgot about the meat in the oven! All in all, it was a very good night...*** *
A/N: What do you think? I'll never know if you don't
review... Check out a picture of Milah on the link at my author page. If you
have any ideas, please let me know... I know where I have set for things to go,
but I can incorporate anyone else's ideas (I'll credit you, of course) in too!
Later babe!
*Wipes sweat off of brow* I have quite a bit of crediting to do...
For all you non Elvish buffs, the translation for Severus' incantation is: O
Elbereth Star-kindler (white) glittering slants down sparkling like jewels from
[the] firmament [the] glory [of] the star-host! To-remote distance far-having
gazed from [the] tree-tangled middle-lands, Fanuilos, to thee I will chant on
this side of ocean, here on this side of the Great Ocean! O Elbereth
Starkindler from firmanent gazing afar, to thee I cry here beneath
death-horror! O look towards me, Everwhite!
This is an actual hymn that has been translated into Sindarin, the noble
tongue. I've just given a major hint as to where this plot is going... *wink*
And a hint as to why she spent so many years in the moorlands...
I must credit Mr. Tolkien for his brilliant elvish, and all his other
accomplishments. Without him, I would truly be lost.
I must also credit the Cranberries for their song, "Electric Blue".
It has been quite an inspiration.
Oh, and I can't forget Moon Cusimano. She is a real, Italian girl that I knew
from my early childhood. I'll bring that in later on in the story. I won't know
her in the story. She's just an author, here, but she was very influential to
me back in Maiori... Thank you for my life, Moon...
~Milah