The True Meaning of Happily Ever After

A/N: I know the title sucks ::rolls eyes:: but give it a chance, will you? Chapter Five: Leave Off

Remus had been admitted into the Hospital Wing to recover from temporary shock. The others had been just fine, but Danae spent her days staring at Remus' prone figure through the curtains. Finally, he was discharged.

"Remus!" Danae called after him as he dashed out of the Hospital Wing.

Remus did not turn around at all. He seemed to hesitate slightly before running faster. Danae chased after him.

"Remus!" she called again, tears flowing from her eyes. "Remus- stop.... I can't breathe...."

Remus turned around. He did not move a step further. "Just leave me alone," he said softly, almost menacingly.

Danae looked at him, full of sorrow. "But-" she began.

"You don't want a werewolf around you. Go away," he snarled, wolf-like.

Danae felt confused. "But I never did say I didn't want you! When?"

"Just leave off! I don't want to see you again!" Remus tried his best not to let his true feelings betray him. He wanted so much to just fall into Danae's now outstretched arms and banish away all his worries. Please, let me do that... he prayed to himself. Please...

"No! I cannot!" he suddenly burst out, and he sprinted down the corridor.

Danae's lips became one thin line. "Then you are not the one, if you underestimate my love for you," she whispered after him. "I'm sorry."

A single tear ran down her cheek.

"I'm sorry."

..

The rest of the year flew by like lightning. Very soon, it was their NEWTs. As usual, Lily was top student, tying with Danielle, and James and Sirius breezed through with more than a handful of them. Peter kept it up with his average results, but Remus barely scraped a few NEWTs, although getting a hundred and fifty one point nine percent (151.9%) for Defence Against the Dark Arts, beating James by 0.9%. Danae also did fairly well, although she did not top anything but transfiguration, which was most unlike her.

In a blink of an eye, the school was again on the Hogwarts Express, and the seventh years were talking about what they would be doing after school.

James was the first to say something. "I'll go for a round of Auror School and then I'll marry Lily once I have a job. That'll be quite late."

Lily smiled and said, "I'll get a job somewhere, and don't fret- I'll marry James and live off him."

Sirius grinned mischievously and quipped, "I'm thinking of a joke business."

Danielle shook her head. "You'll probably become a deranged convicted murderer locked up in Azkaban. I won't save you. Danae and I are going to Alaska for the Ministry. We've been recruited into the Department for Research of Foreign Magic- we'll be coming back in about ten years' time. Terrible." Sirius scoffed at her comment.

They all looked at Remus. He seemed pale, and he had been silent for the last week. "What about you, Remus?" Lily asked.

Remus muttered something that sounded vaguely like, "I'll look around."

..

As the train jerked to a stop at King's Cross Station, the group dispersed and they were lost in the crowd. Remus, pensive as ever, did not even notice when Danielle shouted loud enough for anyone to hear, "Sirius! Kill James for me!"

Walking away, Remus wondered when they were ever going to congregate again- together. ..

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Arwen.