Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did I obviously wouldn't be writing under FAN fiction.
From the Journals of Remus J. Lupin
School is forever over for us now. I still find myself awakening at dawn, just like I did at Hogwarts. It has only been a week, but already it feels like another lifetime. In a way it is. The choices are now our own, but we must also make our own way in this world, without the assistance of the teachers that we previously had. There are jobs to be found, families to be started, and lives to be continued. I feel a slight twinge of guilt at this, for I know Cine would have a much easier time with two of the above were she not with me. Still, she assures me that there is no place she would rather be than with me. Already she has turned down several offers, as they would require us to be separated. As for me, who would want a werewolf working for them?
Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak to me soon. About what I have no clue. It may be about a job, as he is the only man I know who would not mind employing me, even with the beast. If so, I will not know what to say. I know that any job he offers will require me to leave Cine, as he has never really trusted her. In this case, I must refuse. How could I not when she has done the same for me many times over?
He sneezed and awoke, finding his nose tickled by chocolate brown hair. He sat up and the bed creaked. The Leaky Cauldron was a good inn, but old. He stared down at the woman lying next to him just as he had every day for the past year. It had become a ritual, and there was no sight he would rather awake to than her.
She awoke, blinking sleepily a few times. Her eyes were almond shaped and slightly slanted hinting at Asian heritage. Right now they were still slightly bleary.
Hair swished as she shook her head, trying to clear away the last traces of sleep. She sat up slowly, elegantly, and stretched luxuriously. The morning sun glinted off her hair, making russet fox-red highlights burn like fire. She turned to regard him as one side of her mouth rose into a crooked grin.
"Enjoying the show?" she enquired.
"Always." Remus replied slightly breathlessly.
"Well then," replied Cine with another grin, "I guess I have a good reason to continue putting it on."
"So what did Professor Dumbledore want last night then?" They were sitting in a cozy booth downstairs, both enjoying breakfast.
"I don't quite know." He replied with a frown. "He hinted at wanting me to join some new order of his. He mentioned the word resistance quite often." Cine smiled in slightly scornful amusement.
"That old crackpot is too paranoid. Probably some resistance union against that new wizard who's become so popular of late. What's his name anyway? Voldemort isn't it? I saw him in person once when I was with my father. Apparently he values purebloods very highly. He gave us some fanatical speech about preserving our bloodlines, but I didn't really listen. Sure he was kind of dark, not to mention more than slightly disturbing, but this'll die down. Things like this always do. Dumbledore is just afraid that he's not adored public figure number one anymore." She gave a small snort of derision.
"Don't call him an old crackpot." Remus told her wearily. This was their one sore spot, and it was really too early in the morning for this tired old argument. "Just because you got caught a couple of times does not make him an old crackpot. Just because you disagree with someone on certain issues does not automatically make them stupid or senile."
"But it really wasn't fair!" she pouted angrily. "It was only because I was a Slytherin. He was prejudiced against the whole bunch of us, especially Lucius. If it had been one of his precious Griffindors fooling around they wouldn't even have been given a warning. He would have smiled and patted them on the head." Remus sighed, at the same time feeling the familiar feeling of dread that arose when anyone brought up the topic of her ex-boyfriend Lucius around him.
"Please Cine?" he sighed once again.
She sniffed delicately. "Whatever."
They spent two more days in Diagon Alley. It was glorious to have no classes, no responsibilities and no homework. They wondered up and down the alley for hours, admiring the merchandise and the many curiosities on display in the shop windows. It was enough to simply enjoy each other's company.
He entered their room one night to find Cine sprawled out on the floor, with what seemed like hundreds of maps around her.
"What are you doing?" he asked in astonishment.
"Planning." She replied shortly. His jaw dropped and for a second he had the unpleasant feeling that he closely resembled a goldfish. He shut his mouth.
"What for?"
"Isn't it obvious?" It was her turn to be surprised. "I'm bored here. Aren't you? We're young and free with a decent amount of money in our pockets. We always said we wanted to see the world together. I decided that we could go backpacking around Europe for a while, sort of a graduation reward for us both. If that's fun then we can always do Asia or America after that."
"What's backpacking?" He was very much intrigued. It had indeed been a long-time dream of theirs, but Remus had never actually thought that it would become more than a dream."
"Backpacking is a muggle thing." She said with a smile. "I forget sometimes that not all wizards know many muggle ways. Then again, not all wizards have overly curious, overly practical fathers like mine. Always looking for new things to exploit and new ways to make money. Yep, that's my old man." For a second Remus thought he detected a hint of bitterness in a voice. "Anyway," she continued, "backpacking is cheap muggle travel. If young couples such as us wish to see the world but do not have the sufficient cash, they go backpacking. Basically, you take the cheapest modes of travel possible, sleep in small cheapish places, eat cheap meals, and everything is strictly self-service. You carry almost everything you need in an oversized backpack. It's a no luxury holiday, but you get to see places that you would never otherwise."
"That sounds interesting," he replied slowly, "but kind of demanding."
"What are you, soft?" Cine grinned playfully, taking the sting out of her words. "You've always complained that the Slytherins, especially the pureblood Slytherins were much too pampered and spoilt. You always said that they couldn't manage a day on their own out in the real world. Here's you chance to prove that you can. Besides, we'll always have our wands and a little magic to help us out here and there." She stopped and took a quick breath. "Please?" she pleaded, looking at him. "Pretty pleeeeease with a cherry, whipped cream and sprinkles on top?" She pouted and made big puppy-dog eyes at him. Remus laughed at the sudden onslaught.
"What can I say?" he chuckled. "Ok, ok we'll go." She gave him a brilliant smile.
"In that case we leave tomorrow by ferry. We're going to France first."
A/N: Still fluffy, just wait.