The Truth and the Lie
A/N: This is a companion piece to Thestral1's 'The Lie and the Truth'. Basically, it's Moody's view of the events in question.
Alastor Moody's last clear thought before the mind-numbing fog of the Imperius Curse clouded his mind was 'He'd better not hurt Poppy.'
* * *
When he finally woke with a clear mind, it was to hear Poppy berating herself, "How could this have happened? How could I not see it wasn't you? Oh, there were moments, but I never questioned it as I should have. Merlin help me, I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!" Opening his eye, he saw her sitting in the chair beside the bed in which he rested. She cried into his hand, which she held in both of hes. Even after twelve years, he couldn't understand how she could stand all the scars he'd accumulated in the course of his work.
The anguish in her voice broke his heart and he twitched his hand in her grasp, letting her know that he was awake. She looked up at him, startled, her face still stained with her tears. "It was veritaserum. He questioned me and knew all. Poppy, don't cry so." It twisted his heart to see her cry like this.
"Alastor, I should have known," she answered brokenly, her tears flowing freely once more.
"Poppy, he fooled even Albus. Do not fret over this," he told her again, clumsily wiping her tears away. Her skin was soft under his touch and he didn't want to injure it, but he couldn't bear to see her tears.
"You don't understand. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!" she cried, tormented. "I've loved you for all my life, ever since we both left Hogwarts. Ever since you started your Auror training and I started my Healer training. I feel it's all been a lie if I could not recognize the real you."
He stared as she sobbed, covering her face with her hands. Was it true? Could it be possible? He gently pulled her to him, desperate to be sure. His whisper was hoarse with emotion, his hand still on her cheek. "Poppy? Can it be true? What you say?"
"Yes, it is true." She nodded, her tears forgotten for the nonce.
A heavy silence before a single tear slid down his face from his eye. Looking deep into the gray eyes he'd loved and admired for so long, he told her, "You don't know what it means to me to hear you say that. I have been a fool to keep quiet for so long, about my own love for you, Poppy."
"We've both been fools then, to let the chance pass us by for so long." She murmured, resting her forehead against his.
He wrapped his hand around hers, marveling at how soft it was, especially in comparison with his own scarred, calloused one. "We still have the chance now. I'm willing to take the risk."
"Yes we do. I'm more than willing to take the risk also," she responded, squeezing his hand slightly.
"From this moment forward I am yours, I've always been yours." He kissed her as he'd been longing to do for years.
"From this moment forward I am yours, I've always been yours." She kissed him back with no less passion than his own. Footsteps in the corridor reminded them of the real world. She pulled away. "Alastor, you need rest."
He sighed and nodded. "You'll tell me what's happened over the past ten months?"
She nodded back as she helped him settle back against his pillows. "I will, Alastor. I promise."
He smiled up at her as she helped him remove his leg and eye. "Thank you, Poppy."
"You're welcome, Alastor." She gave him a potion to drink to help him sleep and he took it without testing it for poisons. He knew he could trust her. Sighing contentedly, he let sleep claim him.
***Finite***
A/N: This is a companion piece to Thestral1's 'The Lie and the Truth'. Basically, it's Moody's view of the events in question.
Alastor Moody's last clear thought before the mind-numbing fog of the Imperius Curse clouded his mind was 'He'd better not hurt Poppy.'
* * *
When he finally woke with a clear mind, it was to hear Poppy berating herself, "How could this have happened? How could I not see it wasn't you? Oh, there were moments, but I never questioned it as I should have. Merlin help me, I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!" Opening his eye, he saw her sitting in the chair beside the bed in which he rested. She cried into his hand, which she held in both of hes. Even after twelve years, he couldn't understand how she could stand all the scars he'd accumulated in the course of his work.
The anguish in her voice broke his heart and he twitched his hand in her grasp, letting her know that he was awake. She looked up at him, startled, her face still stained with her tears. "It was veritaserum. He questioned me and knew all. Poppy, don't cry so." It twisted his heart to see her cry like this.
"Alastor, I should have known," she answered brokenly, her tears flowing freely once more.
"Poppy, he fooled even Albus. Do not fret over this," he told her again, clumsily wiping her tears away. Her skin was soft under his touch and he didn't want to injure it, but he couldn't bear to see her tears.
"You don't understand. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!" she cried, tormented. "I've loved you for all my life, ever since we both left Hogwarts. Ever since you started your Auror training and I started my Healer training. I feel it's all been a lie if I could not recognize the real you."
He stared as she sobbed, covering her face with her hands. Was it true? Could it be possible? He gently pulled her to him, desperate to be sure. His whisper was hoarse with emotion, his hand still on her cheek. "Poppy? Can it be true? What you say?"
"Yes, it is true." She nodded, her tears forgotten for the nonce.
A heavy silence before a single tear slid down his face from his eye. Looking deep into the gray eyes he'd loved and admired for so long, he told her, "You don't know what it means to me to hear you say that. I have been a fool to keep quiet for so long, about my own love for you, Poppy."
"We've both been fools then, to let the chance pass us by for so long." She murmured, resting her forehead against his.
He wrapped his hand around hers, marveling at how soft it was, especially in comparison with his own scarred, calloused one. "We still have the chance now. I'm willing to take the risk."
"Yes we do. I'm more than willing to take the risk also," she responded, squeezing his hand slightly.
"From this moment forward I am yours, I've always been yours." He kissed her as he'd been longing to do for years.
"From this moment forward I am yours, I've always been yours." She kissed him back with no less passion than his own. Footsteps in the corridor reminded them of the real world. She pulled away. "Alastor, you need rest."
He sighed and nodded. "You'll tell me what's happened over the past ten months?"
She nodded back as she helped him settle back against his pillows. "I will, Alastor. I promise."
He smiled up at her as she helped him remove his leg and eye. "Thank you, Poppy."
"You're welcome, Alastor." She gave him a potion to drink to help him sleep and he took it without testing it for poisons. He knew he could trust her. Sighing contentedly, he let sleep claim him.
***Finite***
