(AN : sorry about the lateness. little bit of fluff....sirius lovers, DONT KILL ME PLEASE! let me know what u think of this chapter.)

After storming off from Tonks, Lupin felt guilty. He was taking it out on her and it wasnt her fault. Still, Lana wasnt around for him to be angry at so someone had to take the flack. But that was wrong. He was angry at himself. So Lana was at the Leaky Cauldron. And thats where he needed to be. Making his mind up, Lupin walked down the stairs.

Tonks was stood by the door.

"If I said something earlier to upset you, Im sorry - " there was a crash as Tonks walked towards Lupin and tripped over her own two feet.

Laughing a little, Lupin walked over and helped her up. "Its okay. Its my fault. Im just - I have to go talk to Lana." Planting a kiss on Tonks blushing cheek, he walked out of the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~ THE LEAKY CAULDRON, 9 PM ~*~*~*~*~*~

Lana was sat downstairs in the bar of the Leaky Cauldron, sorting out her emotions the only way she knew how - by getting totally drunk. For the past half an hour, it had been one Firewhisky after another, and now Lana was sat at the bar, halfway down a bottle of Butterbeer. Her jeans were slung low, and she had to admit to herself that she was getting a little bit of a beer belly. Oh well, Lana thought. Fuck it.

Her hair was tied back loosely, bits falling in her face. She had left her jacket in her room, and her bare arms had small cuts and bruises on, the most obvious being the one her so called "friend" had inflicted on her one Halloween. It stung slightly because of the magic she had used to save Lupin had torn it open. Of course it had healed after a few hours, but the burn still remained.

The door of the Leaky Cauldron flung open, and despite the crowd that had gathered slowly over the past few hours, Lana still felt the breeze on her bare arms. Taking another sip of her Butterbeer, a blinding pain shot through her arm.

Falling backwards, Lana was somewhat suprised to feel a pair of strong arms catch her before she hit the wooden floor.

"Careful." said a voice she recognised, and immediately got angry at.

"Get off me!" Lana said, shrugging Lupin off her and standing unsteadily on her feet.

Lupin stared at her. "Next time I'll just let you fall. And crack your head on the floor."

"Well you do that then," said Lana, turning back to the bar. "Not like I'd die anyway..." she muttered, leaning against the bar.

"We need to talk." said Lupin, standing at the side of her.

"Oh, you still here?" asked Lana, not looking at him.

"Grow up Lana." snapped Lupin.

Raising an eyebrow, Lana turned to him. "I wish I could. I wish I could just grow old really quick and die. But, I cant. Not like I havent tried to die." Taking another gulp of her Butterbeer, Lana turned back away from him. "Now leave me alone."

"Look, Im sorry. I dont know what I said to you back there that upset you so much, and I dont even know why Im apologising to someone who is so self- involved, but I am."

"Im self-involvled?!" spluttered Lana.

"Yeah, you are. You think youre in pain? You didnt see him die. I did." said Lupin, feeling his anger rise.

Tears rose in Lanas eyes, but she forced them away. "And so you bring it back to Sirius. Maybe its YOU that upset me."

"Maybe you just need to lighten up a little."

Lana stared. Then she indicated her bottle. "Thats what Im doing."

Rolling his eyes, Lupin ordered himself one. "I dont think you should drink any more."

"Strangely, I really dont care what you think." said Lana.

"Yes you do."

"Excuse me?"

"If you didnt care, and were angry at me, you wouldnt still be stood here." taunted Lupin, hoping it would calm her down, because it used to.

"See ya then." said Lana, pushing past a few witches and wizards as she made her way to the door, leaving her Butterbeer on the bar.

"Dammit," muttered Lupin, leaving his drink and walking after Lana.

Stepping outside, a few drops of rain fell. "ITS THE MIDDLE OF JUNE!" screamed Lana at the sky.

Her head was spinning, and from the feeling in the pit of her stomach, she knew that she had drank far too much.

"Lana!" shouted Lupin, then stopped as he saw her.

"Just cant leave it can you?" snapped Lana.

"Id leave it if you told me what Ive done thats so wrong." said Lupin, walking towards her.

"Leave me alone, I dont want to talk to you." said Lana, walking away.

"Tell me how I can make it right! Dammit Lana, youre my best friend, I need you!"

"Yeah, you need me when YOU want me, but not when I want you."

"Thats not true and you know it."

"And with that pink-haired girl running around after you all doe-eyed, really seems like you need me." Lana half-shouted over the thunder, as the rain poured down harder.

"So this is about Tonks." said Lupin, sort of clicking on but not really.

"Yes - No - I dont know. Its about you, and its about me. Its - " a clap of thunder drowned out Lanas words and Lupin walked over.

"Maybe we should go inside."

"You can. Wherver you are, Im not." said Lana, turning around and carrying on walking away from him.

"Now you really are being stupid, were getting soaked out here."

"Let me take this opportunity to tell you how much I DONT CARE!" screamed Lana, the wind howling around her and the rain coming down harder. "ITS THE MIDDLE OF JUNE!" she screamed at the sky again.

"Lana, just tell me whats bugging you."

"I cant be around you right now, okay? Just accept that."

"I wont."

"Still stubborn."

"So are you. Just tell me what it is. Please."

"Fine. Fine." said Lana, pushing her wet hair from her face. "You really wanna know?"

"Yes, yes I do." said Lupin, not sure that he really wanted to.

"Well...Youre not knowing." said Lana, her heart thumping. She had barely admitted it to herself, and to say it out loud, to the very person she was thinking about...Didnt bare thinking about.

Lupin walked over to her. "Tell me."

"What if you dont like what you hear?" asked Lana, shivering slightly.

"Then its my fault."

"What if I dont like what Im saying?" asked Lana, "What if Im afraid of what it..." shaking her head, Lana shut her eyes.

"Just say it. Youll never know until you say it." Lupin was shaking, from the cold and from nerves. He knew Lana was about to say something huge, and his curiosity over what it was was over-riding his brain telling him not to know.

"I cant be around you because....It hurts too much. When you told me about Tonks, it wasnt just the fact that Id been ill and youd been out, I mean I thought it was, but...Then I realised that it wasnt." Lana took a breath. "I dont even know why Im saying this. Its because you went out with some else. Someone...Other than me. And I know its wrong, because I love Sirius, I really do, but I have to face facts - Hes dead." Tears fell at this point. "And the other morning, when I woke up and you were there, and then we - Well it changed things. It changed me. Made me feel things that I - I shouldnt be feeling."

Lupin licked his lips. "I know it changed things." he said quietly.

"And I cant be around you because of these feelings. They go - beyond friendship. Theyre new, and their small feelings, but theyre there. And its confusing. And I feel guilty, and I just - " Lana made a motion with her hands, at the side of her head.

Lupin knew what Lana was talking about, because he felt it himself. A stirring inside him. And he didnt mean the wolf. He knew he shouldnt, but his hand just had a life of its own...He reached out and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"I think I might be falling in - " But Lupin put a finger over her lips.

"Dont say it." he whispered.