November 1
Okay, I know it's late. And I know I should be in bed sleeping, although tomorrow's Sunday and I don't have any classes. But it's nearing one in the morning and I just got in, wanting to write down all my thoughts and feelings before I absolutely burst!
Remus met me outside the castle at eleven this morning, as planned. We walked to Hogsmeade with the others, although I wish we hadn't. Sirius and James started a mud-slinging war halfway there and were both covered in mud and had to be scourgified before reaching the village. Peter jumped at every little sound (he's a twitchy little guy) and Lily looked incredibly put out that James wasn't paying any attention to her.
When we arrived, snow had begun to fall lightly on the ground. I gave Lily a glance that plainly said, "See? Aren't you glad I didn't wear a summer dress?" She only made a face in response. As soon as we reached the main street, James grabbed Lily and began dancing around in circles. Peter and Sirius headed directly for the Three Broomsticks and Remus and I stood in uncomfortable silence. Just when I was beginning to regret agreeing to this date, he asked if I wanted to go into the Three Broomsticks as well.
"Sure," I agreed and we sat down at the table closest to the door, waving to Sirius and Peter who had taken the furthest table in the corner. Sipping Butterbeer out of our mugs, we laughed at James and Lily, still whirling around in the falling snow outside, and the others in the tavern that were making it clear they had been drinking the entire morning. Tripping over one another, they tried to dance and sing their way into the afternoon, giving Remus and I our chuckle for the afternoon.
When we stepped back outside, the snow had begun to taper off and the sun was shining brightly. "Talk about your opposites," Remus commented and I agreed. Suddenly I got a great idea.
"Let's go to the haunted shack!" I cried, tugging on his arm. His face went blank and I had to explain to him what the haunted shack was. (Actually, it was christened the Shrieking Shack last year by Hogwarts students, but I prefer the term 'haunted'.) It took me nearly a quarter of an hour to convince him to accompany me up to the shack, and even then, we only stood on the bridge facing it. It really lives up to it's haunted image. We heard absolutely no noises while standing there, but the fright that could be instilled in a person is almost too creepy to put to words.
While I pondered what the inside of the shack looked like, Remus touched my arm. "I want you to know that I'm really enjoying being here with you," he said softly. His eyes were so fully of something that I couldn't quite put my finger on...was it relief? The snow had begun to fall lightly again on our way up to the shack and little flakes rested on Remus' hair, making him look cuter than ever before. Before I could say anything, he was leaning towards me and our lips met.
Now I've kissed guys before, but this was something else. I felt as though mini explosions were going off throughout my body and fireworks were exploding in my mind. The butterflies in my stomach had moved up and invaded my heart. The kiss was sweet and gentle and everything a first kiss between two people should be. When we broke apart, he touched his lips softly.
"Was it okay that I did that?"
I grinned. "Absolutely."
We held hands all the way back to the village, feeling more at ease with one another than before. We stopped at several shops to look around on the way and made our way back into the Three Broomsticks to collect our friends. Darkness was falling by this point and we didn't want to miss the Halloween feast. As soon as Sirius, James and Peter appeared, Remus dropped my hand and I replied with an understanding smile. They headed off in front of us, together, and Lily and I trailed behind.
"So?" she asked me impatiently. "What happened? You're blushing, so don't lie and say nothing happened."
I shrugged my shoulders. "We'll talk later," I answered, which nearly drove her insane. She finally dropped the topic somewhere near the castle's entrance and I think she figured I would tell her in my own time. Either that or she got tired of hearing her own voice.
The Halloween feast was absolutely incredible, as always, and after we felt fully satisfied, Remus and I headed outside to sit on the benches under the stars. The snow had ceased again and the night became considerably warmer. We discussed our futures after Hogwarts and Remus expressed his interest in fighting against the Dark Arts and the rising of Lord Voldemort. "I wouldn't mind my hand at teaching," he said after a few moments pause. "That way I could sort of cover every area of fighting the Dark Arts."
We talked until nearly midnight, and then hurried back into the castle so we wouldn't be locked out for the night. Bidding farewell at the top of the staircase in the Gryffindor common room, Remus looked like he wanted to kiss me again, but thought better of it. He held my hand for a moment before saying his goodnight and heading off into the boys' dormitory.
I don't know if I'll be able to sleep. Lily left me a note on the table in our dormitory demanding that I tell her everything as soon as I get in. Seeing as she's asleep, I don't think she'd be too pleased if I started chatting at the moment. But I can't wait to tell her!
Blissfully yours,
Abby
November 14
Okay, well Remus seems to have disappeared again and his friends conveniently have no idea where he is. James looks like he wants to tell me something, but always seems to think better of it, something incredibly unusual for him. I sound bitter, don't I?
The Christmas holiday plans have been set, but not engraved in stone. James and Sirius will be going to the Potters' house while Peter goes home to his own parents. Remus, Lily and I will be staying at school. My parents are going to France for the holidays and wanted me to go with them, but I'd rather stay at school. We've gone to France the past two years for Christmas and you can only stare at the Eiffel Tower for so long.
Lily's parents want her home but her sister is coming home from her Muggle school with her Muggle boyfriend, Vernon Dursley. The way Lily describes him, he seems to be a real piece of work, always poking fun at her for being a witch. "He's a complete darling in front of my parents," she told us bitterly. "So I'm not going home this holiday."
And Remus is...well, we're not sure. He never really answers. His parents and he get along just fine, but he says he'd rather stay at school this year than go home. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever understand him.
As I suspected, Lily was thrilled that Remus and I got along so well and 'worked out our feelings'. (I love the way she put that; better than James' term of 'got down to business'.) We've been spending most of our nights, lying awake in the dorm, talking about our futures with 'our guys'.
"You'll marry Remus and I'll marry James," she planned. "We can even have a double wedding! Peter and Sirius will be our best men and we'll get married right after graduation. Maybe Dumbledore will let us use the Hogwarts grounds! Wouldn't it be wonderful to be married on the same grounds which we met our husbands?"
I could only laugh. Lily reminds me so much of a little girl sometimes, planning her life around current events. But her words got me thinking long after she had drifted off to sleep. Could I really marry Remus? I liked him, yes, and I liked him a lot. But was it possible that I could marry him? I know we just started dating and everything and we've only been on one date so far, but there were so many secrets revolving around Remus. The mysteries added up after a while and I'm going out of my mind trying to decipher them all.
I think I'm going to go sleep for awhile now. My head is aching and Dumbledore is having a meeting early tomorrow morning about Voldemort's power (that he's gaining more of every day) and James convinced me to go with him and try to listen to what's being said in this meeting. I must confess I'm becoming a little worried now.
November 17
Not much to report right now. My feelings are a little blurred but I guess that's normal at seventeen years of age. The professors are really pressuring us into figuring out what we want to do when we leave Hogwarts. This presents a problem for me: what do I say when I don't want to do anything? Well, that's not the case. I want to do something, just not anything that can really be helped by schooling at Hogwarts. I want to be an author.
I've written a few short stories here and there, mostly history and such, and Lily has been the only one to read them. She loves them and even asked for copies to keep for herself. I want to let people in on my world, the world that I know, through my writing. Hopefully I can do that one day.
Apparently Remus is back on the scene. I haven't seen him yet; pity we don't have any classes together. James says he's certain Remus will be contacting me soon to get together again, most likely for another Transfiguration lesson. Oh joy, watch my excitement.
By the way, James and I couldn't listen in on Dumbledore's meeting about Voldemort...turns out Dumbledore's smarter than we give him credit for.
Painfully yours,
Abby
November 21
I just had the most romantic night of my life.
It all started when Remus met up with me in the library after supper. I was reading the latest book by R. Quinlan about vampires, werewolves and other things that go bump in the night when someone covered my eyes from behind.
"Lily, if that's you, I'm going to kick your butt," I said, grinning. My smile faded however when I turned around to find Remus smiling down on me. Once again, he looked exhausted and worn and I couldn't help but notice the scratches on his face, like he'd been in a fight with someone or something bigger than him.
"I hear tell you're mad at me," he began the conversation. I found I couldn't look at him without my heart melting into a little puddle. "I'm sorry I haven't been coming around lately; things on my end have been rather hectic."
I only grunted, afraid to speak. Truth be told, I wasn't angry so much as I was hurt. It seemed ever since our Hogsmeade trip, he had been avoiding me. Sure I saw him at mealtimes in the Great Hall, but very rarely spoke to him. I wanted to know why he had been avoiding me, if he was avoiding me at all. These thoughts whirled about my brain, but before I could spill them out onto the table for discussion, Remus took my hand gently and led me out of the library. "Leave the book," he instructed when I protested. "This is much more interesting."
"More interesting than things that go bump in the night?" I asked. "Where have you been living?"
He led me to the Great Hall, a place I had only been (other than mealtimes) once before after dark. Personally, it scared the hell out of me, a room that big and no one in it, but before I could open the door and peer in, Remus covered my eyes again.
"Hey!" I cried.
"Promise you won't open them until I say?" he asked.
I muttered, "Yes."
"Okay." I heard the door open and he guided me into the Great Hall. I couldn't see anything, but the room felt unusually warm for a November evening. He walked me a few more feet and then commanded, "Open your eyes now, Abby."
I did and my heart leapt into my throat. Remus had arranged a blanket on the floor in the middle of the Great Hall with tiny little sandwiches, Cauldron Cakes, a bowl of fruit and Butterbeer. I turned around to face him and he scolded me gently. "Sit down, Abby," he directed, helping me to the floor. "We've got a little of everything here so feast and enjoy.
My eyes drunk in everything around me and it was only then that I noticed the sky above us. "It's clear!" I cried in amusement. It had been snowing all day and well into the evening so far and the ceiling of the Great Hall had been bewitched to look like the sky outside, imitating weather as well. "What did you do?"
Remus grinned sheepishly. "In the words of Sirius," he said wisely, "'It was like that when I got here'."
I couldn't help but laugh. He poured us each a glass of Butterbeer and kept urging me to start eating. "I figured I had better make amends," he said after we had both been eating for fifteen minutes or so. "And there's something I want to explain to you."
I figured the explanation I had been waiting for was on the horizon so I set down the sandwich I had been picking at (I knew I shouldn't have eaten so much for dinner!) and listened to him intently.
"I'm going to start at the beginning," he told me, "and all I ask is that you let me finish before asking questions. I know you're going to have a lot.
"When I was younger, I was quite a foolish boy. Always searching for trouble and usually finding it; that sort of thing. When I was five years old, I was out after dark and came into an encounter with a werewolf. I have to say I fought admirably, for a five year old boy, but in the end, he got to me and bit me on my right leg." (This might not be the exact transcript, seeing as I'm recalling it by memory, but I'm doing the best I can.) "My parents went to the ends of the earth for a cure, but received no luck. I thought I would never be able to come to Hogwarts.
"Thankfully, Dumbledore is Headmaster. He agreed to find a way to get me into school and he succeeded. Once a month, during the full moon, I am taken from the castle and led through the underground tunnel, which begins at the Whomping Willow, and ends in the shack in Hogsmeade. I transform and remain there until my time is up and I am able to return back to the castle, usually in worse shape than when I started." He looked up at the ceiling as a shooting star passed by the full moon. "This is the closest I'll ever be able to get to a full moon again, I'm afraid." He closed his eyes momentarily, as though he wanted to photograph the scene in his mind.
On the other side, my mind was still reeling. I'm sure my jaw was scraping the ground and I'm sure Remus expected me to be repulsed by what he was telling me. Yet it did nothing for me. I didn't feel any different about him than I did in the past. Actually, truth be told, I felt closer to him for having the nerve to tell me this. But it was far from over.
"There's more," he continued when I made a move to speak. "Every month when I transform, Sirius, James and Peter transform with me." He smiled at my puzzled look. "No, they're not werewolves. But each of them has learned how to become Animagi."
"Oh." Pretty pathetic, I know, but that's all I could manage. What else does a girl say when her boyfriend has just informed her that he's a werewolf? "That explains your lasting bond," I finally finished.
Remus nodded. "Very true. A werewolf doesn't harm anyone but humans. They did it all just for me, to keep me company. They're very good friends, indeed." I detected tears in his eyes but made no move to wipe them. "Do you hate me now?" he asked after a long moment of silence.
I stared in disbelief. "Are you insane?" I grinned. "I feel closer to you than ever!"
He looked at me as though he couldn't believe what I was saying. "Are you joking?" he asked, looking suddenly skeptical. "Because if you are, it isn't funny."
"I'm not joking," I assured him, crawling over the blanket to hold his hands in mine. "Don't worry," I said when he pulled away slightly. "I won't bite."
We spent the next three hours curled up in each other's arms, staring up at the sky above us. Only when the light began to stream through the windows did we decide to hurry back to the common room. With a wave of his wand, Remus cleaned up the remnants of our romantic picnic and we hurried back to the common room and up the staircase to our dorms. This time, Remus didn't hesitate in kissing me quickly on the cheek. I wished for a longer embrace, but hurried off to my own dorm to jump into bed before the sun was fully up and people were waking for the day.
Okay, I know it's late. And I know I should be in bed sleeping, although tomorrow's Sunday and I don't have any classes. But it's nearing one in the morning and I just got in, wanting to write down all my thoughts and feelings before I absolutely burst!
Remus met me outside the castle at eleven this morning, as planned. We walked to Hogsmeade with the others, although I wish we hadn't. Sirius and James started a mud-slinging war halfway there and were both covered in mud and had to be scourgified before reaching the village. Peter jumped at every little sound (he's a twitchy little guy) and Lily looked incredibly put out that James wasn't paying any attention to her.
When we arrived, snow had begun to fall lightly on the ground. I gave Lily a glance that plainly said, "See? Aren't you glad I didn't wear a summer dress?" She only made a face in response. As soon as we reached the main street, James grabbed Lily and began dancing around in circles. Peter and Sirius headed directly for the Three Broomsticks and Remus and I stood in uncomfortable silence. Just when I was beginning to regret agreeing to this date, he asked if I wanted to go into the Three Broomsticks as well.
"Sure," I agreed and we sat down at the table closest to the door, waving to Sirius and Peter who had taken the furthest table in the corner. Sipping Butterbeer out of our mugs, we laughed at James and Lily, still whirling around in the falling snow outside, and the others in the tavern that were making it clear they had been drinking the entire morning. Tripping over one another, they tried to dance and sing their way into the afternoon, giving Remus and I our chuckle for the afternoon.
When we stepped back outside, the snow had begun to taper off and the sun was shining brightly. "Talk about your opposites," Remus commented and I agreed. Suddenly I got a great idea.
"Let's go to the haunted shack!" I cried, tugging on his arm. His face went blank and I had to explain to him what the haunted shack was. (Actually, it was christened the Shrieking Shack last year by Hogwarts students, but I prefer the term 'haunted'.) It took me nearly a quarter of an hour to convince him to accompany me up to the shack, and even then, we only stood on the bridge facing it. It really lives up to it's haunted image. We heard absolutely no noises while standing there, but the fright that could be instilled in a person is almost too creepy to put to words.
While I pondered what the inside of the shack looked like, Remus touched my arm. "I want you to know that I'm really enjoying being here with you," he said softly. His eyes were so fully of something that I couldn't quite put my finger on...was it relief? The snow had begun to fall lightly again on our way up to the shack and little flakes rested on Remus' hair, making him look cuter than ever before. Before I could say anything, he was leaning towards me and our lips met.
Now I've kissed guys before, but this was something else. I felt as though mini explosions were going off throughout my body and fireworks were exploding in my mind. The butterflies in my stomach had moved up and invaded my heart. The kiss was sweet and gentle and everything a first kiss between two people should be. When we broke apart, he touched his lips softly.
"Was it okay that I did that?"
I grinned. "Absolutely."
We held hands all the way back to the village, feeling more at ease with one another than before. We stopped at several shops to look around on the way and made our way back into the Three Broomsticks to collect our friends. Darkness was falling by this point and we didn't want to miss the Halloween feast. As soon as Sirius, James and Peter appeared, Remus dropped my hand and I replied with an understanding smile. They headed off in front of us, together, and Lily and I trailed behind.
"So?" she asked me impatiently. "What happened? You're blushing, so don't lie and say nothing happened."
I shrugged my shoulders. "We'll talk later," I answered, which nearly drove her insane. She finally dropped the topic somewhere near the castle's entrance and I think she figured I would tell her in my own time. Either that or she got tired of hearing her own voice.
The Halloween feast was absolutely incredible, as always, and after we felt fully satisfied, Remus and I headed outside to sit on the benches under the stars. The snow had ceased again and the night became considerably warmer. We discussed our futures after Hogwarts and Remus expressed his interest in fighting against the Dark Arts and the rising of Lord Voldemort. "I wouldn't mind my hand at teaching," he said after a few moments pause. "That way I could sort of cover every area of fighting the Dark Arts."
We talked until nearly midnight, and then hurried back into the castle so we wouldn't be locked out for the night. Bidding farewell at the top of the staircase in the Gryffindor common room, Remus looked like he wanted to kiss me again, but thought better of it. He held my hand for a moment before saying his goodnight and heading off into the boys' dormitory.
I don't know if I'll be able to sleep. Lily left me a note on the table in our dormitory demanding that I tell her everything as soon as I get in. Seeing as she's asleep, I don't think she'd be too pleased if I started chatting at the moment. But I can't wait to tell her!
Blissfully yours,
Abby
November 14
Okay, well Remus seems to have disappeared again and his friends conveniently have no idea where he is. James looks like he wants to tell me something, but always seems to think better of it, something incredibly unusual for him. I sound bitter, don't I?
The Christmas holiday plans have been set, but not engraved in stone. James and Sirius will be going to the Potters' house while Peter goes home to his own parents. Remus, Lily and I will be staying at school. My parents are going to France for the holidays and wanted me to go with them, but I'd rather stay at school. We've gone to France the past two years for Christmas and you can only stare at the Eiffel Tower for so long.
Lily's parents want her home but her sister is coming home from her Muggle school with her Muggle boyfriend, Vernon Dursley. The way Lily describes him, he seems to be a real piece of work, always poking fun at her for being a witch. "He's a complete darling in front of my parents," she told us bitterly. "So I'm not going home this holiday."
And Remus is...well, we're not sure. He never really answers. His parents and he get along just fine, but he says he'd rather stay at school this year than go home. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever understand him.
As I suspected, Lily was thrilled that Remus and I got along so well and 'worked out our feelings'. (I love the way she put that; better than James' term of 'got down to business'.) We've been spending most of our nights, lying awake in the dorm, talking about our futures with 'our guys'.
"You'll marry Remus and I'll marry James," she planned. "We can even have a double wedding! Peter and Sirius will be our best men and we'll get married right after graduation. Maybe Dumbledore will let us use the Hogwarts grounds! Wouldn't it be wonderful to be married on the same grounds which we met our husbands?"
I could only laugh. Lily reminds me so much of a little girl sometimes, planning her life around current events. But her words got me thinking long after she had drifted off to sleep. Could I really marry Remus? I liked him, yes, and I liked him a lot. But was it possible that I could marry him? I know we just started dating and everything and we've only been on one date so far, but there were so many secrets revolving around Remus. The mysteries added up after a while and I'm going out of my mind trying to decipher them all.
I think I'm going to go sleep for awhile now. My head is aching and Dumbledore is having a meeting early tomorrow morning about Voldemort's power (that he's gaining more of every day) and James convinced me to go with him and try to listen to what's being said in this meeting. I must confess I'm becoming a little worried now.
November 17
Not much to report right now. My feelings are a little blurred but I guess that's normal at seventeen years of age. The professors are really pressuring us into figuring out what we want to do when we leave Hogwarts. This presents a problem for me: what do I say when I don't want to do anything? Well, that's not the case. I want to do something, just not anything that can really be helped by schooling at Hogwarts. I want to be an author.
I've written a few short stories here and there, mostly history and such, and Lily has been the only one to read them. She loves them and even asked for copies to keep for herself. I want to let people in on my world, the world that I know, through my writing. Hopefully I can do that one day.
Apparently Remus is back on the scene. I haven't seen him yet; pity we don't have any classes together. James says he's certain Remus will be contacting me soon to get together again, most likely for another Transfiguration lesson. Oh joy, watch my excitement.
By the way, James and I couldn't listen in on Dumbledore's meeting about Voldemort...turns out Dumbledore's smarter than we give him credit for.
Painfully yours,
Abby
November 21
I just had the most romantic night of my life.
It all started when Remus met up with me in the library after supper. I was reading the latest book by R. Quinlan about vampires, werewolves and other things that go bump in the night when someone covered my eyes from behind.
"Lily, if that's you, I'm going to kick your butt," I said, grinning. My smile faded however when I turned around to find Remus smiling down on me. Once again, he looked exhausted and worn and I couldn't help but notice the scratches on his face, like he'd been in a fight with someone or something bigger than him.
"I hear tell you're mad at me," he began the conversation. I found I couldn't look at him without my heart melting into a little puddle. "I'm sorry I haven't been coming around lately; things on my end have been rather hectic."
I only grunted, afraid to speak. Truth be told, I wasn't angry so much as I was hurt. It seemed ever since our Hogsmeade trip, he had been avoiding me. Sure I saw him at mealtimes in the Great Hall, but very rarely spoke to him. I wanted to know why he had been avoiding me, if he was avoiding me at all. These thoughts whirled about my brain, but before I could spill them out onto the table for discussion, Remus took my hand gently and led me out of the library. "Leave the book," he instructed when I protested. "This is much more interesting."
"More interesting than things that go bump in the night?" I asked. "Where have you been living?"
He led me to the Great Hall, a place I had only been (other than mealtimes) once before after dark. Personally, it scared the hell out of me, a room that big and no one in it, but before I could open the door and peer in, Remus covered my eyes again.
"Hey!" I cried.
"Promise you won't open them until I say?" he asked.
I muttered, "Yes."
"Okay." I heard the door open and he guided me into the Great Hall. I couldn't see anything, but the room felt unusually warm for a November evening. He walked me a few more feet and then commanded, "Open your eyes now, Abby."
I did and my heart leapt into my throat. Remus had arranged a blanket on the floor in the middle of the Great Hall with tiny little sandwiches, Cauldron Cakes, a bowl of fruit and Butterbeer. I turned around to face him and he scolded me gently. "Sit down, Abby," he directed, helping me to the floor. "We've got a little of everything here so feast and enjoy.
My eyes drunk in everything around me and it was only then that I noticed the sky above us. "It's clear!" I cried in amusement. It had been snowing all day and well into the evening so far and the ceiling of the Great Hall had been bewitched to look like the sky outside, imitating weather as well. "What did you do?"
Remus grinned sheepishly. "In the words of Sirius," he said wisely, "'It was like that when I got here'."
I couldn't help but laugh. He poured us each a glass of Butterbeer and kept urging me to start eating. "I figured I had better make amends," he said after we had both been eating for fifteen minutes or so. "And there's something I want to explain to you."
I figured the explanation I had been waiting for was on the horizon so I set down the sandwich I had been picking at (I knew I shouldn't have eaten so much for dinner!) and listened to him intently.
"I'm going to start at the beginning," he told me, "and all I ask is that you let me finish before asking questions. I know you're going to have a lot.
"When I was younger, I was quite a foolish boy. Always searching for trouble and usually finding it; that sort of thing. When I was five years old, I was out after dark and came into an encounter with a werewolf. I have to say I fought admirably, for a five year old boy, but in the end, he got to me and bit me on my right leg." (This might not be the exact transcript, seeing as I'm recalling it by memory, but I'm doing the best I can.) "My parents went to the ends of the earth for a cure, but received no luck. I thought I would never be able to come to Hogwarts.
"Thankfully, Dumbledore is Headmaster. He agreed to find a way to get me into school and he succeeded. Once a month, during the full moon, I am taken from the castle and led through the underground tunnel, which begins at the Whomping Willow, and ends in the shack in Hogsmeade. I transform and remain there until my time is up and I am able to return back to the castle, usually in worse shape than when I started." He looked up at the ceiling as a shooting star passed by the full moon. "This is the closest I'll ever be able to get to a full moon again, I'm afraid." He closed his eyes momentarily, as though he wanted to photograph the scene in his mind.
On the other side, my mind was still reeling. I'm sure my jaw was scraping the ground and I'm sure Remus expected me to be repulsed by what he was telling me. Yet it did nothing for me. I didn't feel any different about him than I did in the past. Actually, truth be told, I felt closer to him for having the nerve to tell me this. But it was far from over.
"There's more," he continued when I made a move to speak. "Every month when I transform, Sirius, James and Peter transform with me." He smiled at my puzzled look. "No, they're not werewolves. But each of them has learned how to become Animagi."
"Oh." Pretty pathetic, I know, but that's all I could manage. What else does a girl say when her boyfriend has just informed her that he's a werewolf? "That explains your lasting bond," I finally finished.
Remus nodded. "Very true. A werewolf doesn't harm anyone but humans. They did it all just for me, to keep me company. They're very good friends, indeed." I detected tears in his eyes but made no move to wipe them. "Do you hate me now?" he asked after a long moment of silence.
I stared in disbelief. "Are you insane?" I grinned. "I feel closer to you than ever!"
He looked at me as though he couldn't believe what I was saying. "Are you joking?" he asked, looking suddenly skeptical. "Because if you are, it isn't funny."
"I'm not joking," I assured him, crawling over the blanket to hold his hands in mine. "Don't worry," I said when he pulled away slightly. "I won't bite."
We spent the next three hours curled up in each other's arms, staring up at the sky above us. Only when the light began to stream through the windows did we decide to hurry back to the common room. With a wave of his wand, Remus cleaned up the remnants of our romantic picnic and we hurried back to the common room and up the staircase to our dorms. This time, Remus didn't hesitate in kissing me quickly on the cheek. I wished for a longer embrace, but hurried off to my own dorm to jump into bed before the sun was fully up and people were waking for the day.