For the Want of the Moon, the Marauders are Lost
Chapter Five:
"My sixteenth birthday..."
Remus smiled and closed the office door more securely. He certainly remembered that night and used it for his own Patronus occasionally...
January 26 was a quiet day for the most part. Torri walked into the Great Hall for dinner, expecting nothing unusual to happen. Just as she passed through the double doors, however, two seventh year wizards grabbed her arms in strong grips. They pulled her across the Great Hall to the steps in front of the teacher's table. There, she saw her capturers: James Potter on her right, Sirius Black on her left.
James called for everyone's attention, "Today happens to be Torri Love's birthday. And we'd like to sing a little song to her." He looked at Sirius. "Ready, Padfoot?" Sirius nodded. Then they both broke out in song:
"Here we have a pretty little witch But there's something that she's missed: She's 16 and never been kissed. Surely that's a crime!"
Torri blushed scarlet and buried her face in her hands. She didn't look at either of them all throughout their song. Finally, at the end of it, James pulled her hands down and kissed her on the cheek before pulling her into a hug. "Happy Birthday, Plimpy," he said after letting her go.
"Thank you, but you're both horrid," she said.
Sirius smiled and said, "Of course we are. C'mere, give us a hug." Torri smiled and hugged him. "Happy Birthday, cuz."
Near the end of dinner, Remus wandered over to the Slytherin table, avoiding Snape at all costs. When he reached Torri, he bent and whispered, "Join me for a walk in the courtyard?"
"Of course," she replied, finishing her pumpkin juice. She stood and the two left the Great Hall.
When they reached the courtyard, Torri looked skyward and said, "Oh, they're horrible. Who told them it was my birthday, anyway?"
"Not to be rude," Remus said, laughing, "but one of them is your cousin. I suppose he just remembered. That's all."
Torri lowered her gaze to the ground and kicked a rock. "I guess you're right. You're always right... Moony, I have to tell you..." She stopped walking and looked back at the castle.
Remus shot her a concerned look. "Tell me what?"
"That I know what you are," she said simply. "But I'm all right with that..."
"But you want to be a Werewolf Huntress—"
Torri waved the concern away. "I never said I wanted to kill them, did I?" she asked, turning to face him. "I'll just get them away from human inhabited areas." She smiled and walked to the steps leading to the grounds. "There's something else... I think we need to leave Severus alone..."
"I beg your pardon?" Remus was shocked. "You're the reason we—they—started harassing him in the first place!"
"That's a lie and you know it... Remus, I think we're having an extremely negative influence on him," Torri said, sitting down on the steps. "He has no friends and when we could befriend him, we're turning him upside-down and cursing him every chance we get!"
Remus sat next to her. "You know I don't do that-"
"But you never stop us," she interrupted. "It's really kind of sad, Remus. Every time I try to ask him for Potions help—you know he's the best in the school—he curses me before I can get two words out. I haven't laid a wand on him in four years. Honest. I stopped attacking him at the en of my second year."
"Then why say 'we'?"
Torri sighed. "Because I feel it's my fault. And I never stop them..."
"Should you?"
"I'm his next-door neighbor, Moony," she said. "He doesn't have a very pleasant home life. His dad yells at his mum all the time. And he uses the Cruciatus Curse on them almost as often... His family is worse than mine and almost as bad as Sirius'. It's only a matter of time before he joins the Death Eaters..."
To the surprise of them both, Remus started laughing. Seeing her confused face, he said, "We're sitting here, after hours, under the stars, on your birthday... And we're talking about Snape! Padfoot, Wormtail and Prongs'll never believe it!"
"Moony, I'm serious about this!"
Remus nodded. "I know; I am too," he said. "I'll talk to them tonight if I can. But, let's talk about something different."
"Like what?"
He thought for a second. "Ho I knew exactly what I wanted to give you for your birthday, but I couldn't afford it... Then I though of something else."
Torri raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"
"This." Remus gently lifted her chin and kissed her, holing her tightly in his arms. During the embrace, he realized how much Torri meant to him; how mush he actually loved her. He didn't want the moment to end. Nor did he want to graduate and leave her at Hogwarts. But he also knew Sirius would never allow them to date. In Padfoot's eyes, no man alive was good enough for Torri. Not even one of his best friends."
When the embrace did end, Remus searched Torri's eyes for a negative reaction. She smiled serenely and murmured, "I guess I can't claim sweet sixteen and never been kissed anymore, can I?" The two laughed quietly and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Y'know, the typical witch would expect you to ask me out now. But..."
"But...?"
"But I'm not the typical witch and you heard Padfoot: 'Listen carefully, Plimpy. No wizard dead or alive is good enough for you. Not even Moony, Wormtail or Prongs. I don't want you to date anyone of them until after you've graduated... And if I hear you have designs on a Muggle, I'll curse you into oblivion!'" Torri laughed again. "So I don't expect you to ask me out. I would prefer it if you didn't, actually."
"Why?"
"It would only make Sirius angry," she answered. "And he's scary when he's angry. I don't want you to have to suffer his wrath."
"Lupin! Love! What are you two doing out here so late?" the harsh voice of Professor McGonagall sliced through the tranquil courtyard. "Get yourselves in your Common Rooms this instant and five points from both your Houses!"
Once Remus got back to Gryffindor Tower, James and Peter literally tackled him. "Did you do it, Moony?" James demanded.
Peter sat on Remus' feet and asked, "Did you kiss her?"
"Because we know how much you like Torri."
"Did ya do it? Did ya, Moony?"
Remus disentangled himself from James and Peter, stood, smiled and said, "Perhaps." Then he walked over to the stairs leading to the boys' dormitories. "By the way, thanks, Padfoot. You helped me realize just how much I care for Torri." He disappeared up the stairs.
Sirius scowled t the fire...
The opening door pulled Remus out of his reverie. "What you need to do, Neville, is think of your mother smiling at you. Try that," Torri's voice floated in over the heads of three students that Remus knew and hadn't seen for a while. He waved them inside the office and closed the door on Torri's voice ("Good!").
"Professor Lupin! What are you doing here?" Harry asked, surprised to see his friend in the castle again.
"I had to bring Torri her kneazle, so I thought I would stay a few days," Remus explained.
Chapter Five:
"My sixteenth birthday..."
Remus smiled and closed the office door more securely. He certainly remembered that night and used it for his own Patronus occasionally...
January 26 was a quiet day for the most part. Torri walked into the Great Hall for dinner, expecting nothing unusual to happen. Just as she passed through the double doors, however, two seventh year wizards grabbed her arms in strong grips. They pulled her across the Great Hall to the steps in front of the teacher's table. There, she saw her capturers: James Potter on her right, Sirius Black on her left.
James called for everyone's attention, "Today happens to be Torri Love's birthday. And we'd like to sing a little song to her." He looked at Sirius. "Ready, Padfoot?" Sirius nodded. Then they both broke out in song:
"Here we have a pretty little witch But there's something that she's missed: She's 16 and never been kissed. Surely that's a crime!"
Torri blushed scarlet and buried her face in her hands. She didn't look at either of them all throughout their song. Finally, at the end of it, James pulled her hands down and kissed her on the cheek before pulling her into a hug. "Happy Birthday, Plimpy," he said after letting her go.
"Thank you, but you're both horrid," she said.
Sirius smiled and said, "Of course we are. C'mere, give us a hug." Torri smiled and hugged him. "Happy Birthday, cuz."
Near the end of dinner, Remus wandered over to the Slytherin table, avoiding Snape at all costs. When he reached Torri, he bent and whispered, "Join me for a walk in the courtyard?"
"Of course," she replied, finishing her pumpkin juice. She stood and the two left the Great Hall.
When they reached the courtyard, Torri looked skyward and said, "Oh, they're horrible. Who told them it was my birthday, anyway?"
"Not to be rude," Remus said, laughing, "but one of them is your cousin. I suppose he just remembered. That's all."
Torri lowered her gaze to the ground and kicked a rock. "I guess you're right. You're always right... Moony, I have to tell you..." She stopped walking and looked back at the castle.
Remus shot her a concerned look. "Tell me what?"
"That I know what you are," she said simply. "But I'm all right with that..."
"But you want to be a Werewolf Huntress—"
Torri waved the concern away. "I never said I wanted to kill them, did I?" she asked, turning to face him. "I'll just get them away from human inhabited areas." She smiled and walked to the steps leading to the grounds. "There's something else... I think we need to leave Severus alone..."
"I beg your pardon?" Remus was shocked. "You're the reason we—they—started harassing him in the first place!"
"That's a lie and you know it... Remus, I think we're having an extremely negative influence on him," Torri said, sitting down on the steps. "He has no friends and when we could befriend him, we're turning him upside-down and cursing him every chance we get!"
Remus sat next to her. "You know I don't do that-"
"But you never stop us," she interrupted. "It's really kind of sad, Remus. Every time I try to ask him for Potions help—you know he's the best in the school—he curses me before I can get two words out. I haven't laid a wand on him in four years. Honest. I stopped attacking him at the en of my second year."
"Then why say 'we'?"
Torri sighed. "Because I feel it's my fault. And I never stop them..."
"Should you?"
"I'm his next-door neighbor, Moony," she said. "He doesn't have a very pleasant home life. His dad yells at his mum all the time. And he uses the Cruciatus Curse on them almost as often... His family is worse than mine and almost as bad as Sirius'. It's only a matter of time before he joins the Death Eaters..."
To the surprise of them both, Remus started laughing. Seeing her confused face, he said, "We're sitting here, after hours, under the stars, on your birthday... And we're talking about Snape! Padfoot, Wormtail and Prongs'll never believe it!"
"Moony, I'm serious about this!"
Remus nodded. "I know; I am too," he said. "I'll talk to them tonight if I can. But, let's talk about something different."
"Like what?"
He thought for a second. "Ho I knew exactly what I wanted to give you for your birthday, but I couldn't afford it... Then I though of something else."
Torri raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"
"This." Remus gently lifted her chin and kissed her, holing her tightly in his arms. During the embrace, he realized how much Torri meant to him; how mush he actually loved her. He didn't want the moment to end. Nor did he want to graduate and leave her at Hogwarts. But he also knew Sirius would never allow them to date. In Padfoot's eyes, no man alive was good enough for Torri. Not even one of his best friends."
When the embrace did end, Remus searched Torri's eyes for a negative reaction. She smiled serenely and murmured, "I guess I can't claim sweet sixteen and never been kissed anymore, can I?" The two laughed quietly and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Y'know, the typical witch would expect you to ask me out now. But..."
"But...?"
"But I'm not the typical witch and you heard Padfoot: 'Listen carefully, Plimpy. No wizard dead or alive is good enough for you. Not even Moony, Wormtail or Prongs. I don't want you to date anyone of them until after you've graduated... And if I hear you have designs on a Muggle, I'll curse you into oblivion!'" Torri laughed again. "So I don't expect you to ask me out. I would prefer it if you didn't, actually."
"Why?"
"It would only make Sirius angry," she answered. "And he's scary when he's angry. I don't want you to have to suffer his wrath."
"Lupin! Love! What are you two doing out here so late?" the harsh voice of Professor McGonagall sliced through the tranquil courtyard. "Get yourselves in your Common Rooms this instant and five points from both your Houses!"
Once Remus got back to Gryffindor Tower, James and Peter literally tackled him. "Did you do it, Moony?" James demanded.
Peter sat on Remus' feet and asked, "Did you kiss her?"
"Because we know how much you like Torri."
"Did ya do it? Did ya, Moony?"
Remus disentangled himself from James and Peter, stood, smiled and said, "Perhaps." Then he walked over to the stairs leading to the boys' dormitories. "By the way, thanks, Padfoot. You helped me realize just how much I care for Torri." He disappeared up the stairs.
Sirius scowled t the fire...
The opening door pulled Remus out of his reverie. "What you need to do, Neville, is think of your mother smiling at you. Try that," Torri's voice floated in over the heads of three students that Remus knew and hadn't seen for a while. He waved them inside the office and closed the door on Torri's voice ("Good!").
"Professor Lupin! What are you doing here?" Harry asked, surprised to see his friend in the castle again.
"I had to bring Torri her kneazle, so I thought I would stay a few days," Remus explained.