nine; journey.

ainslee.

I have never been – and may very well never become – a patient person. So, after racing myself down the corridors, through the front entrance, and straight down the stairs into the pouring rain (which I had not been aware of until this point) to wait for Remus, I am still standing here shivering. It feels as if it has been ages since I was dismissed from Arithmancy but I know, in reality, it has only been about ten minutes that I've stood in the rain. I tilt my face upwards to watch the storm brewing.

The sky is reckless with anger. Blue cuts are ripping it open and rain is emptying from them like holy blood from the heavens. Thunder rolls from the wilting grey clouds. Some rays of sun somehow escape the depressing skyscrape and grace the land in the distance. Unfortunately, that is not the case here.

Here, I am drenched with the sky's blood. I have to close my eyes to it. For once, I feel at ease in my own vulnerability, and I smile.

I sense Remus' presence at my side, finally. I slowly come to face him. "So?" His features hold disappointment and I feel the smile fade from my face. "Didn't you have something you wanted to show me?"

A shrug; he frowns to his feet. "Well-well yes. But in this weather? It's pouring and cold."

The gentle smile returns. "If you don't mind my saying, I'm already soaked to the bone and I'm not going to get any drier if I stay outside."

Remus grins abruptly, as if Christmas has come early. "You still want to go?"

"Yeah," I laugh lightly, pinching his arm. "'Course I do."

After a thoughtful moment, he takes a hold of my hand. "Come on, then!"

Warmth spreads across my skin when he grabs my hand, like it's some sort of lifeline; my body quivers excitedly and I fight down a horde of giddy giggles. What is wrong with me?

I hope he doesn't notice this change in my behaviour as he leads me by the hand across the grounds. We reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest and, startled, I pull back slightly when he attempts to draw me into the darkened trees. A panic button has automatically been set off in the back of my head as my stomach twists. I dig my heels into the dirt, pushing my wet hair from my face. "Where are we going?"

Remus raises his other hand, pressing his index finger against my lips and the warmth starts again (along with the insane flightiness). "You'll see," he winks jovially; my heart skips a few beats. I'm sure that can't possibly be healthy.

"Quite the charmer, eh?" I manage to smirk. "Taking lessons from Sirius?" Heat continues to ravage through my body; I am only trying to disguise my attraction to him.

Wait—what? That must have slipped, I can't possibly be attracted to Remus, I've only just been on speaking terms with him for a little over a week!

I shake my head fiercely, my hair slapping my cheeks and leaving little trails of rainwater.

"Ah, well, not exactly," he grins before I realize he's answering the question I had asked of him. "I'm taking a few of my own, actually."

"I see," I chuckle, digging my heels into the ground harder.

"Don't trust me?" He quirks his brows amusedly.

"I do, but--," I bit my lip, "I mean, isn't it dangerous?" I inspect the outskirts of the dark forest with disdain.

"Never thought Ainslee Bordeaux could get scared," he taunts, somehow knowing my weakness.

I swing my arm against his chest. "I'm not scared. I'm nervous. There's a difference, remember?"

"Yes, come to think of it," he says thoughtfully. "But you needn't worry, I'm here to protect you."

Vaguely comforted, and satisfied as well, I consent to him leading my forward again. After traveling for what seemed like hours and was obviously less than twenty minutes, stumbling repeatedly over various wooded items on the forest floor, and falling flat on my face at least once, we reach our destination (strangely more uphill than we had been previously…). The rain still seems to get through the thick ceiling of leaves.

Remus releases my hand, motioning for me to move forward. I do, and my feet slip a bit, so he throws an arm out in front of me to keep me from diving down the other side of a steep hill. At the foot of this hill lays a creek, twisting its way in and out of the trees, winding about them possessively.

The sight really is something; even in the rain, it's stunning to see in the middle of the forest I once believed to be haunted and incredibly dangerous. No, the beauty of this creek did not make the forest any less dangerous, but it certainly boasted an innocent side that the darkness hid away.

I let out my breath in awe. "This is…wonderful."

"Figured you'd like it," he replies, barely able to conceal how satisfied he is with himself.

"I love it," I admit readily, "I love it!" I catch him blushing out of the corner of my eye and turn. "Hey, listen."

The colour fades from his cheeks and he meets my gaze. "Hm?"

"I…I just wanted to thank you. For everything, lately," I dip my head, losing his stare.

I listen to him laugh gently as he rummages around in his pockets. "Well, you're welcome. And—oh, where did I put that thing--…"

I raise my eyes to him again as he finally retrieves what he's been searching for; a small silver glint is shadowed by his hand, but he opens it and holds it out to me.

I pick it up, turning it over in my hands, the silver warming to my skin. It's a small pendant, with the image of a fairy adorned on one side and Greek lettering on the other. I point at the letters, eyebrows rising in question.

"Greek for 'magic'," he answers, though I have not said anything.

I smile. "It's really pretty. Where'd you get it?"

He slumps to the ground, looking weary and tired, and I fear I've said the wrong thing. Then he says, "My mum gave it to me. Before—before she died."

I sit down on the ground beside him, feeling faintly winded. "I-I'm sorry…" I mutter, not quite sure of what else to say. I offer him the pendant but he pushes my hand away tenderly.

"No. I want you to have it."

Unable to read the expression in his eyes, I merely nod. "Thanks…do you…can I ask—"

"How she died?"

Nibbling my bottom lip tentatively, I nod again.

"'Course you can ask. I'm just not sure of how to word the answer."

My eyes stray to the ground. "That's fine, it's none of my business anyway."

He shrugs, leaning back on his palms. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, because I do. It's hard to say."

"Take your time," I whisper, fingers absently playing with the pendant.

I feel his eyes glance over and land on the motions of my fingertips; after a moment, he says, "She was…very sick. My father and I cared for her as best as we could but—not too long after she was diagnosed, she…left by her own hand."

Immediately, I whip my head upwards. Sirius' confession concerning Remus' suicide attempt is the first thought to pass through my mind coherently and it almost slips from my mouth, but I crush my lips together with the effort of holding it back. "She--"

"Hung herself," he mumbles.

I evade tolerating the pained look on his face by trailing my eyes on the pendant again. "I, uh…I'm sorry…I shouldn't have asked, it's an invasion of your privacy--"

He surprises me with mirthless chortling. "Oh, please. Don't you worry so much, all right? You didn't know any better."

I grin, jumping to my feet. "Well, how about we lighten the mood a bit?"

Remus blinks up at me, confused.

Giggling lightly, I wave a hand at him and leap from the edge of the hill; weightlessness makes my head dizzy and my stomach grows nauseous until I smoothly enter the water below.

The creek is not as deep as I had originally thought it to be; my head dips underneath the water but my feet crash painfully against the rocks below. Fine, I agree, not the brightest idea I've come up with all day. But my school skirt, already drenched and weighing me down, is tangled around my legs and I kick fiercely for my head to break the surface.

"What the bloody hell is the matter with you?! Are you insane?!" Remus yells from the top of the hill.

Looking down at my school uniform, I cover my mouth with one hand. I carefully strip off the sweater and toss it to the shore, leaving simply my white blouse. My skirt is filled with water, bubbling up around my legs. I laugh at the ridiculous appearance. "S'pose I am crazy. What does that make you for being my friend?!"

A manufactured thunderstruck look crosses his face. "Positively out of my mind!"

"And how do you call yourself a Marauder if you won't join me for a swim?" I ask, laying the pendant down on top of my sweater and continuing with an endeavor to splash him; I fail miserably; the water wets the dirt roughly five feet underneath his toes.

"A swim? It's the middle of a storm!" He says, horrified.

Heat creeps through my body; I glance up at him again.

Maybe I really am attracted to Remus Lupin…

author's note; woot. Yes, this chapter has finally arrived. And now I've gotta run because I'm going out for dinner…ehehe. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed!