A/N: Another day, another chapter.... R/R, if you like... and much thanks to those who did.
Chapter 8: Calm before the storm
Days went by, and both tried to continue with their schedules; Remus had his Defense Against the Dark Arts (not to mention the night of the full moon was soon approaching, as could be seen on his sudden change in mood, he seemed as weary as ever), and Rosina roamed the school, class-by-class, acting as a supervisor, maintaining the guise of a Ministry Official.
They spent most nights together enjoying each other's company, but also pondering Rosina's situation at hand; she was being targeted.
The other professors and staff felt the paranoia and immense guilt came over Rosina as she wandered the halls, none had ever commented on it, but she still knew that it wasn't something they agreed upon. Either way, Rosina was to be kept safe.
The Astronomy Tower was where she would spend the nights she wasn't with Remus. In her heart she knew that he should rest, especially so near the coming of the full moon.
Looking up into the night sky, watching the stars glimmer, her mind was filled with memories, plagued with thoughts of death, and images of werewolves. The tower was one of her favorite places to be in back when she was student, especially at night. Usually, the Astronomy professor would leave the telescopes out, and when Rosina felt like stargazing she would sneak up to the tower roof and take a peak. But, stars weren't the only things she watched ...
"Sheesh, Rose, I don't know how you do it...."
"What d'you mean, Cass?" Rosina's brow furrowed.
"You've been goin' out to the kitchens every month lookin' for midnight snacks." Cassandra lifted an eyebrow and looked accusingly at Rosina...
This is it... thought Rosina... she knows....
"How is it that you haven't gained a pound?" Cass finished. With an immense pressure lifted from her shoulders, Rosina chuckled and just shrugged...
"I'm a whiz at potions... I brewed something up and voila... " She pointed at her slim figure. They both laughed.
Ever since she found out about Remus's secret condition, Rosina had become so curious about it. Whenever it was a full moon, she would pretend to have a craving for food and sneak out of the common room and up the tower steps. To her luck, she was able to use the leftover telescope from the previous class. She made sure to be early, so that she wouldn't miss seeing Remus. Like clockwork, when it was almost dark, a nurse would accompany Remus to the Willow, pick up a fallen branch, and prod the spot on the trunk, which seemed to paralyze the tree. The whole would open and Remus would crawl down into it, not to be seen till the next morning. It must be daunting; living a life like that and keeping it a secret. Her feelings about Remus changed since then....
Standing there, in the dark of night, for what seemed like hours, Rosina felt the cold chill of the evening and rubbed her sides. Suddenly, she felt a cloak being placed upon her shoulders.
"So this is where you were hiding out. I missed you at dinner."
"What? Oh, I didn't know I had been out here so long."
Remus looked up into the night sky, there were some stars glistening, but no sign of the moon, for it was somewhere beneath the blanket of smoky clouds.
"I can see why you would be here, it's quite captivating." He walked over to the edge of the Tower and leaned over the side, breathing in the cool air. Rosina noticed he was staring at the Willow, with a face that seemed like loathing.
She crept forward to him, bringing the cloak around tight around her shoulders. "Did you take the Wolfsbane Potion today?"
He didn't look at her. "No, Severus didn't brew any."
"What?! Why not? Wh- "She was cut off when he lifted his hand, "He ran out of ingredients, he left a while ago to collect some. He'll most likely be back in a day or so." Remus didn't seem quite bothered by this at all.
"But, what are you going to do? Does this mean?" She looked over at the tree and back to Remus.
"I'm afraid so..." He headed for the trap door that lead down the tower, "looks like I'll be visiting that old place, again."
The next morning, Rosina sat in the Ancient Runes classroom, clipboard in hand, feigning interest in what the professor was lecturing about. She was too preoccupied with what was to happen that evening. He was much older now, could his werewolf form be much too aggressive now? She loathed Severus even more for not having the Potion brewed... it was almost suspicious.
Without having another second to think about it, the bells rang for lunch. Rosina stood up, slipped the clipboard in her sack, and followed the students out. In her room, she sat in her chair writing up a synopsis of the work she did during her stay. The candle by her ink cup had melted all the way down to the surface of her writing table. Against the wall shone shadows made by the flickering of the candle. The only sounds were of her quill scribbling on her parchment. Leaning back and stretching her arms far above her head she took a glance at the clock and realized she was late for dinner. Dressed in her usual Victorian style skirt and a green tailored jacket, she made her way down the stairs. Taking her usual seat next to the Charms teacher, she took a sip of the pumpkin juice. Rosina noticed that Snape's chair was, in fact, empty, but to her surprise, so was Remus's.
"Where's Remus?" she whispered to herself.
"Oh, he's in the infirmary, I saw him there earlier today." To her surprise, Professor Flitwick, who side beside her, had heard her whispered thoughts.
With her napkin, she saved a piece of the chocolate cake that was served as dessert and excused herself. She supposed that Remus was there to receive some sort of medication before being sent off to the Whomping Willow.
The old doors creaked as she opened them and let herself through.
"Oh, good evening, Ms. Soler. Professor Lupin has been expecting you." She turned to her left and pointed to a bed hidden behind a curtain.
Rosina made her way towards the curtain and saw the shadow behind it move slightly.
Her hand pushes the hanging fabric to the side.
Remus is sitting up on the bed, a smoky ring around his eyes, skin as white as milk, and a smile on his face.
"Glad you're here," he taps the side of his bed, "I wanted to see you before I had to go."
Moving closer to his side, she notices that he is very ill. Rosina dabbed his sweating brow with a damp cloth from the water bowl on the table nearby. These were his most painful days. The ones that reminded him of his affliction. But he was never alone; she remembered how he was always cared for by his friends.
"How do you feel?"
"Somewhat listless, but then again, I'm used to it. Madam Pomfrey asked to see me; she's going to give me some sort of potion she concocted to help me sleep during my transformation. It's her best attempt at keeping me harmless to others as the Wolfsbane Potion has done."
"Do you think it will work?"
"I'd like to hope it does."
In the corner of Rosina's eye she could see Madam Pomfrey filling a goblet with a strange red liquid, making sure to get every last drop.
"Oh, I brought you something, I know how much you love chocolate." She handed him the piece of cake wrapped in the tablecloth.
He chuckled and took a small bite. "Thank you."
At this time, Madam Pomfrey arrived at the table with the large goblet in her hand. "Alright now, I want you to drink all of it."
Remus obliged, "yes ma'am." And began sipping the potion.
Rosina looked towards the window, the sky was a mixture of red and yellow, and darkening; the sun was setting. "Remus," she said still looking outside the glass "I think we should be heading out."
Standing up, he curled his arm so as to welcome Rosina. "Let's be off, then."
As they strolled together to the Whomping Willow, hand in hand, she noticed that the moon still hid behind the clouds. When they reached it, Remus took a fallen branch from the ground and prodded a spot on the trunk. The great tentacle-like branches of the Willow stopped its violent thrashing. Remus took Rosina's hand and kissed it gently, looked lovingly into her eyes, not wanting to break the silence of the night, he mouthed the words "good night"; then descended the small dark opening. Rosina crept back slowly, gazing at the tree. She rubbed her arms as the cool draft of the night began to gust.
She felt something nudge her back.
"Hello, again, pretty pretty."
The voice was all too familiar.