A/N: I would like to thank all my reviewers for being patient and supportive. I would also like to thank my friends for their…erm…motivation. Once again, I obviously don't own any songs used in this fic. They belong to their respective writers. Finally, to appease readers like myself, there will be no cliffhanger in this version. Thank Eiez, she wrote the ending! Okay, I've done my shpeel!
Co-Authors Note: Hello all! Eiez here! I'd just like to say that I am really proud to have my name affiliated with this story. I started as just helping out Chevee and writing down a few scenes for her in her time of writing defectiveness, and eventually we began collaborating on the whole story overall. Even though I helped crank some big scenes out, the genius and brilliance of the plot came entirely from Chevious' dusty (ha-ha j/k) mind. This story really is her baby and I just changed its diaper when it was necessary!
----
Oh, Oh
I keep thinking in the back of my mind
I'm losing sleep
I'm losing time
But I just keep on falling
I'm falling
I'm falling
-----
Chevious thumbed through the ancient creme pages of a book entitled Vampires of the Ages. She was reading by wand light atop her four-poster bed. Another attack had occurred over the holidays. A 7th year Ravenclaw named Xia had been found in the middle of the Charms corridor, still alive but just barely. The school was in total lock down. No classes were left unattended and teachers stood in the hallways during transitions. Venturing out on your own was unheard of; students traveled in tightly knit groups, holding their wand at the ready.
She stopped abruptly and scanned the page again. Shock slowly crept across for face with every word.
"No frigging way!" Chevious hissed to herself. She tore the ancient paper from its binding. Her eyes flicked over it once more in disbelief.
A loud creak echoed through the darkness and her head snapped up. The balcony doors were wide open. Chevious raised a skeptical eyebrow. She dropped the forgotten sheet to the floor, and stood slowly, her eyes emerald green eyes scanning the darkness for signs of movement. The cold January air flooded into the room, and Chevious shivered unexpectedly as she pushed the doors shut.
Suddenly, a pale hand clamped down over her mouth, and she froze. Something wasn't allowing her to move or make a single sound. Sleep crept over her, and darkness fell upon her eyes.
----
Remus stretched and yawned loudly as he descended the spiral staircase that led to the Common Room the next morning. The Common Room was filled with people. They all seemed upset, though no one spoke very much. All in the room seemed shocked and scared. Some cried. Some were silent. Okay…
He found Feathin sitting on the floor by the fire. She was crying hysterically as James tried desperately to calm her and Lily at the same time. Eiez sat on the couch, her head buried in Sirius' chest. She only seemed to cry harder as Sirius rocked her gently and whispered in her ear.
"What's going on?" Remus asked, quite bewildered. "What's the matter with everyone?"
Eiez, Feathin, and Lily only cried harder, if that was humanly possible.
"I'm sorry, Rem," Sirius replied sincerely.
"Sorry for what?! What's going on?!"
"Chevious…. is…is….." Eiez stammered, tears flowing from her eyes. He couldn't help thinking that she would wash the millions of freckles off her face if she kept this crying up
"Gone…" Feathin whimpered.
This is where he shouldn't freak out so suddenly, he should gradually freak out, kind of like this
Remus stared for a minute at Feathin. "She's gone? Did she go home?"
"Rem…" James started. "She was… kidnapped."
Remus' eyes widened in disbelief and then a look of realization came over his face.
"Ha ha, you guys, very funny. You got me. I knew you'd get me back for that prank last week. Really, how much did you have to pay all these people to act like this?"
Eiez began to sob even harder.
"Remus. We're not joking…" Sirius whispered.
Remus stood there for a second, soaking it all in. He looked around at everyone.
"This isn't happening…" he muttered. "This isn't happening."
He closed his eyes hard and when he opened them again he looked around frantically, as though expecting to Chevious sitting by the fire, walking down the stairs, playing chess… anything. His expectation was let down.
"Where is she? WHO TOOK HER?" Tears glistened in Remus' eyes.
Eiez sniffled. She reached her tiny hand into the pocket of her robes. It emerged holding a torn page from a book. She offered it to him. "We found this on the floor this morning after we realized that she was gone."
Remus scanned the delicate parchment. His eyes widened. It read:
Of all the vampires of old, the most infamous bloodline is the Alucard family. During the Renaissance period (exact date unknown), Chandler Alucard was bitten by Nathalie Dubois, thus starting the only family of vampires in history. Through the ages, the Alucard line has become smaller and smaller as more magic folk, as well as muggles, become aware of protection against them.
The Alucard men and women choose their mate, a virgin, by the age of 17. They tend to become obsessed with making that person fall in love with them. Love potions and spells made this easier, but as awareness grew, it became much harder to get away with. Once bitten and bedded, the mate is binded to that Alucard for all eternity. If this does not occur by midnight on their 18th birthday, the vampire would be forced to wander the earth in torment until the one he loved ended his life or he ended theirs. Only then will his torment cease and he or she will be welcomed back into the family.
For centuries, the Alucards have resided at the castle known as Aeternita in northern France. This ancient structure was established by Claude and Avalon Alucard in 1596. Generations of vampires have lived there over the years. Many slayers have died in this evil fortress. Not one known person has come out alive, or human.
"Oh my god!" Remus whispered, barely audible. "No… no… NO… NO!!!!" He threw the paper to the floor. "NO!!!!!!!!!" He began to run back up to his dormitory throwing over anything in his path. Glass shattered and tables broke as they were tossed to the floor in rage.
----
Chevious struggled against the rusty chains binding her to that cold stone wall. The clanking of mental echoed off the tower walls.
"Don't vaste your time. Zare'z an unbreakable curze on zem."
Ares Alucard leaned against the door frame across from her. Two sharp teeth curved over his bottom lip, gleaming in the dull torchlight. Chills of fear ran down her back as he approached her. He stopped. Terror pumped through her veins as his icy hand caressed her cheek.
"Somezing ze matter, my love?" he asked. A hungry look flickered across his face. She looked away spitefully. "Do speak up."
He poked her stomach with his wand and mumbled something in French. Something thrust into her body. The world around her began to spin. When everything came back into focus, Ares smirked triumphantly.
"No…nothing….nothing at all," she voice replied. She had lost control of her voice.
The shackles around her wrists and ankles unlocked. Chevious fell weakly into Ares' arms. He stood her up. I need to get away, she thought. She willed her legs to move, but they would not. She had no control of her body as well. Ares' hungry eyes glanced at her bare neck. No. His cold hand caressed her cheek. He lowered his head to her neck.
"Now, ve shall be togezer for all eternity," he whispered triumphantly in her ear.
A silent tear ran down her cheek. She closed her eyes, waiting for his sharp fangs to piece her skin.
"Remus…" she whispered, another tear escaping her eye.
Ares raised his head in surprise, fire in his eyes. "Remus!" he hissed.
"You called?" Ares whirled around, forgetting all about his awaiting prey. Remus stood before him, cross tightly gripped in his hand. He was flanked by James, Sirius, Lily, Eiez, and Feathin, all armed with their wands at the ready. "Let her go, Ares."
"Vhy should I do zat vhen she iz in love vith me?"
"She could never love you!" Eiez proclaimed.
"Vhy not?!" Ares asked, interestedly.
"Because she loves Remus," Eiez answered. "Always has…Always will."
"She lovez 'im?" Ares asked, pointing at Remus.
"Open your ears, albino boy!" Sirius snapped. "That's what the lady said!"
"Zat's impossible!" Ares replied. "She lovez me! Ask 'er your zelvez."
Remus looked over to her. Chevious stood completely still. Her eyes remained fixed on the group. She looked like Chevious, but something about her didn't seem right. She almost looked drugged.
"What did you do to her?!" Remus shouted.
"Chevious," Ares began, completely ignoring his question, "who do you love?"
"You, Ares. Only you," Her voice replied. She went to his side, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head on his side. NO! That's not true! She thought. I have to fight the spell he put on me! He may have control of my body, but he has no control over my mind!
Remus appeared shocked at first. Rejection quickly crept onto his face. She didn't love him. His heart dropped, breaking into a thousand pieces as it hit the floor. Everything they had shared was a lie...everything. Everyone around him was still taking in what she had said.
A familiar fizzy feeling flew into his head. Remus, it's not true! I love only you! I always have! He put a spell on me! I don't have control over my heart! Relief washed over him. His rejection was replaced with a smirk.
"You know, Ares," Remus began, "you really need to work on your control spells."
"Vhat do you mean?!"
"Next time, make sure you add complete mind control." He raised his wand. "Defaites!"
A blast of blue-silver light erupted from the wand tip. It hit Chevious in the chest, throwing her backwards against the wall. She fell to the floor facedown. Ares' face contorted as he turned to the limp figure upon the floor. His hand raised and so did her body. He guided it to the balcony. She floated outside and hovered over the ground. He looked back to Remus, a sinister smirk lighting his wicked face.
"If I can't 'ave 'er, no vone vill!"
"No!" Remus proclaimed with sudden realization. He rushed for the door.
Ares arm fell to his side. Chevious quickly disappeared from sight, plummeting lifelessly toward the frozen ground below. Remus leaned over the balcony, hoping his plan would work.
"Levatos!"
Chevious stopped only feet from the ground. She rose back up to the balcony where Remus pulled her to safety. He laid her against the door frame. Blood trickled down her forehead from a large scrap near her hairline. Feathin, James, and Sirius rushed over them.
"Is she…?" Feathin began.
"She's fine, just knocked out," Remus replied.
A loud shriek made everyone jump. Ares had his strong arm wrapped around Eiez in such a way that she was unable to escape. His other arm held her head cocked to one side, exposing her pale, freckled neck. His teeth were poised to bite.
"Back avay from 'er!" He commanded. They did as they were told. They moved to where they had entered. Ares backed Eiez up until they were by the doors to the balcony. "Very good."
"Sirius!" Eiez shrieked. "Do something!"
"Make vone move 'nd you can zay good bye to your friend!"
"Eiez!" Sirius shouted, toward her.
Ares opened his mouth wider and pressed his teeth into the freckled flesh a little harder, creating small indents, yet never fully piercing her skin. "I said no vone move."
Sirius stopped abruptly feet from the pair. His thoughts were scrambled and his voice failed him. He was about to lose another person he loved and couldn't do anything about it.
"Vell, now….ziz iz vonderful. I get both Chevious and a snack." He smirked as he lowered his head to Eiez's neck once again.
A loud crack echoed off the walls. Ares fell to the floor. Eiez stood petrified. Her eyes were as wide as saucers. She slowly turned to look behind her. Chevious stood there holding a torch like a beater's club. Her breathing was shallow gasps. Her angry eyes stared at Ares for a moment, and then looked up at Eiez.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Chevious!" Eiez shouted. She pulled her friend into hug. Actually, it was more like she was trying to squeeze her to death.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Bruises!" Chevious shouted.
"Oh! Sorry!" Eiez released her.
"Can we go home now?!" Feathin asked. "I'm starving!"
----
Oh, oh
It gets harder to define
In my heart and in my mind
I know
I know I should let you go
----
The snow came and went and eventually the magic of Christmas was left far behind in Chevious' memories. The days were getting slightly warmer and the castle was abuzz with the flighty feelings of love as Valentines Day approached. Notes were being passed between lovers pens and secret gifts began popping up all over the castle grounds. Love was certainly in the air... for most that is.
Chevious opened the large iron door leading into the 7th year girl's dorms and stepped inside. She was followed by Eiez who chattered happily about Valentine's Day and Sirius, never noticing the disinterested and pained look dancing on her best friends face. A loud gasp came from Eiez's lips in a burst of air.
"Chevious!" Eiez elbowed her in the ribs, "look!"
Chevious looked away from the floor and suppressed a gasp. The entire room was covered in white and pink roses. They were on anything that would stand still, and rose petals seemed to have blossomed out under Eiez's feet as she moved towards her bed. The air was heavy with a fragrant scent and shimmered in the lights as they changed. Eiez giggled like a little school girl and threw herself onto her bed where a flurry of petals rained down upon her. A moment later Eiez thrust some form of paper into Chevious' hands.
"Read it!" She exclaimed.
My Dearest Maiden, Eiez,
It would greatly please me if you would accompany me to the little village of Hogsmeade tomorrow afternoon for fine dining and entertainment. I await your response with eager ears.
Yours truly,
Sir Sirius Nathaniel Black I
"Wow." Chevious stated monotonously, "I'm really happy for you, Eiez, really." She handed the letter back and turned to her bed.
"No you're not, what's up?" Eiez asked, flopping back onto her bed once more (sending more petals and sparkles into the air).
"Nothing is wrong," Chevious said in a strained voice as she moved a huge bouquet of roses off her nightstand.
Eiez narrowed her eyes and studied Chevious, "Liar. I know you better than that."
"Fine!" Chevious spun around to face Eiez. "You want to know what's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong! Ever since January Remus has been avoiding me. He has barely even said hi to me and he won't look at me. I can't even get into his mind anymore! He admitted to loving me but he avoids me at all costs! Do you know how hard that is?!" Chevious paused here and glanced around the room at the flowers everywhere. "Obviously not," She concluded bitterly. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes threatening to spill over at any moment. Instead of crying, however, she sneezed from all of the glitter that had gone up her nose.
Eiez simply stared on, a bit shocked at her friend's sudden outburst of emotions. Then a grin crossed her face like lightning, "I know just what you need!"
Chevious looked up, a little scared at what Eiez was about to say and the grin she had.
"CHEESECAKE!" Eiez declared.
In a swift movement Eiez had clamped a mini hand on Chevious' arm and proceeded in dragging her down to the kitchens.
Down in the common room Sirius was lounging by the fire with James as Eiez and Chevious hurried by. They rushed out the portrait hole in a flash.
"Look!" Sirius said exasperated. "I went through all that trouble and not even a simple tha--"
Sirius was cut off as Eiez appeared next to him; she planted a kiss on his stubbly cheek. "Thank you!" She exclaimed before disappearing again.
"She better be thanking me. I took five showers in the last hour and look!" Sirius ran his hands through his long, dark hair and in instant sparkles were shimmering through the light the flames produced. "I am still sparkly! I will be shedding sparkles for months to come! Damnit! I have one in my eye! I'm a flaming sparkle pixie!"
James collapsed onto the floor in hysterics and then began to cough violently as he inhaled sparkles through his nose.
----
"So, he's completely avoiding you?" Eiez questioned through a mouthful of cheesecake.
"Uh huh," Chevious replied somberly. "He always bolts out of classes at the bell. I saw him take the long route to charms once because the usual corridor also leads to the North Tower. Even for the same classes he'll take another route and sit a the very front because we always sit in the back. He doesn't stay in the Common Room for more than five seconds if I'm there. He doesn't look at me unless he's forced to. I can hardly get a hello out of him as we pass in the Great Hall. Over Christmas, we couldn't be separated. And he was so sweet too." She passed to take a bit of her own cheesecake.
"Okay, now you have to spill," Eiez ordered interestedly.
"Well, we took walks around sunset, just before the streetlights would come on. We laid on the couch in the family room for hours together, just talking. He made a candlelit dinner for me one night when you were with Sirius and Dad was working. He was so romantic. He even got me this for Christmas." Chevious pulled out a thin gold chain out of her shirt. A small, golden heart locket hung on it. Elegant curls of etching embellished the front of it. A tiny piece of ruby, about the size of the head of a straight pin, was embedded in the center. It was simple, but gorgeous all the same.
"Wow," Eiez gasped. "It's beautiful!"
Chevious tucked the locket back into her shirt. "Yeah, I know." She blushed.
"What kind of guy would give you that, then avoid you?"
"That's what I don't understand! He was so affectionate until January, but then he just...stopped." She paused for a moment, as if an unacknowledged thought had made itself known. It seemed to upset her again. "Could there be someone else?"
Eiez nearly spit out her cheesecake. Little pieces landed on the table in front of her and she sheepishly wiped them off with her sleeve. She looked up her friend, trying to find some hint of a joke. Her face remained fixed and questioning. She was completely serious. "You don't honestly think that, do you?!"
Chevious said nothing for a moment, tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. "I don't know what to think anymore."
Eiez grasped her shoulders and looked her in to eye. "Now you listen to me," she said reassuringly. "There is no way Remus would do that to you. He has been in love with you for a long time, and now he has you. I honestly don't believe Remus would give up his chance to be your everything. You're his entire world, Chev. He never stops thinking about you. Have you seen his note books? There are doodles all over it about you. Random thoughts, compliments he wants to tell you, for Christ's sake, he has a list of the things that make you smile folded up in his bag."
"How do you know all this?" Chevious asked, feeling better and better as Eiez continued.
"Let's just say I have my sources."
"Sirius found it, didn't he?!"
"Well, yeah, but the point is, he is absolutely head over heels in love with you, Chevee, and I think you guys need to talk about it."
"Thanks, E. I needed that."
"I know!" Eiez smiled and they continued to chomp down on their cheesecake.
----
"I am so ready to get out of this bloody castle," Lily exclaimed as she, Chevious, and James filed into the Entrance Hall, ready to leave for Hogsmeade.
"I really shouldn't tag along," Chevious proclaimed. "It's Valentine's Day. Don't you two have something planned."
"Well, actually--" James began., but was cut off when Lily "accidentally" stepped on his foot. "No we were just going to hang out."
"Well, if you two ever want to be alone, feel free to tell me to shove off."
"Don't worry about it."
"I could just stay here with Feathin. I mean I have a lot of studying to do for the N.E.W.T.s. They're only a few months away and--"
"Don't even start!" James commanded. "Your going whether you like it or not."
"Okay, okay. No need to bite my head off, Potter."
----
"There you are!" Lily exclaimed as she and James climbed the hill up to the Shrieking Shack. Chevious sat mournfully on the curb, back to the looming structure she knew all too well. She quickly swiped the tears from her cheeks and looked up at the pair coming toward her.
"Hey," Chevious sighed. She looked down at her hands as she fiddled with her gloves. "I just thought you guys could use some alone time. I mean it is Valentine's Day."
"Thanks," James responded happily.
Lily rolled her eyes and heaved rather loud, annoyed sigh. "C'mon," she smiled, pulling her friend to her feet. "We're meeting the others for lunch."
James wrapped his arm around Lily's waist affectionately and the trio made their way down the steep slope to the Three Broomsticks.
As always, the place was crowded with Hogwarts students, trying to get something to eat. Lily, James, and Chevious reached the table just as Eiez, Sirius, Feathin, and, somewhat to her regret, Remus were starting to sit down. James and Lily quickly slid into the booth before Chevious or Remus could even react leaving no room for them to sit, thanks to a quick shrinking spell by Feathin.
"Oh, sorry guys," Eiez said innocently. "Guess there isn't enough room for all of us."
"Imagine that," Remus mumbled, seeming a bit miffed.
"Hey! There's a table over there," Feathin said, pointing over to a small table in the dim corner. A small candle burned in the center of the table, illuminating two champagne glasses of butterbeer.
Chevious made a hopeless glance back at her friends before retreating to the romantic table. She was going to have to face him now. Then again, he had to face her as well. The thought of actually holding a conversation with Remus again lifted her spirits immensely.
Like a gentleman, Remus pulled out her chair for her before seating himself. An awkward silence fell over them. Remus stared around the room and compulsively took sips from his glass. Chevious on the other hand, concentrated on the candle, attempting to tear through his mental defenses and think of something to say.
"It's not going to work," he mumbled. Chevious peered up at him curiously. It had been the first time he had actually looked at her in weeks.
"What's not going to work?" she said innocently, enjoying the sound of his deep voice.
"You're not going to get in," he answered, tapping his temple with his index finger.
"Well, it seems that it was going to be the only way you'd ever speak to me again. Plus, I could find out who she is?"
"Who?" Remus retorted.
"Hell if I know! You tell me."
----
Back at the booth, Feathin strained to hear what was going on with an ear she had enchanted to pick up their conversation.
"She's asking him about the other girl," Feathin informed the eager listeners.
----
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!"
"Bull shit, Remus! I wish you'd be honest with me for once!"
"It would help if I know who the she is."
Chevious rolled her eyes; this conversation was going downhill fast. She could almost feel the tears coming as they spoke. "The other girl we've been seeing," she blurted uneasily.
"Other girl? There's no other girl! What the hell put that into your head?"
"Well, what am I supposed to think?! You're never around. You avoid me as much as possible. You never talk to me. You tell me what I'm supposed to think!"
He was silent for a moment, just staring at her in surprise. "Why didn't you say something?"
Chevious' eyebrows furrowed. "Say something? Say something? Damnit Remus! I don't even get a hello if I do see!"
----
"Ooooooh, she's pissed," Feathin stated, giving the rest of the group a play by play. "He says she should have said something, and she's going off."
"How bad is it?" Eiez asked.
"Worse than anything I've seen!"
"Ouch!" James chimed in.
----
Tears spilled onto her cheeks at this point. Chevious took in a deep breath. "I guess I just wasn't good enough then, was I?"
Remus stared at her, dumbfounded by this statement. Where did that one come from?
"Would you at least say something," she sobbed, wiping away the rivers forming on her cheeks.
"Do you want to take a walk?" he asked out of nowhere.
"A walk?" she repeated, genuinely taken aback by his response.
"I believe we have an audience," Remus proclaimed, gesturing to the booth where the others had been. She turned in time to see Feathin ducking out of sight. Chevious smiled.
----
"May-day! May-day! We've been spotted!" Feathin exclaimed, diving back down onto the bench.
"They saw you?!" Sirius exclaimed.
"No, Sirius. She just felt like a game of hide-and-seek," Eiez declared sarcastically. "Yeah, dip-shit! They saw her!"
----
"We've been set up," Remus proclaimed.
"What was your first clue?" Chevious asked.
He smiled. "Let's get out of here."
The pair stood and exited the tavern. They strolled back up the hill to the Shrieking Shack Where they could be assured solitude. They both took a seat on the curb and stared down at the bustling of the small town below.
"So?" she inquired.
"So what?" he asked, looking over at her with a warm smile. She hadn't realized how much she had missed his smile.
"If you aren't seeing anyone, why have you been avoiding me?"
"I didn't want you to get hurt again."
"Excuse me?"
"I didn't want you to get hurt again."
"Bloody hell! What are you talking about?!"
Remus turned to face her. "Ever since we've been together, you've gotten hurt. Lies, vampires, secrets...I just wanted it all to stop. It was too dangerous."
Chevious gave him a warm smile. "I'm glad you care that much, but all of that never mattered to me." She caressed her rosy cheeks with her gloved hand. "What hurt the most is never being around you. I always felt safe in your arms. I was never scared when I was with you. The only time I was scared was when I thought you would never come back." He returned her smile now. "I love you, Remus. Nothing will change that. Not lies. Not vampires. Not secrets. Nothing."
"I guess this means we've made up, huh?" he whispered, a cheerful smile curling across his lips.
Chevious laughed. "You think you can just apologize and you're automatically off the hook? It's not that easy! You've got a bit more kissing up to do before I forgive you completely."
He leaned in, placing his lips on hers in a passionate kiss. A shiver raced through her body. She had longed for the sweet taste of him, and once again everything seemed right. He ran his cold fingers through her hair. She pulled away reluctantly. He cracked another smile, bear his ivory teeth.
"How about now?" he asked playfully.
Chevious blushed slightly. "Almost. Not quite."
Remus pulled her against him and kissed her again. He wrapped his snowy arms around her waist beneath her open winter cloak. Chevious could feel the icy melting water against her back. Her arms slid comfortably around his neck. Remus pulled away and stared into her eyes, leaning his forehead against hers.
"How about now?" His voice was soft and heartfelt.
Chevious could only smile. "Yeah. We've made up."
They walked hand-in-hand down the steep slope. The streets were beginning to thin out with the approach of dusk. The sun hung low on the horizon and their fellow students were heading back toward the castle. The pair met up with Lily, Feathin, and James outside the Three Broomsticks. Feathin flirted with a Hufflepuff Seventh Year while her brother and friend were stealing a passionate kiss in the low lighting of the streetlights. Sirius and Eiez were nowhere in sight.
"Where's E?" Chevious questioned the group.
"Last time I saw them," Lily replied, "Sirius and Eiez were taking your table."
"They wanted to be alone," James added.
"Yeah," Lily continued. "They said they'd catch up."
----
February came and went as quickly as the snow. Spring had sprung on the quiet Hogwarts grounds and Easter Holidays were a mere week away. Excitement was mounting about what everyone would be doing over the two week break. Eiez and Sirius were going to stick around the castle and spend some time together. Feathin and James were going to visit a relative in Wales. Lily would be stuck with her horrible sister Petunia while Peter stayed with his grandmother because his parents had decided to take a trip to the south of France last minute. Remus would be returning home, as would Chevious, only with a slight difference.
"What do you mean you will be spending the holidays at home alone?" Remus asked her inquisitively.
"My dad will be working a lot. He's always busy around holidays."
"Then why go home?"
"I don't know. I just feel like I shouldn't stay here. I'll either be ditched or become the third wheel."
Remus looked her doubtfully, reasoning with what he was about to say. "Why don't you come stay with me?"
Chevious' eyes grew wide with surprise. "What?" she asked, stupefied by the notion.
He smiled in amusement toward her reaction. "Come stay with me," he stated.
"I don't want to impose on your parents or anything. I mean its really short notice."
"Mum won't mind. She loves to have company, and Dad's never home so he won't care. C'mon! It'll be great."
"I don't know..."
"Please, I insist! I can't very well let my girlfriend send the holidays by herself, now can I?"
"All right," she sighed with a smile. "Just let me get the okay from Dad."
Low and behold, a week later the pair sat on a bench on Platform 9 ¾, awaiting the arrival of Mr. Lupin. Remus held Chevious against him affectionately as his eyes scanned the emptying platform. He sat up slightly when he spotted an extremely tall, professional looking man approaching them. His sandy hair bounced a little with every determined stride. His cleanly pressed, charcoal suit didn't seem to move at all. He stopped before them, a look of disgust crossing into his gray eyes as he scrutinize the pair.
"Remus," was all the deep voice escaping his thin lips asserted.
"Hello to you to, father," Remus voiced with slight distaste. He stood now, showing that his father was at least a whole head taller. "Where's mum?"
"She's at home making up the guest room." His authoritative eyes looked over Chevious, only growing more disgusted. "Well I see that she has no manners."
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir." Chevious' voice was softer than usual and had a note of uncertainty. She extended her hand politely. "I'm Chevious Nogard, sir. I'm pleased to meet you."
He glanced at her hand for a moment than his eyes became fixed on hers. "Roderick J. Lupin." He looked back at his son. "She's not exactly a looker, and she doesn't seem very graceful at all."
Chevious looked over at Remus as well, eyes pleading with her boyfriend to give her some clue as to how to react. He gripped her hand tightly and close to his side, expression remaining as blank as stone.
He circled them now, scrutinizing every detail, as if the pair were a questionable slab of meat at the butcher's. "She's quite shabby and appears to have very little figure. I'm quite disappointed in your taste, son. Is she just a cheap trick and a joke you care to play on your mother and I, or do you keep her around as a toy?"
"You don't know anything about her, Father," Remus finally voiced. "So, before you pass your judgements on my love interests, maybe you should examine your own choices."
Mr. Lupin's eyebrows furrowed. "Watch your tongue young man. I am your father and will not tolerate your smart mouth. Do you understand?" Remus made no point to respond. "You're lucky we don't leave your friend here to fend for herself! Well, we'd better head home before your mother begins to worry."
Like you care about mum in the first place! The thought broke Chevious mind like a whip as if he had screamed it. The heel of her hand shot to her forehead to dull the pain. Mr. Lupin didn't notice, however, for he had already turned and had began to walk away.
They drive north out of central London and continued on until we were passing pastures. Mr. Lupin got off the highway and drove down a narrow, empty road until they reached a forest. They turned off onto a private drive that seemed to be miles long. They finally reached a small clearing where a large, brick house towered before them. Hundreds of colored flowers bordered the winding cobblestone walkway up to the front door. Chevious was in dumbstruck by the beauty of the scene before her.
"Remus will take your things upstairs and give you a tour, if we've taught him any manners whatsoever." Mr. Lupin proclaimed, still irritated from his son's comments on the Platform. "I have to go back to work. I have a very important proposal due tomorrow. Tell your mother--"
"That you'll be home late and not to wait up. You'll make it up to her later," Remus finished, as if he heard this speech often. "Got it. Go."
Mr. Lupin put the car into reverse and drove off.
"Asshole," Remus muttered under his breath as he picked up the pair of suitcases and headed for the door. Chevious stared back down the driveway for a moment wondering how Mr. Lupin and Remus could ever be related; they were such extreme opposites it seemed impossible. She then quickly followed him into the house.
The foyer was rather large with a winding staircase against one wall. Her footsteps echoed off of the polished wood floors and white walls. She spotted glass paned doors at the end of the long, spacious hallway that appeared to lead to the backyard. A white door almost directly to the left of the front door seemed to melt into the wall. Remus was already scaling the polished wooden steps toward the second floor. She followed suit, climbing up onto the second floor landing. A narrow corridor of many rooms stood before her. Remus disappeared a few doors down on the left. Chevious followed him in.
This room was very plain. The walls and carpet were both white along with the bed linens. A large window across from the door looked out over a beautiful garden. Remus sat her suitcase down upon the bed beside the door and took a seat in a boxy, white armchair near the window.
"Well, this is your room." He sighed.
"Its very white," Chevious replied matter-of-factly.
"Yeah. I keep telling Mum that, but she says 'it won't conflict with any guest's personality and therefore it shall stay neutral white.'" He snickered a little. "I hope you don't mind too much. You'd understand Mum better when you meet her."
"Its fine. The room is actually very cozy and has a great view."
He smiled warmly, melting away all her worries about his parents meeting her. He gestured for her to come over. "There's a better view of the yard from over here."
She complied curiously. When standing before him, Remus promptly reached up and pulled her onto his lap without objection. She leaned against his chest comfortably as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
He heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry about my dad."
"Don't be," she replied reassuringly. "It's not a big deal."
"Yes it is. He shouldn't talk to you like that."
Chevious tilted her head up slightly and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry about it. As long as you don't think like that."
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," she replied, placing her lips on his.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Am I interrupting something?" a quiet feminine voice asked. Chevious pulled away, shocked by the question. A rather petite women with dark hair stood in the doorway. Her tiny frame was adorned by a long beige skirt and fuzzy pink sweater. He paintbrush straight tresses fells just past her shoulders. Her pale skin was complimented by deep sapphire eyes.
"Oh! Hi, Mum!" Remus exclaimed, taken aback by his mother's presence.
"Welcome home, Rem," she said politely. "This must be that wonderful, life-changing girl I keep hearing so much about."
Chevious quickly stood up, slightly embarrassed. "Nice to meet you Mrs. Lupin."
"Chevious isn't it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Its a pleasure to meet you too, Chevious. Remus is so modest when it comes to you, dear."
"In what way?" Chevious glanced curiously down at her beau.
"You are more beautiful than he described."
"Thank you."
"No need to thank those who speak the truth, dear. I hope you enjoy your stay here."
"Thank you for having me, Mrs. Lupin."
"My pleasure, dear."
The petite woman exited as quietly as she had come. Chevious smiled warmly. She finally understood where Remus got his personality.
----
Chevious awoke with a start. She peered around frantically in the darkness. Nothing stirred. She sighed in relief, wiping the cold sweat from her brow. It had been several days since her arrival. The vision that had waken her had faded from her memory. All that remained were faint wisps of blurry, unfocused images.
A loud, agonizing howl pierced the silence of the early morning hours. Chevious cautiously reached for her wand beneath the pillow beside her. Quietly, she slipped out into the hall. Below her, another howl echoed off of the walls. She descended to the foyer and peered around. The white door that she had noticed upon arriving stood ajar. A flicking light behind it dancing across the polished wood of the floor.
Holding her wand at the ready, Chevious crept down the narrow stairway behind the door into the unknown of the house's lower level. The large room at the foot of the staircase as dimly lit by a few candles sitting on a lone table against the wall. Above the table, a rifle hung beside a set of what appeared to be darts.
A deafening crash made her jump. Chevious spun around to see a gigantic enclosure. Thick silver bars ran from the floor to the ceiling. Within them, a lycan growled and struggled with the bars, smoke rising from his grip. He howled painfully and released his hold on the silver.
Chevious drew a few steps closer. The wolf looked at her hungrily, growling fiercely. Her heart sank at the sight of him. He seemed almost lonely beneath the famished glint of his eyes.
"Remus," she cooed. The beast seemed slightly soothed by the sound of her voice. "I know you're in there somewhere." She paused, sitting down against the aged concrete wall. She smiled sadly at the creature. "I know I'll never completely understand you're pain and loneliness, but I think I do understand why you did what you did. It must have been horrible. With all those years of solidarity, it must have been hard for you to trust people, to open your heart. Thank you for allowing me to be the exception. Don't worry. You'll never be alone again."
A silent, emotional tear ran down her cheek. She sniffed weakly, wiping away the trail left by the tear. That's when she noticed the old-fashioned, leather bound book that laid open beside her. Chevious closed the book and examined the worn binding.
She gave a slight snicker. "Beauty and the Beast. You know, it used to be my favorite bedtime story when I was little. I used to pretend I found a castle inhabited by a kind beast. Kind of ironic now that I think about it. I found my castle and I'm here my gentle prince of a beast." She smiled silently, another tear racing down her cheek. "Hopefully my fairytale will end in 'happily ever after' like theirs." She paused to wipe away more tears. "Would you like me to read it to you?"
The werewolf fell silent, almost seeming to beg her for the offer. Chevious carefully opened the book, a smile still dancing on her face. "As you wish. Once upon a time..."
She read for hours, the werewolf remaining quiet the duration of the time. At the conclusion of the tale, Chevious' tired body came to rest on the dirt floor, her eyes shutting under the weight on sleep.
Remus awoke to rays of sunshine pouring into the basement dungeon from a high window. His head splitting, he peered around wearily. He caught sight of what, at first glance, appeared to be a pile of clothing. After looking closely, he realized it was, in fact, the brown haired girl he had come to love. She was curled up in a ball upon the cold earth, an old book clutched tightly against her chest. He smiled warmly. She had slept on the dirt floor, just to keep him company. He knew it would not be the last time she would.
----
Chevious entered the kitchen later that day to find Mrs. Lupin sitting in solitude at the kitchen table, sipping what smelled like a mint tea as she stared out at the garden behind the house. Remus lounged on a bench beneath a large oak tree reading one of the books from his mother's library.
"Are you okay, Mrs. Lupin?" Chevious inquired with concern for the woman's forlorn expression.
She looked up at the teenage girl before her with a smile. "Yes, dear, but may I speak with you, woman to woman?"
"Of course!" Chevious sat down across from her. "What would you like to talk about?"
"You know....when I was a girl, I dreamed about a boy sweeping me off of my feet, taking me far away from my home, and make my life into a fairytale. When I met Roderick, he took my breath away." She smiled slightly at the memory. "He did exactly what I imagined. He swept me off of my feet and we were living out our happily ever after. We were madly in love and had our little boy." She paused, smiling fading. She looked down at the table painfully. "When Remus was still very small, my husband decided to take him on his first camping trip, just the boys. So they went out on their own. Everything was going fine, they were there for a few nights." Mrs. Lupin's breath caught in her throat, seemingly holding back a sob. "On the last night they were there, Remus went a few feet from the campsite to gather wood. Not too far, just outside of the campfire's light. Roderick heard him scream. He yelled to Remus, but only heard him screaming. He ran into the brush and saw that his little boy was being attacked by some sort of beast. He ran back to the tent, grabbed his revolver, and returned to shoot the creature. It ran off, but Remus was bleeding profusely. He had to rush him to the hospital. It was only a week or two after his release that we learned of his condition. Roderick felt responsible and could never look at him the same. He worked longer hours, wouldn't come home until we were both in bed. After a while it turned his heart to ice. He almost never comes home now. He's always off with one of the floozies he thinks I don't know about."
"Why are you telling me all of this, Mr. Lupin?"
"Because, Chevious, Remus has a really hard time with rejection and loss. He feels as if his father rejected him and their relationship is very strained. I thought it would help you to better understand their situation as well as thank you."
"For what? I haven't done anything worth gratitude."
"But you have, dear." She grasped Chevious' hands tenderly, looking her in the eye. "You have given my son your unconditional love and you will never know how much it has effected him. I have never seen him be more honest or loving toward anyone other than myself. I want to thank you for that. Thank you for coming into my son's life. Thank you for loving him without an agenda. Thank you for being there for him. I only wish that you two had gotten together sooner."
Mrs. Lupin smiled warmly at the girl before her. "Why don't you go ahead outside and be with him. I'm sure he will be happy to have your company."
Chevious smiled back at her. She rose from her place and ran outside. Mrs. Lupin watched with a smile as Remus got up to greet her with a warm embrace. She watched as the pair exchanged a tender kiss and sat together beneath the tree. She couldn't help but smile at her son's obvious bliss in that moment and any other Chevious was a part of. He was finally happy, and she was happy for him.
----
May soon came, meaning the N.E.W.T.s were only days away, leaving all the seventh years on edge. All could be seen crowding the library or Common Room tables, piles upon piles of books usually hiding them from view. Such was the fate of the Gryffindor gang.
Feathin, James, and Lily congregated by the fire, quizzing each other on various subjects. Peter was submerged in a stack of Arithmancy books at least 3 feet high. Remus occupied one of the armchairs near the fire, completely boxed in by piles of textbooks and notes. Chevious sat at one of the tables with several potions books while Eiez tried to give her helpful hints over the easy-to-understand divination notes Chevious had given to her. Sirius, on the other hand, sat with a single text book and a stack of papers totaling only 4 pages. He kept looking up and snickering at his stressed out companions. It aggravated the hell out of everyone else how calm he was so close to the tests.
"Sirius," Peter finally spoke up, "Why don't you seem at all stressed?"
"Elementary, my dear Wormtail," he replied, trying to sound like Sherlock Holmes. "You see, the more you study, the more you're trying to force into your brain. The more you force in, the more stressed you get. The more stressed you get, the faster you forget. The more you forget, the less know. So, what's the point of studying like that?"
"Sounds reasonable, doesn't it?" agreed Eiez, who had been trying to get out of her divination studies for the past hour. She abruptly threw down her notes and reclined in her chair.
"Nice try, E," Chevious scolded, shoving her notes back into her hands. "Your still have to pass with a decent grade, or dad will kill you."
"But--"
"Eiez, just shut up and go over the flaming notes already!" ordered Feathin angrily, moving on from oral quizzing to a book about illnesses that afflict magical creatures from the top of her slowly vanishing pile.
Eiez frowned in a huff and returned to her notes as instructed. That was the least of Chevious' irritations. The more she concentrated on the book in front of her, the more her mental blockade to stop unwanted thoughts seemed to disappear. Her own thoughts seemed to be under attack from invaders. Thousands of ideas and convictions swirled about in a seeming endless whirlpool within her head. Her eyes blurred and watered as an immense pain formed in her forehead.
"Will everyone please stop thinking so loudly!" Chevious snapped a few moments later, slamming down her potions manual. The room fell quiet in reaction to her sudden outburst. Her friends stared at her in shock as well.
Chevious sighed with vexation, gathered her notes into her bag, grabbed as many books as possible, and made her way upstairs to the her dorm. The assault of thoughts subsided gradually as she continued ascending to the Seventh Year dormitory.
Cool, night air streamed in from the balcony. Chevious dropped her books onto her four poster and stepped out into the darkness. Thousands of stars glowed overhead and a bright crescent hung high in the heavens. She closed her eyes against her frustrations and returned to her vacation in her mind's eye.
"Only a few more days of this, and then I can relax. Just a few more days." She opened them again, turning her mind back to her books.
A shadow fell across the balcony beside her own. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, gently pulling her against the warm body of her beau. He kissed her neck affectionately and rested his head on her shoulder.
"How did you get up here?" she whispered.
"Not easily, let me tell you," he laughed, recounting the multiple times he slid down the staircase as it turned into a winding slide. "Are you complaining?"
"Of course not, but why are you up here?"
He smiled warmly. "Come walk with me."
"Where?" Chevious inquired curiously.
"Just come with me." He grasped her hand and pulled her back into the room. A bouquet of flowers rested on her nightstand. How had she missed them?
Remus led her out onto the starlit grounds. The scent of night blooming flowers filled the air as they drank the moonlight of the crescent overhead. They dodged around the light from windows, attempting to remain unseen. The pair came to a halt near the Whomping Willow. Chevious stared around curiously.
"Remus, what's going on?"
He had gotten down onto his knees and was crawling army style under the thrashing branches. He pointed his wand out and began prodding a small space on the trunk of the willow. He prodded until the tree suddenly stood stone still.
"A-ha!" He exclaimed.
Remus pulled her into the dark passage beneath the Willow, the smell of damp earth surrounding them. Chevious desperately probed his mind to find out what he was up to, but he caught on quite quickly and abruptly pushed her out.
"It's a surprise," he exclaimed in mock scolding. He reached up for the trapdoor, pausing to look back at her. "Close your eyes."
Chevious did as she was told. She stumbled blindly up the stairway and into the room above. Scents of lavender pleasantly filled her nostrils. She stopped abruptly when she realized Remus was no longer holding onto her. She had only seen the room once, and when running from a hungry werewolf, one doesn't pay much attention to her surroundings.
"Remus?" No one answered. "Remus?!"
"I'm still here." Muffled footsteps sounded in the distance.
"What's going on?"
"You'll see." He seemed to trail off as if he were moving farther away.
"Can I open my eyes yet?"
"Not yet." His footsteps grew closer once again. He grasped her hand gently, raising it to his lips. Her heart pounded anxiously against her ribs, her body longing to feel the warmth of his body. He pulled her closer, his spicy aftershave surrounding her. "Now," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear. "Open them."
Her breath caught in her chest as she gazed about the room. Hundreds of tiny, scented candles bobbed through the air, their light dancing across the walls. The shabby pieces of furniture were covered in millions of flower petals. A messy, misshapen cake covered in chocolate frosting sat on the coffee table which was being supported by miscellaneous objects. The words Happy Birthday, Beautiful were written across the frosting in what appeared to be pixie dust.
Chevious looked up at questioning hazel eyes, completely speechless. Her lips parted as if to say something, but no words came to her. Overwhelmed, her mental block faded away. Remus' thoughts flowed freely into her mind. Why isn't she saying anything? Does she like it? Did I screw this up too?
"Well?" he asked timidly.
"It's wonderful," she answered breathlessly. A smile crept lazily across his lips. "You did this all for me?!"
"I don't see anyone else here worth the trouble." His grin spread from ear to ear.
She, too, found herself smiling. She rose up onto her toes, placing her lips on his. His hands lingered on her lower back. She pulled back and whispered, "Thank you."
He embraced her once more, his fingers caressing the bare skin on her back above her jeans. Shivers coursing through her body only made her cling to him even more.
"Anything for you, Chev," he cooed. His hands seemed to become slightly more daring as they ran beneath her shirt. She pulled away reluctantly. Slight disappointment flashed across his eyes, but disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"Did you make the cake yourself?" she asked, breaking the awkward silence that had settled over them.
"Yeah," he answered, looking down at it and scratching his head. "It didn't turn out too well."
She smiled at his sudden discomfort. "I'm sure it tastes fine. Care to test it?"
"Try at your own risk," he laughed.
Remus disappeared into an adjoining room and returned with two forks. He carved out a small piece with the fork and lifted it to her lips.
"Birthday girl gets first piece," he said, a smirk adorning his face.
Chevious parted her lips and allowed him to place the chocolate cake in her mouth. It, actually, wasn't too bad. It definitely wasn't one of his better foods to cook, but at least it tasted like chocolate cake. She smiled at him as a response to his questioning expression.
"Delicious," she exclaimed, exaggerating slightly. A smile returned to his lips once again.
"I take it that it's edible then?"
She snickered and pretended to faint, falling against him. He laughed as well, helping her to stand again.
"Care to dance?"
"But there isn't any music," she responded, stating the obvious.
"Sure there is! Just listen."
She leaned comfortably against him. She closed her eyes as they swayed back and forth.
"I've got you...under my skin," he sang softly in her ear. "I've got you....deep in the heart of me. So deep in my heart that you're really a part of me. I've got you under my skin. I tried so hard...not to give in. I've said to myself this affair never will go so well, but why should I try to resist, when baby will I know so well..."
"That I've got you under my skin," she joined in.
They danced for a bit longer before returning to the Common Room, cake in hand.
----
Dumbledore stood impressively at the staff table, his arms raised over his head to silence the mass of chattering students. He smiled warmly at the crowd before him. "Another year is coming to a close. Your heads may now be full, but I expect they will be nice and empty upon your return next year. A final reminder to seventh years: the graduation ball will begin promptly at eight o'clock. No students will be permitted to enter the Great Hall until that time. All other students are to be in their respective Common Rooms during the ball unless you are attending with a seventh year student. On behalf of the entire Hogwarts staff, I wish all our seventh years best of luck in their future and hope to see the rest of you in the coming year. Now, shall we enjoy our final feast?"
Dumbledore made a sweeping motion with his extended arms and food blossomed from the platters before them. The seventh year girls shoved food into their mouths as fast as humanly possible, some scaring a few of the younger students. Chevious, Eiez, Feathin, and Lily disappeared from the hall before any of their beaus could get in a word.
----
Remus rocked on the balls of his feet anxiously, his back to the girls' staircase. He was eager to see the dress Chevious had picked out. The theme of the ball was muggle masquerade, so everyone was forced to buy muggle formal wear. James and Sirius, whose suits were a bit more casual then his, lounged on the over-stuffed sofa playing a hand of poker. Peter was exiting the Common Room with some bony looking, blonde third year.
Someone cleared their throat. Remus whirled around. Chevious stood a few steps from the bottom of the stairs. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail of Grecian curls. A miniature braid wrapped around the hair tie to conceal it from view. Her red, sleeveless, satin dress shimmered in the light of the stairwell torches. The golden heart shaped locket he had given her for Christmas complimented the square neckline. Remus stood in awe; he couldn't remember her ever looking so beautiful.
"Hey," Chevious chirped, thoroughly enjoying Remus' reaction.
"Wow," he replied automatically. "You look...."
"Terrible, right? I told Eiez this wasn't the dress for me, but she was not going to listen...."
"No, no," Remus quickly declared, interrupting her self-conscience rant. "That's not what I was going to say." She looked a bit dumbfounded for a moment. "I was just going to compliment you on how gorgeous you look tonight."
"Oh...thank you." Chevious' face became a bright crimson color as a flattered smile danced across her lips.
The pair headed down to the Great Hall, which was now flooding with students. Inside, the Great Hall was lavishly decorated in black and silver velvet. Small tables with shimmering black velvet tablecloths were near the walls and the dance floor was located in the center of it all. Hundreds of floating candles soared above the student's heads and the stars in the ceiling flickered in the candlelight. It was just like a dream and Chevious could not remember a time when the Great Hall had looked so inviting. They made their way over to a table in the corner of the hall next to the stage where the muggle band was still setting up.
"We're a little early." Remus commented as he pulled the chair out for Chevious to sit down.
"That's okay; at least we beat the rush." Chevious smiled.
Chevious glanced towards the door and saw Eiez and Sirius enter, hand in hand. They were looking around for familiar faces. Chevious stood up and waved her hands to get their attention. Eiez saw her and began walking over, Sirius followed. Eiez looked stunning in her floor length black ball gown. It was strapless and the top had a thick, pure white band that was accented by a sparkling white rose. Her hair was a mass of loose red curls with a small white rose clip on one side. Sirius looked equally handsome in his black tuxedo, his hair was a bit more kept than usual.
"Eiez! That is the perfect dress!" Chevious exclaimed, giving her best friend a hug.
"You look great, I told you that dress was the one!" Eiez hugged her back. Eiez turned to Remus and Sirius, "Boys, why don't you get your lovely ladies a drink?"
Sirius rolled his eyes and was about to argue when Remus grabbed his arm. "We would be delighted." He grinned. As they turned to go Sirius turned around quickly, "your majesty!" He jokingly said to Eiez. She responded by sticking her tongue out.
"It took me forever to get him to comb his hair, and oh my, Chev, you should have seen the suit he wanted to get. The man at the store told him it was all the rage and all the coolest muggles were wearing them. Personally, it was hideous! It was baby blue and orange! I'm lucky I talked him out of it. But James… on the other hand…" Eiez stopped abruptly and motioned towards the door.
James and Lily walked in. Lily looked stunning, and James… well, let's just say James looked a bit like a tall, lanky Christmas tree. His forest green leisure suit was accented by a black bow tie and black dress shoes. He beamed as though he was the most fashionable person in the room, and Lily looked slightly helpless. She was wearing a halter style deep emerald green dress that had an asymmetrical hemline, and matching green heels. Her board straight light red hair was pulled up into a French twist with baby's breath entwined into it. She smiled as she tugged James' arm and proceeded to walk over to the table.
"Lily! You look wonderful!" Eiez smiled as they hugged, "and James… you look… interesting?"
James flipped his collar up, "Why, thank you!" He grinned like a madman.
Lily eagerly held out her left hand, "look!" She whispered to Chevious and Eiez. A beautiful blue diamond glittered in the candlelight on Lily's ring finger. "He proposed!!!"
This statement was followed by lots of hugging, giggling, and congratulating.
By now the Great Hall was almost completely filled with bright eyed seventh years and the band was almost done setting up on stage. Headmaster Dumbledore walked onto the center of the stage and held his hands up. Students took their seats and quieted down immediately. He cleared his throat.
"This is the last time I will address you, for tomorrow you will all go your separate and respective ways. The past seven years here have been very memorable for myself and for the rest of the staff. Some students have been consistent problems," Dumbledore chuckled and glanced at Sirius and James, "but still this class would not be who they are without them. Tonight is your night, seize it, and make it yours. Congratulations class of 1979!" Students applauded and a few even shed some sad tears but all was better when the band kicked into gear.
"May I have this dance?" Remus stood and held his hand out to Chevious.
"Of course!"
They glided out onto the dance floor and began to whirl around. Lily and James as well as Sirius and Eiez were not far from them.
"This night is so perfect." Chevious said.
"I agree… I could not agree more." Remus added. "I love you."
Chevious smiled, "I love you too."
They leaned in to kiss but were interrupted by a commotion onstage. Sirius had grabbed what muggles commonly called a microphone and was evading the lead singer of the band. He ran behind the guitarist and then jumped over the drum set before tripping over a power cord and flying offstage. Eiez had rushed to the stage.
"Levatos!!!" She shouted, stopping Sirius in mid-air from becoming a pancake in a tuxedo.
He slowly floated to the ground where he landed on his feet comfortably. "Is this thing on?" He asked loudly into the microphone, it squealed in response. "Oh, forget this thing!" Sirius tossed the microphone back to the lead singer.
"Eiez, I have something I want to say…" Sirius turned to the rest of the seventh years, "I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!!" He began yelling, "I LOVE HER!"
Eiez turned bright red, "Sirius! What are you doing?!"
Sirius dropped down onto one knee and reached into his pocket, pulling out a black velvet box.
"Eiez, will you marry me?"
Eiez's large brown eyes stared into Sirius' dark brown, almost black, eyes and they began to fill with tears. "Yes." She whispered. "Yes!"
Sirius slipped the ring onto her finger and pulled her into a tight embrace and a passionate kiss ensued. Cheers and clapping erupted throughout the seventh years and the Sirius Black fan club cried like babies. The band started up again and the dance continued on.
Chevious smiled happily at Eiez and Sirius, 'they're so much in love…' she thought.
"Let's get some air on the balcony." Remus said quietly.
They made their way through the crowd and out onto the large stone balcony. The school was so old and vines had grown up the side of the building and wrapped themselves around the railings. The moon was unusually bright for only being a crescent. Chevious took a seat on a small stone bench and looked out over the lake. The moonbeams caught her satin dress and it shimmered like water. It made her hair shine and from Remus' point of view she looked like a goddess.
Chevious noticed him staring at her, "What? Do I have something on my face?"
"No… you just… you look so beautiful." Remus reached out and brushed a loose curl from her green eyes. Chevious blushed. "There's something I've wanted to ask you for a long time." He continued.
Remus paused and reached for Chevious' hands. "I just wanted to know if you would…"
Remus was cut off here by Sirius staggering onto the balcony, he had obviously had too much butterbeer in celebration.
"Remus! Are you going to ask Chevee to marry ya?" Sirius asked with a bit of a slur.
Remus' eyes fell to the ground and a vein in his forehead began to pulse, anger seemed to radiate from him and if Chevious hadn't known better she would have sworn he was about to change into a werewolf.
Eiez always seemed to have perfect timing because at that moment she rushed onto the balcony, shot Remus an apologetic look, and dragged Sirius away by his collar. Chevious chuckled to herself, 'they already act like they're married.'
Moments passed and Remus didn't say anything. "What were you going to ask me?" Chevious asked timidly.
Remus looked her in the eye, "I was just going to… erm… uhh… ask you if umm… if you would come stay with me for a week or two this summer…?"
"Oh," Chevious' heart dropped into her feet and tears threatened to seep into her eyes, "of course!"
Remus smiled, "Great! Well… what do you say we go back inside? It's getting a little windy out here."
----
The ball went on into the early hours of the morning and the Marauders were the last to leave at around two a.m. The next morning Chevious awoke and stumbled into the seventh year's bathroom. Her makeup was smudged from the night before and her curls were flattened from sleeping on them. It was a sad reminder of the previous night's festivities and that today was the last day of an important chapter in her life. She slowly and almost hesitantly wiped her makeup off and got into the shower. It wasn't until she went back into her dorm that she noticed Eiez wasn't in her bed, in fact, it looked as though her bed hadn't even been slept in.
Concerned for her friends well being she meandered down into the common room. It was still really early, only six in the morning, and she found that the common room was deserted. Chevious was about to exit the portrait hole when she heard a rustling sound from the couch. She slowly crept over to the couch and looked down. Sirius and Eiez lay on the couch, Eiez's head rested on Sirius' chest and his arms wrapped around her petite waist. It looked as though both of them had just crashed right there judging by the fact that Eiez was still in her gown and Sirius was still in his tuxedo.
Chevious smiled to herself, 'I wish Remus and I could be like that…'
A few hours later everyone was up and running around to prepare for graduation. Eiez and Chevious were upstairs monopolizing the bathroom to get ready.
"MY HAIR WILL NOT STOP FRIZZING!" Eiez was flipping out. She kept sticking her hands under the water and trying to smooth her hair out.
"Eiez…" Chevious started, "have you forgotten that you are a witch?"
Eiez stopped in mid motion and turned slowly to face Chevious who held up Eiez's wand. Eiez snatched it out of her hand. "I knew that." She pointed the wand at her unruly hair, "defresatos!"
In a second Eiez's hair had gone from major frizz ball to perfect silky curls. "Much better!" She declared.
Two black robes were draped over a chair along with four long strands of red and gold intertwined rope. Another somber reminder of the graduation ahead.
"I'm really sorry about Sirius last night…" Eiez said. "He was so excited that I said yes… well he had a bit too much butterbeer and he always seems to interrupt at the most inopportune moments." She frowned.
"It is okay, Remus just asked me to come stay with him for a few weeks." Chevious said in a disappointed tone.
"No, it's not. I can tell. Honestly now! We are practically sisters. Tell me what's wrong?" Eiez insisted.
Chevious tossed down her blush brush, "I think he was going to ask me to marry him." She said with her head down. "If you had seen the way he was looking at me, he looked as though… I don't know, but it was different. He was really serious and he seemed nervous, but it was so cute, and the moment was so perfect…" Chevious trailed off here.
"And then Sirius had to ruin it?" Eiez frowned.
Chevious just looked at her, a mutual understanding running through them.
Eiez embraced Chevious in a tight hug. "Chevee, you and I both know that if something is meant to happen, it will happen. Maybe Sirius' interrupting like the moron he is, was actually supposed to happen? Maybe Remus will propose to you and it will be a million times more perfect than the first try?"
Chevious' eyes began to brim with tears.
"Don't cry!" Eiez exclaimed. "Please don't cry, Chevee! You know how I am! If you cry I will cry, and then we will cry together and our mascara will run. But, seriously, today is our last day as students of Hogwarts and I know we don't want to think about that… but let's not look at it as a loss. Let's try to think of it as something new happening. Yea, we're going out into the real world now, but it's not like we won't see each other anymore. Now we won't have to worry about tests and homework and that stuff. No more Slytherin idiots bothering us, no more Snape, and most importantly, no more ARITHMANCY!!!!! YEA!" At this Eiez began jumping up and down.
"You're right," Chevious said while dabbing her eyes with a tissue, "let's finish getting ready!"
----
Hogwarts graduation ceremonies were somewhat like muggle graduation ceremonies, but with a few distinct differences. There was one student from each house who held the top grades and then the school wide highest grade holder would be announced from those four. No one knew who was chosen from each house, but everyone had an idea in his or her mind of whom it might be. The students quieted down and took their seats. They were seated according to the arrangement they had picked out, so they could be with their friends. Dumbledore really stressed that at graduation they not be seated according to house because for the past seven years they had always been sort of separated from each other and it was time they got used to the company of other houses.
Chevious took her seat in between Eiez and Remus and smiled to herself. Eiez smiled at her and gave her the thumbs up.
"Where is Sirius?" Chevious asked Eiez.
"I don't know," Eiez said, "but I hope he's not going to be late for his own… oh my God…"
Eiez's mouth dropped open and her eyes went very wide. She pointed behind Chevious frantically. The entire graduating class went dead silent, and everyone gaped at a very blonde Sirius Black. James broke out into hysterical laughter, which only seemed to infuriate Sirius even more. He huffed over to his seat next to Eiez and plopped down. He noticed Eiez staring.
"Don't even ask." He growled.
"It looks wonderful…?" Eiez said uncertainly, glancing at Chevious who was biting her tongue trying not to laugh.
Sirius shot her a look, "I DID NOT DO IT ON PURPOSE! But I know who did do it, and there will be sweet, sweeeet hell to pay." He said while grinning and rubbing his hands together.
Dumbledore approached the stage and everyone quieted down and took their seats. Chevious looked around in awe. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day. The sun shined brightly and danced on the small waves in the huge lake. The whole castle seemed to sparkle. A sad smile crossed Chevious' face as she remembered the first time she set foot in this place. It had seemed like just yesterday she arrived, and now she was leaving for good. A tear slithered unwillingly out of her eye and down her cheek.
"Shhh… don't cry!" Remus said while wiping the tear out of her eye. "It's not an ending, just a beginning."
Unlike muggle graduations, there were no speeches or anything of the sort. Dumbledore appeared on the stage set up on the school grounds and raised his hands to silence the excited seventh years.
"It is my pleasure to announce the top students from every class." He paused to clear his throat. "From Hufflepuff, Jonathan Diggory." Hufflepuff erupted into thunderous applause as a tall and handsome boy made his way up to the stage. "From Ravenclaw, Jennifer Netsrik." More applause ensued. "From Slytherin, Severus Snape."
At this announcement, Sirius turned to look at Eiez and made a funny face, she elbowed him in the ribs.
"And finally, from Gryffindor…"
Chevious held her breath, 'Please let it be me! Please let it be me…' she thought desperately.
"Lily Evans!"
James jumped up and down and began hooting and hollering, "That's my girl!!!" He yelled, with a huge grin across his face.
Chevious smiled and began to clap loudly, she was let down, but not as much as she thought she would be. Lily really did deserve it.
All four contenders were now standing on the stage. Lily wrung her hands anxiously as they waited to hear the winner. The silence lasted forever until finally Dumbledore spoke again.
"The top student of 1979 is… Lily Evans!"
The entire house of Gryffindor went crazy. They all jumped up and down and clapped wildly. Lily began to cry tears of joy and James rushed onto the stage to embrace her. The houses calmed down and one by one, names were read alphabetically off a long list. Chevious sat there listening, and it finally sank in.
'I am graduating… this is it… I'm an adult now…'
"Chevious Nogard." Dumbledore's voice called out.
Chevious slowly rose from her seat and walked up onto the stage. Dumbledore handed her a rolled up certificate held closed by a deep crimson ribbon. He shook her hand gently, "congratulations, Ms. Nogard."
Chevious nodded in response, and then took her seat on the stage behind Dumbledore. Only a few more people remained to be called. Severus Snape being one of them. Sirius was getting more and more anxious as the name's got closer to Snape.
"Severus Snape." Dumbledore called.
Snape stood up proudly and strutted onto the stage where he accepted his diploma.
"Showtime!" Sirius whispered to Eiez as he darted from his chair.
The next few seconds were complete and utter chaos. Sirius launched himself behind Snape, grabbed a hold of his black trousers, and gave a very hard yank. Snape's trousers landed in a heap around his ankles revealing a pair of boxers that boldly stated 'RAISE MY TITANIC' against an ocean like background. Snape fumbled to pull his pants back up and the very blonde Sirius rolled around the stage in hysterics. Through all this Dumbledore just stood patiently, a faint smile gracing his aged face, and a twinkle in his eye.
"Alright, alright! That is enough!" He called out. "Will everyone please take their seats so we can continue the ceremony?"
The rest of the ceremony went on without interruption.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present the class of 1979!" Dumbledore stated.
Everyone jumped up and threw their caps into the air, except for Sirius who was trying to cover his bleach blonde hair.
Chevious began to cry slightly, and Eiez noticed.
"Now what did I say about crying?" Eiez asked through her own tears.
Remus came over and gathered Chevious in his arms, "stop crying, baby. Come on, let's go pack."
----
"I can't believe this is the last time we will see this dormitory." Eiez said sadly as she stuffed her clothes into her trunk.
"I know…" Chevious trailed off as she took her sheets off her bed. "Well, I'm all done, how about you?"
Eiez glanced around sadly, "yea, I guess I am too. Let's make the boys carry our stuff down!"
"How? They can't get up the stairs?" Chevious asked.
"I know!" Eiez grinned mischievously, "That's why it's a great idea!"
----
The train at Platform 9 ¾ was a solemn reminder of the times ahead. Chevious felt a mixture of emotions, she was deeply saddened to leave Hogwarts behind, but very excited at the coming summer and future that lay in front of her. Everyone seemed to feel this way. The group gave their bags to the bag boy upon arrival and now were just standing around talking before they entered the train. Many people had come up to shake Sirius' hand on an extremely well executed shanking of Snape at Graduation.
"Come on guys, let's get a compartment." Lily said.
Chevious started to walk towards the train with everyone else when Remus reached for her hand. She looked at him curiously.
"You guys go ahead, we'll catch up." Remus said.
Eiez pulled Sirius onto the train and gave Remus a wink behind Chevious' back.
Remus pulled Chevious into a tight embrace, "I love you." He whispered into her ear.
"I love you too." Chevious sighed.
"Chevious…" Remus loosened his grip and bent down on one knee. "I wanted to do this the other night, but I lost my nerve, and I just want to say that I love you with everything I have. Will you marry me?" He pulled a box out of his pocket and opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.
Chevious' eyes clouded with tears, and to think, she had thought the chance had passed her by.
"Yes! YES!"
Remus jumped up and embraced Chevious tightly. They kissed passionately, but were interrupted by catcalls and whistles. All of the marauders had poked their heads out of a window and were cheering and clapping. Chevious blushed and boarded the train hand in hand with Remus.
In the end, the second try had been more perfect than the first ever could have.