All right, this is my very first HP fic EVER! I am so excited... I've had this idea for a while and finally got it completed! Remus is probably my favorite among the Marauders.. can't explain why. Anyway, I love reviews- they're what keep me going. I have an idea for a longer fic, but I am hesitant to post it. Just trying to get my footing in HP fics... see if I'm any good. well, hope you all enjoy!
Annalysse grabbed her cloak and ran out of her dormitory stealthily after snatching the note she received earlier off her bedside table. Rushing into the Ravenclaw common room, she held the note against the dying firelight to read it again.
My sweet Annalysse,
Please meet me tonight on the edge of the Forbidden Forest next to the Whomping Willow. There I something I need to tell you, and it is extremely urgent.
Remus
Annalysse's brow furrowed as she worried her bottom lip. What could possibly be so important that he has to tell me in the dead of night? She wondered. With a heavy sigh and a nervous stomach, she headed quietly out the door and to the forest.
Annalysse crept quickly along the corridors of the huge castle, careful not to cause any commotion. Just as she was about to turn the corner to the entrance hall, she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist and pull her back. She was about to scream when another hand clasped itself over her mouth. Soon she found herself restrained against the stone wall, but by invisible bonds. She couldn't move, yet she could not see what was holding her.
"What are you doing up so late, Annie?" she heard a familiar voice ask as she felt a hand being lifted off her mouth.
She rolled her eyes. "Sirius, James, stop it right this instant and let me go!" she whispered agitatedly.
James Potter and Sirius Black suddenly appeared as James pulled his invisibility cloak off the both of them. She had known James had one simply because she had become very close to all the Remus' friends, especially James and Sirius. They were the known troublemakers of the school, and though she'd rarely admit it, she admired them for their audacity.
But now, they were bothering her morethan anything.
Annalysse glared icicles at them. "What?" James asked, either completely unaware of her frustration or choosing to ignore it, making Annalysse fume all the more.
"Let me go!" she said frantically. "I have to meet someone-"
"Oh?" Sirius asked with a smirk. "Who?"
Annalysse blushed, much to James and Sirius' delight. "None of your business," she replied bitingly.
"Hey Sirius, I'll give you three guesses," James began.
"Let me see," Sirius began, tapping his chin lightly and thoughtfully, "Rem-"
But before he could finish, Annalysse stepped on his foot as hard as she could and kicked James in the shin. Both of the boys instantly recoiled and Annalysse ran. She was just about to reach the door when she heard Sirius say, "Don't make me hurt you little girl."
Annalysse brushed her curly brown hair out of her face and turned to see both James and Sirius with their wands at the ready. She sighed and pulled out her own wand. "Little girl? I am a sixth year, just like you."
"Are you sure you are as knowledgeable about hexes as us?" James asked slyly.
Annalysse smirked. "Considering that I am a Ravenclaw and actually pay attention in class, I would be willing to bet galleons that I know more than both of you. Combined," she added as an afterthought.
James coy smile vanished at the insult. "You're still outnumbered," he reminded her.
Annalysse swallowed hard. "I thought you two were my friends!" she whispered, distraught.
The boys' faces clearly showed their surprise. "Of course we are!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Then why won't you let me go? Bloody 'ell, you won't even let me leave without hexing me!"
James and Sirius quickly put their wands away. "We were just giving you a hard time," James admitted.
"Well, you're doing a grand job!" Annalysse snapped as she huffily put her wand away and turned her back to them.
She soon felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned back to see James and Sirius with quite sincere faces, staring at her gently. "We didn't mean any harm," Sirius said. "Truly we didn't. You're a great friend of ours, and that's why we feel we can mess with your head a bit."
A smile slowly crept onto Annalysse's face. "Well, fine. I understand."
"So we're forgiven?" James said hopefully.
"Of course," Annalysse replied practically.
"Awwww!" Sirius said while shooting James a mischievous glance. "Group hug!"
"No, wait-" Annalysse cried, knowing what was coming. She soon was sandwiched between James and Sirius, and the two were almost squeezing the life out of her. As soon as it was over, Annalysse was gasping for air, doubled over and holding her stomach.
"Stop being a drama queen," James said playfully.
Annalysse's eyes widened. "Drama queen? That was not a drama queen. This is a drama queen," she said. She stood up tall before grabbing Sirius' shirt and gasping deeper for air, her eyes rolling back into her head. "I can't breathe!" She fell to her knees, digging her hand deeper into Sirius' shirt. "I think you broke three of my ribs! My lung is punctured! I'm going to die!"
James and Sirius laughed out loud. "You know," Sirius began, "it was scary how much that really sounded like you."
Annalysse suppressed a smirk before smacking him across the arm. "You twit. You're just lucky-"
Annalysse was cut off by the sound of footsteps coming from the nearby hall. Annalysse's face paled as she turned to Sirius and James, who gave each other a quick nod before acting quickly. Sirius grabbed Annalysse and held her close to his side while James got his invisibility cloak and draped it over all three of them. They guided her through the front doors and outside onto the school grounds.
"Thanks," Annalysse whispered, catching a deep breath of relief.
"What are friends for?" James and Sirius said at the same time.
Annalysse looked at both of them with wide eyes. "Never do that again."
"Do what?" they both replied.
Annalysse elbowed them both in the ribs. "Come on. I'm supposed to meet Remus by the edge of the Forbidden Forest."
"Okay then, let's go," James said as the all awkwardly made their way across school grounds.
Annalysse looked for Remus carefully. When she finally found him, she broke free from the invisibility cloak and ran for Remus. She tackled him in a hug, to which he hugged her back tightly. "Annalysse! I was getting worried! Where have you been?"
She looked at him with a smile. "Well, your two little minions intercepted me along the way. Had they not interfered, I would have been here on time."
Remus rolled his eyes and smirked playfully. "James! Sirius! Did you give Annalysse a hard time?"
"James, run!" Remus and Annalysse heard Sirius say. The sounds of a scuffle soon ensued, although nothing could be seen. Annalysse laughed out loud as she soon heard James and Sirius stalking off into the night.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Annalysse asked.
Remus' face fell. He slipped his arms around Annalysse's shoulders and started walking with her. "About that…"
Annalysse looked at Remus thoughtfully. "What is it Remus? You know you can tell me anything."
Remus breathed in deeply. "We've been going out now for a while, right?"
"Right."
"And in this amount of time, we've gotten to know a lot about each other."
"Yes. I don't think I have any secrets from you."
Remus' face cringed in guilt. He stopped walking and faced Annalysse. "I have a confession. I haven't been completely truthful to you."
Panic was beginning to rise in Annalysse's throat. She swallowed hard. "Oh?" she managed to squeak.
Remus took Annalysse's hands in his own. She desperately wanted to pull away from him, but for his sake, she stayed. "Annalysse," he began, "there's no easy way to tell you this."
"Then just tell me Remus," she said, a bit of frustration creeping into her voice.
Remus breathed deeply. "I'm a werewolf."
Annalysse blinked. Then she blinked again. "What?" she breathed.
Remus sat down on the grass and took Annalysse with him. "I'm a werewolf. I was bitten when I was very young. For a while I thought I would not even be able to attend Hogwarts. But then the Headmaster let me come… with a few accommodations to help me deal with my… condition."
Annalysse swallowed hard. How could this be happening? "That's where you've been running off to once every few weeks." She looked at her hands in Remus'. "And this…" she trailed off, tracing her hand along a long scar that ran across his wrist. She looked at his face. "And these…" she said, once again trailing off as she traced her fingers along the numerous scars that ran along Remus' face. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was afraid… afraid that you wouldn't want anything to do with me."
Annalysse cringed as the tears fell down her cheeks. She slowly raised up on her knees and, holding his face in her hands, kissed every scar tenderly on his face.
Remus closed his eyes. He was sure that thiswould have been the end of their relationship. Tears fell down his own face as he opened his eyes and looked at Annalysse, who was staring at him intently. He quickly took her in his arms, rocking her gently back and forth.
And they cried.
After many long minutes, Annalysse finally pulled away. She took a deep breath before looking at Remus carefully. "Did you think I would run away from what we have?"
"Annalysse, you haven't seen me when I transform. I'm a monster." He sighed. "This isn't going to work out."
Annalysse's eyes widened. No, nonono. "Remus, no. You can't just-"
"You don't understand!" Remus almost yelled. He stood and began pacing. "It's awful! It's painful. I hate lying to everyone-"
"You don't have to lie to me anymore!" Annalysse pointed out as she too stood up. "I know!"
"I know you do, but…" he breathed deeply. "it's only a matter of time before this catches up with us."
Annalysse's anger flared. "Oh, so you're just going to give up now? Why even try?"
"Annalysse, listen-"
"No! You listen! I have given so much for you. Just to be with you! I am not giving up now!"
An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Annalysse's tears intensified as she turned to walk away. "Annalysse! Wait!"
She didn't stop. She kept walking. She just wanted to forget everything. Forget about tonight, forget about Remus, forget-
Remus grabbed her arm and spun her around. Before she could protest, Remus pressed his lips to hers.
Annalysse was soon lost in the most passionate kiss she had ever experienced. Rough, demanding, then soft, tender. Not what she would have expected from Remus, but in a word, bliss.
The kiss was ended too early for Annalysse's taste. She looked up to Remus, who looked back at her with a smile curling his lips. "I love you."
Her eyes widened. "What?" she asked dreamily.
"I love you."
Annalysse smiled. "I love you too," she said before kissing him tenderly. She giggled. "I take it this means that our relationship isn't over yet."
Remus smiled so brightly he could have lit up the night sky. "Not yet." He picked her up in his embrace and swung her around effortlessly.
She laughed out loud as he set her down. "Say it again," she said as she rested her forehead against his.
"I love you Annalysse."
"LOVE?!?"
Annalysse and Remus' heads simultaneously turned to the voice. Annalysse almost screamed when she saw James' and Sirius' heads floating in mid-air. "Did you just say 'love'?" Sirius asked.
Annalysse's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'm going to kill you both!" she yelled as she pulled out her wand. "Quick Remus- what was that spell we were studying earlier?"
Remus lazily pulled out his wand. "Which one?" he asked, a playful smirk gracing his lips.
Sirius and James' eyes widened. "Now hold on- we just thought we would stick around to help you two get into the castle unnoticed. If you two get caught this late at night…"
Remus paused a moment before putting his wand away. "Fine. In that case, we need to go now."
The four were soon all under James' invisibility cloak, stalking stealthily through the night. "So Remus," James began, a smile evident in his voice, "you and Annalysse-"
"Say anything, and I swear I will not refrain from hexing you right here, right now," Annalysse threatened. "You too Sirius."
Nothing was said for the remainder of the trip.
It was only about five minutes later when they had reached the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. Remus and Annalysse stepped out of the cloak. "I love you Remus," Annalysse said as she kissed him.
"Me too."
"All right, Romeo," Sirius said as he too came out from under the cloak and grabbed Remus' arm. "We've got to get back to our dormitory before we get caught."
"All right," Remus said as he kissed Annalysse's hand and smiled at her. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"You too."
With nothing more said, much to James' and Sirius' relief, Remus got back under the cloak and they made their way down the hall. Before she went into the common room, Annalysse heard James say, "Wow, you two are going to be all over each other tomorrow."
The statement was soon followed by a crack and an "OW! Those were my ribs!" from James.
"Oh, sorry," Remus said, although not sounding at all sincere. "I should better watch where I put my elbows."
Annalysse snickered as she made her way to her dormitory. After changing into her pajamas and washing up, she took up her journal that she wrote in every night and sat by the window. Looking up at the sky, she began to write:
Who would have thought that a moonless night could bring such joy?
Well? Please let mo know ASAP!! Thanks much!
