Chapter 12: A Peck of Owls.
Then. December 1979.
"You don't look happy." Came the somewhat muffled reply to his expression and Remus raised his eyes to meet his wife's and tried to smile as wide as possible.
"Of course I'm happy, how could I not be happy?"
They were sitting on one of the couches in their small livingroom. The couch was once a worn chair that transfigurate so that it would look like they bought it themselves. Come to think of that, most of their possesions were transfigurated items. They really couldn't affored both a house and a furniture.
So, how could they possibly affored a baby?
Remus shook his head when a weird voice in his head mentioned that all he was thinking was rubbish and that wasn't what really disturbed him. His fear didn't have anything to do with money.
"Remus?" Rose caressed his cheek and brought him back to reality. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine." He managed to mumble. "I need to get going or I'll be late for work. I don't wanna loose another muggle job…"
"Sure…" Rose whispered as she looked away from him.
"Will I see you tomorrow morning when I'll come back?" He grabbed his coat and scarf.
"No, I have an early shift at the hospital, I'll see you afternoon."
"Sure, I'll see you tommorow then." He turned to leave when she grabbed his wrist.
"Remus," He turned to face her and she managed to see the urge to run away from her in his eyes but it soon dissappeared when he smiled weakly. "Tomorrow is Christmas eve, I suppose you're not working tomorrow evening."
"Yeah."
"Then we'll talk tomorrow."
"I'm sorry, Rose, I…"
"Forget it." She tried hard not to sound bitter and cold. "We'll talk tomorrow."
Remus nodded and left the house. Rose remained at the door, gazing after him and couldn't help but feeling that she somehow lost him. Why was he acting like this? She thought he wanted to be a father, maybe not in such an early stage but still…
A loud 'crack' disturebed her thoughts and she turned to look at Lily Potter who smiled proudly at her. "Gods, Lily, don't you think it's about time that you'll learn to apparate more quietly with you being in the order and all?"
"I wasn't concentrating." Lily dismissed Rose's words with her hands. "You should congratulate me." She announced proudly.
"Words from a true wife of a true marauder." Rose smirked. "What have you done?"
"Well, I do believe that we are pregnant." Lily grinned.
"Really? But how can you tell so soon?"
"And it's not even from last week! It's a month old and it's too soon to tell if it's a boy or a girl. I kinda want it to be a boy…"
"Oh you're rambling…congratulations!" Rose hugged her. "Did you tell James yet?"
"Oh…the poor man nearly choked on his own lunch, poor baby…"
"Well, good for you, Lily, you nearly killed the father of your own child." Rose scolded playfully.
"How about you? Did you tell him?"
Rose stopped smiling and Lily frowned. She followwed her friend and sat on the couch. "I just…" Rose started speaking and then stoped when she realized she was crying. "I don't think he's very happy about it."
"What are you talking about? How could he not be happy?"
"I don't know but there is something that bothers him and he wouldn't tell me."
"Don't worry, everything is going to be alright." Lily said and Rose nodded to her words despite the fact that she felt exactly the opposite.
Today.
Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room and stared numbly at the dying fire. It was very early in the morning and he spent most of the night tossing and turning in his bed. The boy who lived had a lot of things on his mind these days. Thoughts and dreams about his godfather still haunted his mind. Memories turned into dreams that caused him to wake with tears in his eyes. But they werent as strong and vivid as before and suddenly a new thought disturbed him even more. He was forgetting, he was moving on, beiond the pain and lose and anger. But some part of him was truly afraid that someday he would forget how Sirius looked like. And while one part of him was happy to move on, away from the sorrow the other part tried to hang on to every shred of memory he could grab.
The other object of his growing worry was the last person who held memories of his parents. Remus Lupin looked more depressed then ever and altough he returned back to his regular teaching and still managed to fascinate his students he still looked worried sick. Hermione nearly got a heart attack when she saw large scars on his wrists. Ron dismissed her theory, saying it's probably a werewolf thing but Harry agreed with Hermione. Those scars sure look like the scars you might get when you cut yourself to death. Harry shuddred, he didn't really want to think that Remus might do this thing and leave them all alone and Hermione suggested that they should talk to him. Hermione…now Hermione was an entirly different kind of worry, Harry smiled.
Hermione appeared in his dreams almost on a nightly bassis and the dreams turned more and more…wild, might describe it the best. They turned passioante and content and Harry often couldn't go back to sleep after one of those dreams.
"Harry? What are you doing awake in this hour?"
And there she was, the object of his dreams, standing infront of him.
"I couldn't sleep." He shrugged and took in her sight in her Hogwarts uniform that he often dream about taking off…
"Nightmeres?" She asked and sat next to him.
"Kinda." He said. "What are you doing up?"
"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep so I thought I'll eat an early breakfast in the great hall. They start serving it at six, you know."
"Yeah, do you mind if I join you?"
Hermione smiled and Harry had the sudden urge to kiss her sensless. "Not at all, I'll wait here."
Harry nearly ran upstairs and got dressed in record time he then got back to the common room and they headed down to the great hall. Once there they sat next to the Gryffindor table and started eating some breakfast. They enjoyed a quiet conversation until more and more students arrived, among them was Ron Weasley that carried a heavy book and looked disgused to the bone. "You wouldn't believe what I found out last night." He exclaimed and took his seat next to Harry.
"Good morning, Ron." Hermione smiled sweetly and Harry laughed.
"Ron, ever since you started studying the wizarding laws you spend more time in the library then Mione here." He smirked.
"Thanks, Harry." Hermione frowned.
"Come on, I was laughing."
"Guys, you wouldn't believe it. I swear if I'll ever be a judge or something this is the first decree I'm gonna cancel, here, read this…"
Harry grabbed the heavy law book and started reading. "Werewolves decree number 16 from December 1979 says that all werewolves who wishes to bring a child must face a board that consist honorable members of the wizarding community and they will determine whether the werwolf can bring a child into this world that might carry the lycantropy genes…"
"That is sick!" Hermione exclaimed. "How can they do this?"
"Well, in away, they are right. But the decision shouldn't be theirs to make." Ron said.
Harry still stared at the writing and couldn't help feeling sick and angry when he read on to himself. He then shuddered and continued reading out loud. "…The decree was legistlated by Dolores Umbridge, assistant to the ministry of magic…"
"Oh god…I could kill her right now!" Hermione growled.
Harry and Ron nodded and Ron opened his mouth to speak when the sound of wings could be heared and many owls entered the great hall, carring mail to their owners. A large black owl landed right infront of Hermione and the noise in the great hall stopped when the black owl reached his leg to Hermione.
"I don't understand…this is not my owl…I don't even know him."
"Mione…black owls deliver news of death." Ron whispered and Harry's eyes widened.
"Miss Granger, parhaps it's best that we'll open this letter in my office." The calm voice of Professor Dumbledore spoke behind them and Hermione rose from her seat and followed the headmaster and Professor Lupin outside.
Ron and Harry stared at each other and waited. By the afternoon everyone in the school knew that HermionGranger's parents were killed by the dark lord.
Then. December 1979.
Remus entered his house to find it empty and brightly lited. However, the smell of burnt breakfast alerted his mind to the fact that there might be something wrong. He moved towards the kitchen when he heared the unmistaken sound of sobbing. He entered to find his wife sitting on one of the chairs, her beautifull face striken with tears and a worn parchment in her hand.
"Rose." He hurried towards her and kneeled next to her. "What's wrong?"
"Oh…god…they wanna kill our baby…" She sobbed and Remus grabbed the parchment and scanned it quickly. His eyes grew wide as he took in the meaning of the letter that ordered them to face a committee that'll determine if they could have their child. He felt the blood draining from his face and rose to his feet, dropping the parchment on the floor.
"Remus?" Rose looked up to him and saw the way his face paled and his hands moved nervously in his hair.
"Oh, god…" He sighed. "This is all my fault." He whispered.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, senssing panic rising inside of her.
"Can't you see?" He shouted. "It's my fault. I should never have married you!"
And with those words he fleed from the house, leaving her speechless.
********************
Please Review!!
Thank you's…hh, Siriussnape, Professor Kendrick, Nutsaboutremus, Chicablue18, Vegea Klorale, LOTRMoonyFanatic, Lucky Estrella, Remy's Gurl…