Chapter 20: Stranger.
Today.
Sleep won't come tonight.
He couldn't even think about sleeping tonight. Insomenia was something he learned to live with, but tonight…tonight was a whole new story that had nothing to do with his lycanthropy. Someone else occupied his bed tonight. There was plenty of room for them both but he wouldn't dare to share a bed with her…he couldn't. For many years he missed the company of a woman in his bed, slowly he began to get used to it, memories of passionate nights spending with making love slowly dissappearing from his mind, memories of holding a warm body next to his own fading away.
And now, as he sat down on the couch and listened carefully, he discovered that the sound of her slow breathing disturbed him. The sound was too loud. It hurt his ears.
Sighing quietly, Remus rose from his seat and moved slowly towards the window. He sent his owl to Dumbledore moments after he got inside the castle, letting him know about the latest developments. He stood speechless infront of his wife after she spoke and then found his voice and took her hand, leading her away from the hospital. He apparated them both to Hogsmeade and then they walked towards the castle. When she stumbled he took her in his arms and carried her. By the time they got to the castle she fell asleep and he tucked her gently under his covers. And there she was, sleeping.
A soft knock on the door startled him and he walked slowly towards the wooden door, opening it to find Albus Dumbledore standing there with worried eyes. "Remus." The old wizard stated and Remus allowed him to enter the small room. "How is she?"
"I'm not sure." Remus moved his hand in his hair, the only gesure that could indicate the fact that he felt helpless and afraid despite his calm appearance. Albus smiled a little and patted the younger man's shoulder. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his wife closely.
"She seems a little pale, but other then that…" The headmaster hesitated for a moment. "You should take her to see Poppy tomorrow morning when she wakes up." Remus nodded his head, looking upset and afraid.
"Of course she is welcome to stay here with you, Remus. Take tomorrow off, please, I'll cover your lessons."
"Thank you, headmaster." Remus smiled a little.
"Have a good night." And with those words he left the room, leaving Remus sitting on his bed, lost in thought.
Then. April 1980.
"Where is Severus?"
Rose slammed the door to his office after she found out he wasn't there. He was obviously too preoccupied to show up for work anymore. He was always missing and was late supplying his potions. Something obviously bothered him.
She sighed as she walked down the hall towards her office. Now, six month pregnant, she used the illusion charms on a daily basis but it didn't stop her unborn child to use her as his own play ground from time to time. Groaning as the baby gave a nasty kick she opened the door to her office just as she heared footsteps behind her.
Looking back she saw Severus Snape hurring down the hall. "Severus!" She shouted and hurried to catch his long strides. "Where have you been?"
"What do you care?" He sneered.
"I need healing potions, Severus and your job is to supply them." She warned. "If you can't handle it…"
Snape groaned and clutched his left forearm with his right hand. "Save it, Lupin, I quit."
Leaving her with her mouth open in shock he walked towards the apparating spot and disapparated. Rose stared after him, what the hell just happened?
She apparated quietly to her destination and looked around her. Everything seemed quiet and no one walked in the street. Concentrating, she thought of the exact location of the order's headquarters and almost immediately a small house appeared infront of her. Rose smiled and knocked on the door. She waited and the door opened a little. She walked inside and smiled when Sirius enveloped her in a hug. "Hey, I haven't seen you in ages." He said quietly. "How are you?"
"I'm good." She smiled to his shoulder. "And you?"
"I'm alright, I passed auror training and so did James. We're partners now. How is the little one?" He added with a whisper, grining at her flat stomach.
Rose rolled her eyes. "Alive and kicking." She whispered and the black haired wizard laughed.
"Let's get inside, Dumbledore was just about to start talking." They walked down the hall and joined the others inside a large room. The others waved at her and Rose immediately took her seat next to her husband who smiled warmly at her. She looked around the room noticing Frank and Alice Longbottom who sat together, Alice's hand caressing her own swollen stomach and noticed Lily doing the same. She frowned a little and Remus took her hand gently. "Stop looking at them." He whispered, smiling softly.
"Sometimes I just wish…" She trailed off.
"I know." He answered and she smiled at him, caressing his hand with her thumb.
Albus Dubledore cleared his throat and everyone looked at him as he spoke. Public attacks seemed to stop but now Voldemort and his followers haunted muggle borns and half breeds, killing them and their families. The members of the order listened quietly, knowing that there was very little they could do. It was a meeting for briefing only and the members kept their silence as the head of the order stopped talking.
Rose sighed quietly and then spoke. "Dumbledore." She started. "I think I have a lead on a death eater." Remus eyed her with horror and she continued. "I fired Severus Snape today, he was dissappearinig every time he needed to be at the hospital and today…well, I'm not sure if it's an evidence but he was clutching his left forearm, where the dark mark supposed to be…"
"Snape…how fitting…" Sirius growled and James nodded.
"Moody, will you check it out?" Albus turned to the head of the magical law inforcement department and the auror nodded his head. "Very well, Alice, Frank, please stay for a moment. The rest of you, have a fine evening."
The members of the order left the house slowly. The marauders trailed behind, talking quietly. Rose turned to hug Peter as he smiled at her. "Welcome back, how was abroad?" She asked and he groaned.
"Well, let's just say that there are worse then our own ministry." He said, laughing. "I heared about what happned, Sirius told me." He whispered. "Congratulations, you did the right thing." He smiled.
"Well, it wasn't me but…"
"If you need any help, just ask." The short wizard said and Rose felt herself strating to cry, she enveloped him in a fierce hug that caused Remus to raise his eyebrows so high they nearly dissappeared in his hair line.
"Now, Pete, How did you pull this off? I don't get that kind of a hug when I get home!" He faked a hurt voice and Rose smacked him on the head.
"Did I just heared you complain?" She asked, smiling slightly. Peter laughed again.
"Well…I don't get hugs like that!" He whined.
"That's because you work almost every night and you leave me alone in the house."
"Which reminds me…I have to go to work." He sighed.
"You see…"
Sirius and James laughed and Remus tried to hug his wife tightly, promising her he won't come home that late. Rose smiled eventually and kissed him passionatly, earning cries of disgust from the rest of the gang. "I'll see you later." Remus whispered in her ear and apparated.
Rose smiled to herself and then turned to face the others. "Now that he's gone, we can plan the birthday surprise you all wanted to plan." She grinned.
"I thought Remus's birthday is two weeks away." Lily said.
"Yeah, but with our schedules…" Sirius smiled. "We talked and found the perfect present for him…you just wait."
Today.
Remus sat next to his wife all night long, watching her face as she slept. She looked peacefull and content and he wished he could just rest beside her and forget everything that happened lately. The killing continued and Hermione's parents weren't the only ones that lost their lives. The order still tried fighting and recruiting new members. Remus still tried to get Peter. He promised that to himself the night Sirius fell…He shuddered for a moment…he promised that he would find Peter and make him pay.
A movement on the bed brought him back from his thoughts and he turned to look at Rose's tired eyes. She looked at him for a moment before opening her mouth and talking slowly. "Where am I?" She asked, looking around her at the dark room.
"At Hogwarts." He answered. "I brought you here last night, remember?"
She nodded and looked around her again. "I don't understand." She whispered. "I thought we were going home." She sounded so lost and Remus fought the urge to cry and curse with anger, bitterness floaded his mind and he tried to supress it, this wasn't the time for his anger.
"I brought you to Hogwarts. I teach here. I thought you could get medical attention here." He gritted his teeth, how was he supposed to tell her their house burnt to the ground sixteen years ago?
She nodded and closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again. They were filled with tears. "I'm sorry." She whispered.
"What?! What are you talking about? Sorry for what?" He held her hand gently.
"I…don't know…I don't remember anything! How long has it been?" She broke into histerical sobs and Remus immediately enveloped her in his arms, whispering comforting words in her ears and stroking her back slowly. She started shaking and he held her closer.
"It's been a long time, Rose…too long…" He whispered, his eyes watering.
"I missed you so much, Remus." She said, looking at his eyes closely. "I don't know what happened but you never gave up. You always showed up to see me." She choked on her tears again. "I…I want to see everyone again. Where are they? Lily and James and Siri…Remus? What?"
Remus felt his eyes grow wide. There was one thought that's been bothering him all night long and now it came again. As hard as he tried to fight it, this time he just couldn't and he shuddered as he realized that it might have been better if…if she had never woken up…it might have been better if she had never survived that night. He heared himself give a strangled cry, trying hard to block those horrible thoughts and he got up from the bed and stumbled over to the window, knocking a cup of tea on the way.
He needed out. He needed air and all of a sudden the room seemed smaller and smaller and it strangled him. He looked outside towards Hogwarts grounds and managed to calm himself after a while. He heared footsteps behind him and felt Rose's hand as she touched his shoulder. "Remus?" The touch was cold and foreign and another thought exploded in his mind. This wasn't his wife…this was a stranger…his wife died sixteen years ago.
Tears strangling his throat, he turned around to face her. "Rose…" He took her hands in his own and slowly led her back to the bed, sitting next to her. "We have to talk."
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Sorry it took so long, this chapter just wouldn't write itself like the others did…=)
Also, I changed the story genre: I decided it was more Drama then Romance so it's now a Drama/Romance story.
'Under Cover' has been updated lately and is waiting for your reviews…
Thank you's: Diosa Alexia, LunaStar, Prettiest in Pink, Becky4, Sirius gyal, Vegea Kalorale, Write-on3108, Deathbycookie15, Twilight Fantasy, Mione1, Dam Nimrodel, Annikaya, ChicaBlue18, GreenEyes, Siriussnape, Natan, SarahLupin, ScotishWolf, Hannah, WolfScar, Cass…
To write-on3108: Yes, there will be very, very little Harry and Hermione around the end of the story but I won't focus on them that much.
To all you wonderfull readers with theories…I can't really tell you if you're right or not but I love to read your theoris anyway, so keep on guessing… there are still quite a few mysteries in the story that non of you picked up on…(yet…)
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