Chapter 30: Bubble Gum.
Today.
The darkness around him was comforting and he stared around, his eyes making black and white shapes that resembled the furnitures around his bed. A hand moved slowly to caress his face and he closed his eyes, sighing.
"Can't sleep?" She whispered and he shrugged, knowing she could feel the movement. They were lying on his bed, limbs tangled together under the blanket and she traced one of the scars on his face, tickling him. "You didn't have these scars before…on your face." She whispered and he nodded, closing his eyes again.
"It happened a long time ago after Lily and James died. I thought Sirius betrayed us all. The wolf went mad that night…"
"He lost his pack…you lost your friends." She wrapped one of her arms around him as he nodded, suddenly unable to speak. They held a comforting silence and Remus was sure his wife fell asleep again when she spoke. "Remus?"
He turned his head to look at her and smiled gently. "What?"
"I don't know why I want to ask this so much but I do." He raised his eyebrows and waited for her to continue. "It's been sixteen years and I was in a hospital all that time. I suppose I want to ask if you had someone else…" He took a sharp breath and she immediately shook her head. "No, forget it…I'm sorry, it's none of my business."
"No it's alright." He said softly and held her hand inside his palms. "You're forgeting that I'm a werewolf and that you are my mate. I could never have anyone else in my heart and mind." He hesitated for a moment. "But I could have been involved physicly and I admit that I almost have."
"Almost?" She asked and wasn't so sure she wanted to know that answer. "What do you mean?"
He averted his eyes from her face and spoke. "The night Sirius fell I went back to Grimmauld place. I was in such a state of shock I didn't notice her at first. She was injured during the battle and received treatment in St.Mungo's. She saw me sitting there on the sofa and before I knew what was happening she was in my arms." He stopped talking and took a deep breath.
Rose waited in silence, fighting a sense of jealousy that rose inside her. "What made you stop?" She asked quietly.
"That woman is a very good friend and also a metamorphmagus. She told me that she could be anyone I wanted and I found myself telling her what I wanted. I told her to change her hair to brown and her eyes to hazel and within a few moments I found myself looking at you and that's when I broke. I knew it wasn't real and it hurt even more. I told her to change back and then told her the entire story. Not many people knew about you, especialy not those who joined the new order." He stopped talking and looked at her. "Are you angry?"
She shook her hand and frowned a little. "I'm not sure. I can't be angry at you, it's my own bloody fault that I couldn't live without knowing." Remus chuckled for a moment and she smiled. "Can I sleep on it?"
"I am sorry."
"You shouldn't be." She said reaching out for his hand. "We still need to get to know each other all over again.
He nodded and suddenly felt the need to lighten the mood. He felt a smile forming on his lips when his hands moved to tickle her. "And this is from someone who is laying inside my bed."
"Remus!" She laughed, trying to break away from him. "It's not like we did anything…Merlin, you're impossible." She gave a hard kick under the covers and he groaned loudly, his hands reaching out to his, now injured, stomach.
"I know." He mumbled and reached out for her. "We shouldn't rush into things." But despite his words, his body thought exactly the opposite and he sighed when she snuggled closer. His eyes grew heavy once more as he burried his nose deep into her hair, inhaling the scent he missed so much.
"Remus…" Rose whispered and he nodded his head. "Do you remember you once said you knew the sex of our baby…do you remember?"
He hesitated for a moment. "You want to know?" She nodded and he tightened his arms around her. "The wolf in me sensed a female. A girl."
Then. September 1980.
He was pulled out from his unnatural sleep by a joined Ennervatespell that woke him up instantly but left him dazed and unfocused. He was almost positive that the bed he was lying on and the room he saw was not his own but he wasn't sure. He was also positive he swallowed a potion containing about 80% silver, right? so, what in Merlin name are James and Sirius doing here?
Agh…couldn't he die peacefully?
"Remus? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Sirius." He managed to whisper, eyes closing against the bright light. "Headache…" He mumbled.
"Yes, Remus, it suits you after drinking three bottles of fire whiskey." James smiled and Sirius handed him a glass of cold water.
"We always knew you had it in you, Moony, I pass out after one bottle."
Remus smiled and cringed. "I drank a potion." He said slowly.
"Actually, you didn't. You passed out before you had a chance." James said and handed him a piece of parchment.
"You should read it." Sirius said and walked towards the door. James followed, leaving him alone in the room.
And now he was here, in one of the most horrible departments St.Mungo had: the 'Irreversable jinxs' department and he stared at the door that was marked 'Critical condition'.
Breathing deeply, he entered the ward and was greeted with the horrible scent of illness and the sound of screaming from one of the rooms. He tried hard to prepare himself but it seemed that he could never do that. He moved towards the reception desk, his legs shaking and his breathing ragged.
"May I help you?" A large nurse asked, eyeing him with suspicion. He swallowed hard and forced himself to look at her.
"I'm here to see Rose Lupin." He said.
"That's good for you." The nurse nodded. "But I'm afraid only relatives can visit the patients."
"I'm her husband." He said quietly and reached inside his robes to find they're marriage liscence. The nurse examined the parchment for what seemed like and eternity before nodding her head.
"Took you long enough…" She mumbled under her breath and Remus lowered his gaze. He was ashamed with himself. His wife was here for over a week and he was busy feeling sorry for himself. He was busy listening to the voices in his head that only grew stronger after he returned from Azkaban.
The nurse cleared her throat and he looked at her with surprise, he forgot all about her. " You may enter, Mr. Lupin, but before parhaps you should hear about your wife's condition."
Remus nodded his head, his mouth dry.
Today.
"I honestly don't understand. I mean, with everything that's happening now, how could they let you run around Hogsmeade like that? Can Dumbledore affored it? What if something happens?"
"Hermione…"
"It's irresponsible…"
"Hermione…"
"Not to mention…
"Hermione!" Harry shouted and waved his hand infront of her eyes. "Stop that, will you? There are order members here, I noticed at least three of them already." Actually he wasn't so sure about that but he needed to calm Hermione before she'll decide to drag him back towards the castle.
It was the week after Valentine day and many new couples hurried towards the small teashop. Harry rolled his eyes and pulled Ron and Hermione after him towards the 'Three Broomsticks'.
"Hang on, guys, I wanna check this new broom." Ron broke towards their left and stood with his mouth open infront of the display window. Hermione rolled her eyes and prepared herself for the quidditch talks that would, no doubt, follow, but Harry only shrugged and continued walking towards the pub.
"You see that blond there?" Harry jerked his head to his right and Hermione nodded. "That's Tonks."
Hermione snorted. "How do you know, Harry? She's blond and tall and we're too far to hear her voice."
"True." Harry nodded. "But she's talking to Remus and his wife and they all look like they known each other for years. Altough," Harry tilted his head a little. "Professor Lupin looks a little embarrassed, don't you think?"
Hermione nodded. "I'm impressed." She smiled.
"Hello there, would you like to try our new bubble gum?" Hermione and Harry jumped backwards and looked at the sales man who seemed to apparate straight to their path. He was wearing a colorfull robe with the Honeyduke symbol on his right arm.
"What kind of bubble gum?" Harry asked and the man offered him a small package.
"It's our latest development. It's a 'never ending flavour bubble gum' or in short NEFBG." The man spoke quickly and the two teenagers laughed. "Yes, the name needs some more working… go ahead and try it, the package comes with a simple spell to increase and preserve the flavour."
"Thank you." Harry said and the man smiled and apparated from sight.
"That was weired." Hermione frowned a little.
"Yeah." Harry nodded. "Want some NEFBG?" He asked with an almost exact impression of the colorfull salesman.
Hermione snorted and took the candy he offered her. The taste was sweet, almost too sweet and Harry frowned a little. "It's not very good, is it?" She asked and he nodded.
Harry closed his eyes when a sense of dizziness took over him. He felt Hermione's hand on his forearm and then felt a strong pull towards the ground as they both fell and dissappeared from sight.
--------------Gods, it's probably the longest it ever took me to write a chapter…it took more then a week and I still don't like it very much. It's pretty much a filler chapter and I don't like those…(I hate writers block…)
I suppose I'll have some more time now that university is pretty much over. I have a new Remus story in my head and I think you could look forward to it in the following two weeks (hopefully)…
Thank you for you wonderfull support, it really kept me going when I was stuck with this one…
Thanx: Xany, WolfScar, Lynne, AngelOf Lily, ChicaBlue18, SarahLupin, Padfoot27, GreenEyes, Caroline Potter, Draknessfallen, Jaxter, Sara…
LunaStar, Prettiest in pink, Deathbycookie15, Mione1, Titou Moony, Winnia, Diosa Alexia, Annikaya, Sibanshee, LadyLupinLover, (thanks I saw the update…), K…
And especially my dancing muse…Amib…