Fact or Fiction?
A/N: This fic has a mind of it's own. Or my muse ran away with me, one of the two. Aurore demanded her own scene, which I had not originally planned, but there's more in store for our favorite werewolf and metamorphmagus yet. Thanks everyone for the reviews! By the way, no Remus/Sirius implied on my part. Reviewer Responses at the end.
Bright fear in her liquid hazel eyes, Aurore ran as fast as she could. She was almost there, her refuge, her haven. The quiet, ancient house provided her with a sense of security. It was abandoned; she could go and disappear into her own little world and no one would disturb her.
It wouldn't matter then whether or not she could perform a simple spell. It wouldn't matter that she didn't have a friend in the world, or that her brother, who was supposed to watch out for her, was leaving her defenseless more and more often. Even if her father only threatened or berated or criticized or laughed at her. Even if it had never truly come to a physical blow, though his anger was a great and terrible thing, she felt every bit as miserable and tortured. She didn't belong, and she knew it, so why didn't they let her go? Every passing day served as a reminder that she was a burden, a failure, or in some way unclean because of a fate sealed at birth. Aurore wished with all her heart she could be a normal witch.
The fairy tales were her escape. They offered a glimpse of a perfect life, noble people, and wonderful adventures. Aurore had never had an adventure worth its while. Not like those beautiful people that came to life on the pages and meant more to her than anyone flesh and blood. Except her brother...and lately, even he was drifting away. He spent more and more of his time in secrecy, claiming he needed his space and she couldn't expect to be a tagalong forever, could she? Alain had been her savior, her hero, whom she could always turn to. But now the hero was falling prey to his own demons, and these were not so easily disposed of as the ones from the books.
It was funny how she turned to magic, when her lack of it seemed to be the source of everything that went wrong in her life. Why would these Muggle misrepresentations fascinate her so? Aurore didn't know. Didn't care. It helped, so did it matter beyond that?
Reaching the front door, chest heaving from the exertion of running as fast as her short legs could carry her, she abandoned any pretense of caution or consideration and tore up the stairs to her precious stories. Letting the book fall open as soon as she had snatched it off the shelf, it opened randomly to Snow White.
Mirror, Mirror on the wall...
She'd read this one before, but it made no difference. She kept reading. Beauty and the Beast, Jack and the Beanstock, Sleeping Beauty…She like the last one especially. It was so easy to just pretend. Aurore, Aurora…just one little letter of difference, and it was a whole world apart.
Giggling rather loudly in pure delight as two of "Briar Rose's" guardians argued over the color of her dress, that was to be her birthday gift, and colored sparks flew everywhere. In fact, Aurore was so absorbed that for several minutes she failed to notice the odd hissing sounds coming from downstairs.
Not again! This was her private hideout. No one else was allowed. Why would anyone bother with such a run-down place anyway? It was stupid, really, and she was just about to tell them so, too, in that endearingly naïve and direct manner of a child. Closing her book in irritation, she placed it carefully back on the shelf, making sure no pages tore or came loose.
Creeping quietly down the stairs, she covered her ears as the hideous sound intensified. That didn't help, though. The hissing wormed its way through her filtered hearing anyway, to drive her mad. For one horrifying moment she thought her ears where actually bleeding, but then she realized her panicked imagination was running away with her. "Stop!" she was about to scream out loud. All protests died in her throat, however, at the sight that greeted her when she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Well, well, what have we here?" issued a tall, middle aged man with long platinum hair. His expression was severe and cold, but a wicked mirth gleamed behind his eyes. She couldn't stand to look at that, which to her simply reeked of sheer evil. How simple right and wrong, good and evil were to someone who had no real experience of either.
"No one you'd care about."
"I'll be the judge of that," the man replied coolly.
"You're trespassing."
"You think you own this place, you filthy little squib?"
She chose to ignore the comment. It was almost a habit, from all her practice. Everything she didn't want to hear just slid in one ear and out the other without processing. It was so easy, in fact, that she didn't even stop to think how he could have known that. "What's the hissing?"
He smiled, a gesture surprisingly devoid of any real emotion. "Why don't you come take a look…" And he pointed to the mirror hanging on the wall, the red eyes of the twin snakes alight and glowing as if with malicious intention. They moved in an eerily accurate fashion, slithering around the frame as the glass tilted back. The entrance of a tunnel appeared in the shadowy darkness beyond.
"Now, your interference is really beginning to put me behind schedule…and the Dark Lord bears no excuses."
A servant of You-Know-Who? Here! Aurore wheeled about in horror, finally tearing her eyes from the mirror just in time to see the tall, hooded figure remove his wand from the staff he had been carrying. His merciless blue eyes bored into her without pity, a disgusted sneer prominent over the rest of his features. Transfixed by fear, the girl could not bring herself to move, even as the wand was aimed straight for her heart.
In her desperation, one soothing thought reached her. There was no need to be afraid. It was magic, a spell. All that would happen, she told herself, knowing it was a lie but not believing it any less for that fact, is that she would fall into a deep sleep, to be awoken by true love's first kiss. The fear vanished, and it became easier now. In her short life she had learned how to cope. Let the monster do what he will; this is your fairy tale come true.
It was still dark when Lupin opened his eyes. It was somewhere in the early hours of the morning. The moon hadn't even set yet, his sleep-hampered mind registered with dismay. In only twelve hours or so, it would be the full moon. But tonight was going to be even worse than usual. Tonight… Lupin sighed heavily and tossed and turned, to no avail. He didn't even want to think about it. Right now, all he wanted to do was to go back to sleep and forget. But no matter how tired he was, any chance of sleep was gone for the present moment.
Quietly making his way out of his room, he glanced back at the clock. 4:32 glowed in bright letters. It was very unlikely he would encounter anyone else. Lupin didn't feel he'd be the best company now anyway. He paused as he passed Sirius's room, just to be sure he was still sleeping. The soft snores detected by his heightened sense of hearing assured Lupin that was the case. He smiled wryly. What else had he expected?
A sudden wave of nostalgia overtook him. Sirius was the last tie Lupin had to happier days back at Hogwarts. The havoc the four of them had wreaked…it was a thing of the past. Look how we've changed.
The years in Azkaban had changed Sirius. Not broken him, for his spirit was still as strong as ever. But there were subtle things, a glimpse of the gaunt, haggard face, returned for an unexpected instant before slipping away into Sirius's humorous demeanor. Years with those horrid "gaurds" that drained a person of every last hopeful and happy thought would leave a lasting impression on anyone.
In fact, Lupin thought Sirius had nearly moved on, now that Harry had come into his life. Harry, whom Sirius seemed to think was James resurrected. If that was what Padfoot required to heal, he would not interfere. Neither would he encourage. It was dangerous, to lie to yourself that way. Harry was not his father.
He could not help thinking that a few of Lily's traits had been bestowed to the boy as well. It wasn't just her eyes, though it had been quite painful for Lupin to look into Harry's emerald gaze the first time on the Hogwarts express. It was so many other little things. I can hear Voldemort murdering my parents.
Lupin tried to steer his thoughts away. The lapses into self-pity frequently seemed to occur in correspondence with the full moon. In that one night he had lost so much. Lily and James, both gone, both dead. Thinking Sirius responsible for years beyond count, when all along it had been Peter.
Peter, still alive, but swayed to Voldemort's side. Lupin couldn't deny what had happened. Peter had betrayed their trust and sold their secrets. For what cost? To live, but in constant regret? Or were there no regrets? Lupin liked to think, for the sake of the childhood friend he had known, that Peter was trapped. Manipulated into the betrayal and trapped now, for one does not defy Voldemort once swearing service to him and expect to live.
The peaceful quiet of the morning had the patience for this debate, though Lupin was praying for some sort of distraction. Where was that hopelessly blurred line between fact and fiction, if it was even possible to be found? He'd been living with lies and half-truths, wishful thinking, dreams. It was all a jumbled mess of feelings and memories that his mind became determined to sort out once and for all every time he was left alone with these thoughts.
A flutter of movement in his peripheral vision gave him sufficient excuse to push away all the unwanted memories. A blissful, burden-free moment of content descended upon him. Picking up the pace but still treading lightly to not disturb others' slumber, Lupin attempted to discern with whom else he shared the gentle tranquility of pre-dawn.
A crashing noise and muffled curse provided him with a fair guess. "Nymphadora?"
"Tonks!" came the loud whisper from the other end of the hallway. He smiled but did not make the correction.
"I thought it might be you," Lupin murmured, more to himself than to her. "Though I can't imagine what you're doing up at this time."
"Couldn't sleep." Her hair was short, spiky and pink, as he had seen it before. It was the most recurring appearance she presented. Her pyjamas were a deep burgundy and pink, that went surprisingly well. The shade didn't clash.
Tonks' eyelids were heavy with sleepiness, and she stretched, yawning widely. He suddenly felt awkward in her presence. The last time he had seen her, she had been so vulnerable, revealing one of her deepest insecurities to him. Now, their next encounter, he was feeling rather vulnerable.
She must have noticed his tension under that careful guardedness, because she inquired with a lazily raised eyebrow, "Are you alright?" Her eyes quickly shifted to one of the windows and a heart gave a small pang as he knew her pale blue gaze sought the moon.
"I will b—"
"Now you give me a straight answer, Remus," she said sternly, her tone belied by an impish smile.
"Let me make some tea," he offered. "We'll be less likely to wake anyone if we continue our conversation in the kitchen."
Tonks narrowed her eyes as if suspecting a ruse to continue evading a proper response, but agreed and followed him down the stairs. She wasn't much of a morning person, but once she had woken up fully she was alright. The first glimmerings of false dawn gave the stairway a subtle glow as they descended it. A glow she might have thought eerie if she was alone, she mused, but found curiously soothing with Lupin's presence.
She sat in silence at the table as he made the tea, waiting for him to decide when he would share. Subconsciously, she began a habitual motion of her leg, an impatient tap, tap, tap of her foot against the floor that had formed in her school days. Long hours, sitting all day, with her attention wandering and her restless energy pent up.
The tea kettle had barely begun to whistle when Lupin snatched it off the stove. He was silent for a moment, well, even more silent than he had been, perhaps even holding his breath. He turned one ear towards the door. Apparently satisfied, Lupin poured the tea. Just when Tonks had given up on a response, he stated very directly, in a low, flat voice, "There's an eclipse tonight."
She frowned. The words that came to her sounded as clumsy as she was on her feet. "What…What does that mean, for you?"
An odd, twisted smile settled on his lips. There was a frightening bitterness behind it. "Though I will not transform during it, the duration of the eclipse is the hardest part. The wolf is still there, lurking beneath the surface and trying to fight its way out. It is merely left without that option. I must fight the wolf's instincts while still in my own body."
"The potion…?"
His voice was grim. "The effects of the eclipse will practically override it."
"Is there anything I—"
"Don't stay here tonight. It's not safe for anyone."
"Remus, you don't scare me." He searched her eyes for a moment, as if testing the truth of her words. The shining blue orbs held no flicker of dishonesty, no waver of doubt. He bit his lip and looked away. Those simple words had broken past barriers of self defense long ago constructed to keep people from getting to close. If they got to close, if he cared too much, he would be that much more devastated if he hurt them, or they harbored some racist sentiments that they could not purge despite his kindness and caring.
He swallowed hard.
She smiled then, as she rose, and the radiant warmth of it touched him. Lupin expected her to leave, despite her words. What could she possibly see in him, more than ten years older than her and…
And she didn't leave. "It'll still be awhile before the sun rises. I don't know about you but I'm not any sleepier than I was." Tonks regarded him thoughtfully. "You wouldn't…happen to know how to play cards, would you?"
Lupin chuckled briefly, brushing the hair from his eyes. There was amusement sparkling in his amber eyes and his tension had evaporated instantaneously. "Yes. My mother was muggle-born." Her eyes lit and she rushed to get a deck of cards. He couldn't help but notice that she didn't trip once despite her careless haste. "What do you want to play?" he asked when she had returned.
"Hmm…how about Egyptian Ratscrew?"
He raised an eyebrow, but otherwise his expression remained blank. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one."
She grinned evilly. "I suppose I'll just have to teach it to you then."
A/N: I don't know what year OotP is supposed to take place in, therefore I don't know if there was actually an eclipse in the fall. Bear with me, it's creative lisence. Longer chapter that time, hope you all enjoyed it. Don't forget to review! It motivates me. See the small purple button in the corner? hint hint
Reviewer Responses:
DuckGoddess: Thank you, hope you like the developments since the first chapter! I think you were my very first reviewer for this story :D. And I'm glad you thought Chapter 3 was sweet. I was hoping to convey that without being too cheesy.
slightly so: I plan to continue; thanks so much for the encouragement!
Santiva Potter: Glad you are interested. Hopefully you will continue to read and like the story.
Fleep:I can't stay away from Lupin/Tonks either! I know there are some really great fics out there and only hope I can measure up in some small way.
Alli-Baby: I want to write and see their relationship grow, because so many fics start off where they're already in love or their just realizing it, but not many (at least that I've read) tell how they get to know each other. Thank you so much for your continued reviews, I really appreciate it! You have no idea how much it means when someone says they love the fic!
TrinityDD: Lupin'll be okay. I don't want anything bad to happen to him either. hugs him and doesn't let go Thanks for reviewing, you've really helped encourage me to update faster.
SammyBlack80: You're a little closer to discovering what is really in the house. What do you think of Aurore so far?
Radiant: I want to be able to explore how they get to know each other any why they are so perfect together. I read so many fics where they're already in love that I finally decided to take it into my own hands and see if I could portray the beginnings of their relationship. I'm so happy other people like this idea too.
Snail-sama: :D right back atcha
Lilactorgirl:Well, that was part of Aurore's story, more to come. Hope you liked it, even if it wasn't what you were expecting.
Elf771: I do to, there's a different feel to those friendship moments that are just as moving and even more so sometimes…lol that did sound a little like Luna. Hope you'll continue to read!
It's rather late…forgive me if I forgot anyone because I truly appreciate each and every review!
