Lupin's Little Dark One
A/N: Now, I bet you're all thinking I'm crazy, well you're right.
Last Time:
"You certainly can't do anything with either of them Albus. We need them both here." Poppy said, finally gaining words and mending Severus's cuts and bruises from Ron.
"No more private visits with her then." Snape said. "Let Ronald stay at her side constantly. Move the Hockey Club into the Apprentice Dorms, it would be so much easier that way."
Chapter Twenty: Love and Hockey
In a week, Kieran and Remus were discharged from the hospital wing. Kieran was now accompanied by Ron everywhere but the bathroom and bed. The ten members of the hockey club; Hannah, Ginny, Cho, Padma, and Kieran, and Harry, Ron, Justin, Draco, and Neville, moved into the old apprentice dorms, and each were given a private bedroom. Apprentices were of course, the young men and women training to replace the professors, so there was a vast library in the common room there, and Hermione, Justin, Padma, and Draco could often be found curled up with one of those books. Harry, Ron, and Neville spent time playing games, like wizards chess and exploding snap. Cho and Ginny spent time reading fashion magazines and gossiping. Kieran spent her time looking out at the frozen over lake, longing to go out and skate. The professors of the hockey club, minus Snape, made frequent visits, Remus more so than any other, sad to see that every time he came during the day, Kieran was staring out the window. Classes resumed after a short pause, because of Remus's return, and Kieran enveloped herself in her studies, easily coming back up to her normal standards and soon surpassing them. One Saturday in February, the group of ten sat around, having nothing to do.
"I have the best idea, let's wrangle up people at lunch, and invite them to play hockey!" Kieran said, smiling. She had once described to them what hockey was. A few of them nodded. It was a good idea, so on the way to lunch, they went to the Headmaster's and asked him for his approval.
"I think it would be a grand idea." Dumbledore said, and they all went to the Great Hall. Dumbledore stood at the front of the Hall, commanding attention. "Today, after lunch, the hockey club will be having a hockey game, and wishes to extend invitations to the entire school, professors included. I myself will be the referee." Kieran smiled, she hadn't been on the ice in quite a while.
After lunch, Kieran took the hockey club back up to their dorms and conjured them all sticks and skates and got her own, as well as her hockey jersey and such and they went out to the lake to get ready for the game. The turnout was amazing, the ten of them, ten from Gryffindor, eight from Hufflepuff, ten from Ravenclaw, and six of Slytherin. Professors Lupin, Snape, Hagrid, and Sprout also joined them, Dumbledore was upset that others hadn't shown. Kieran was ecstatic with the forty-eight players.
"We have enough for eight even teams!" She said and began splitting them into teams by size, rather than house. "It can be like a tournament!" Sure enough, the teams turned out fair and Dumbledore called the first two teams of six onto the ice. Team A as the one was called, consisted of Snape, Harry, Justin, Hermione, Pansy Parkinson, and Susan Bones. Team B was Kieran, Hannah, Pavarti Patil, Neville, Blaise Zambini, and Colin Creevy. So the games began, at dinner time, as the sun was going down, eight teams had been reduced to four, and it was decided that they would all meet again next week. Kieran was laughing and happy as she walked back up to the school with Ron.
"I didn't know you could sweat playing a sport on ice." Ron said, wiping sweat from his face.
"Sweating is part of the experience Ron. It's not fun if you don't sweat." Kieran said softly, leaning into him, smiling. He put his arm around her waist.
"Well, you are the expert, so I'll take your word." He said, and he kissed the top of her head.
"Want to skip dinner and grab showers before our dorm mates?"
"Are you kidding, I'm starved!"
"You're absolutely no fun, we could be so sneaky! Then I heard Draco talking about the kitchens, that we could get in there, and we could sneak to the kitchen and get some food and head up to the astronomy tower and have dinner, just us."
"Like a date?"
"Yea, it would be so awesome!"
"All right, besides, I haven't had a chance alone with you to give you your real Christmas gift." Ron said softly.
"I told you, you didn't need to get me anything."
"You got me this awesome necklace. I got you something already, we just didn't get a chance." Ron hugged her round the middle. She stopped him and ran her hand up his chest and fingered the dragon pendant, which with her touch began to glow red. She smirked. The pendant showed the true feeling for you the one that touched it had, red was love, blue was friendship, black was hate, white was anger, purple was sadness, and green was envy. It always glowed red when she touched it.
"Can we keep the public displays of affection to a minimum Miss Lupin and Mr. Weasley?" Snape said, speeding past them, his robes billowing. Kieran stared after him. Ron wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled into her neck.
"Kieran, don't worry about him. He tricked you and he's mad he got caught. It had nothing to do with you." Ron said into her hair. She smiled.
"I know, but I worry about him, as stupid as it sounds, he and I are in the same boat. He does it too. That's why he knew the spell to heal me."
"Well, he's always been confused love, and he'll never have as much love as you do."
"That's what's sad about it."
"Oh, stop, let's get up to the dorms." He smiled and opened the door and led her up to their common room and they each took separate showers and put something clean on. Ron put a classic Weasley sweater on, and a pair of jeans, Kieran sported a pair of jeans and and black cami tank. He smirked as she came down the stairs and hugged him. He lifted her chin up and trapped her lips in a kiss. "Valentine's is next weekend you know. So much for the Hockey Tournament eh?"
"Awe, really, no one's going to show up! We should go skating, just you and me."
"I was thinking of something better, like a day out at Hogsmeade."
"But Everyone will be there!"
"Exactly."
"I hate crowds, no one's going to skate, I mean, first years are too scared of the lake creature, second years will be too afraid of you, and everyone else will be away!"
"Do I really scare second years?"
"Ron, you're 6'3", a sixth year, and you are the Quidditch keeper! They're scared you'll beat them up." She giggled. "Only you couldn't hurt a fly. Unless it was a death eater fly." He chuckled and kissed her again, softly biting her bottom lip. She smiled and pulled away slowly. Draco and Hermione came in and looked at the two, silently, hoping not to be noticed.
"I'd kill anyone for you." Ron said. He kissed her again quickly and pulled away to look at her, playing with her wet hair. "I don't know how I ever made it this far without you. You complete me Kieran Marie."
"Oh, Ron." Kieran breathed.
"I know we're young, especially you, and that it's really soon to be asking, but, after school, will you marry me?" Ron got down on one knee. Kieran stared at him speechless.
"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed. "You're talking crazy! Who knows if the two of you will even make it through the war, much less be in love afterwards." Draco looked at Hermione, hurt in a sense. Kieran and Ron just stared at her, in shock.
Kieran ran into her room and slammed the door, locking it. She sat on her bed, trying to catch her breath and her mind, which was buzzing with thoughts. Sure, she cared for Ron, more than anything, but Hermione had a point, they're young to be making permanent decisions. Not to mention two people had just seen one of the most intimate moments she and Ron had shared. To top it all off, here she was, having just turned sixteen on Halloween, and she'd been proposed to by a man she met in September, it was February, she'd only known him a mere five months, but he hadn't done more than kissed her, he was taking it slow, and she cared for him even more for that. Love. That's what Hermione had said. They were in love. Kieran scarcely believed in love, she had thought she was in love once, and since then she was never sure what she was feeling. Was this love? Kieran knew one person she could trust to ask, Severus. How could she get to him alone?