AN: Everybody, review and tell me if you like the direction this story is going in. I can change, I swear! Now for a disclaimer. I keep forgetting to put one in. Here goes—
I do not own Harry Potter.
Isn't that astonishing? Oh, and later in this chapter there is mild fluffy romance featuring teenagers. No actual smut. Just kissing. Get your minds out of the gutter, people!
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Lupin looked around slowly. He knew where he was—Hogwarts (big surprise there), but he wasn't really sure when. The castle and the surrounding hills seemed almost ageless sometimes—it was only the people there that changed. A cool breeze rippled across the hilltops. Being insubstantial, Remus couldn't feel it, but he as he watched the treetops wave gently, he felt a beautiful sense of peace wash over him. He really missed being at Hogwarts more than he liked to admit to anyone, including himself.
Having nothing better to do, he decided to explore. There had to be somebody around here, somewhere. This was a memory, after all. He soon spotted someone enjoying the shade of a nearby tree. The Whomping Willow was blissfully absent from the grounds, so Remus concluded this must be before his time at Hogwarts. He carefully examined the girl. She was young—obviously a student, but most likely in her 6th or 7th year. A pair of glasses was perched delicately on her nose, which was buried deep within a book. Her soft brown hair was pulled into a loose bun on the top of her head, and a few loose strands were flowing gently in the breeze. She closed her eyes and leaned gently against the tree truck, sighing softly.
"Minerva?" called a voice, from the other side of the hill.
"MINERVA?" thought Remus in awe. He took a closer look at the girl, noting the shiny Head Girl badge on her robes. He wondered if the lovely, young girl in front of him was still hiding somewhere inside the stern, thin-lipped visage of his former teacher.
"There you are," said a tall, handsome, dark haired boy, was approaching her from behind Remus. "What are you doing out here?"
"Oh, just reading, gathering my thoughts, you know," she said, smiling sheepishly.
"Headmaster Dippet wants to see you," said the boy in a smooth, yet authoritative voice. He held out his hand and pulled Minerva up onto her feet.
"Oh," said Minerva, looking slightly disappointed. "It was nice of you to come and get me." She stared meaningfully into the eyes of the boy in front of her. He looked away, his dark eyes penetrating into the depths of the Forbidden Forest. Remus noticed there was a Head Boy badge glinting on his chest.
"Think nothing of it," he said quietly, and quite possibly literally, Remus mused.
"Eleanor and I are going into Hogsmeade this weekend," she said carefully. "Would you like to come with us?"
"I'm busy this weekend," he said immediately. "Regretfully," he added in an insincere voice, seeing the disappointment on her face.
"Oh, well then, I'll see you later," she said slowly. She followed his gaze to the forest. "What are you looking for?"
"Nothing," he snapped. "Headmaster Dippet is waiting." Minerva turned and walked away, slowly. She paused and turned her head slightly.
"You never let anyone in, Tom," she said, a tinge of sadness in her voice. "What are you afraid of?" The boy, Tom, didn't answer. He met her gaze briefly, but his eyes soon fell to the ground.
Tom…that name sounded familiar. Lupin wracked his brain. Dumbledore had mentioned something to him once—a minor detail. It hadn't seemed that earth-shattering at the time. Tom…Tom…Riddle?! Good God. McGonagall had never related this particular chapter in her life to him; but then again, it wasn't something one would spread around...
A few moments passed in silence. Sighing, Minerva walked away up the hill towards the castle.
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Harry realized he should be panicked, but he was rapidly becoming too exhausted to care very much. He casually explored the scene around him, eventually deciding that he was at the top of the astronomy tower. It was a dark, clear night and everything was completely silent except for the two redheaded teenagers cuddled together on the stone floor, giggling.
"Shh…Filch is going to catch us!" said the girl, playfully swatting away her companion's hand.
"No he's not," insisted the boy sitting next to her. They both looked about seventeen and they were wearing Griffindor robes. They leaned together and began kissing affectionately. Harry gazed off in the opposite direction, feeling rather intrusive. He really wasn't interested in watching strangers snog. After what seemed like a long time, the two teenagers pulled apart. They were lying side by side under a blanket, staring up at the night sky.
"We could have just stayed in the common room, you know," said the girl matter-of-factly. "It's three in the morning, we're quite out of bounds, and we have class tomorrow."
"Yes, but the common room doesn't have a view of all this," the boy said dramatically, gesturing at the starry night sky with a broad, sweeping arm motion. "And since when do you care if you sneak out of bounds once and awhile?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll have you know I didn't get a single detention before I met you," argued the girl.
"I find that hard to believe," said the boy, smirking. "I thought I was talking to the girl who made a living legend of herself by stealing Professor Smythwicke's toupee…"
"They never proved that was me," replied the girl, grinning mischievously. For some reason, Harry was strongly reminded of Ginny. "Besides the trick is not to get caught. Every time I meet you, your poise and grace causes you to knock something over and create such a ruckus that you nearly wake up half the castle."
"I think you're exaggerating," scoffed the boy. He attempted to stand up, but his feet got tangled in the blanket they were sitting under and he toppled over. The girl leaned backwards and rolled around on the ground, laughing uproariously. The boy picked himself up off the ground, his face bright red all the way up to his flaming red hair.
"Stop laughing!" he insisted, smiling himself. He kneeled down and began tickling his girlfriend's stomach in revenge.
"Ah! He he he! Stop that! Stop it!" she shrieked gleefully, between gasps of air. The boy finally relented and they both collapsed back on the ground, giggling. "Arthur Weasley, you are a terror," the girl laughed.
ARTHUR WEASLEY?! Grossgrossgrossgrossgrossgross! Ron's parents?! Snogging?! EW.
"Great, now I'm going to have to gouge my eyes out," sighed Harry. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were snogging again. "Ahh!" yelled Harry, clamping his hand over his eyes. "Stop it!" Naturally, his words echoed uselessly into the night. Then, much to his relief, (though he felt bad for the Weasleys) Filch's voice drifted up from the floor below.
"What's that you hear, my sweet? Students out of bounds…" he cackled.
"That bloody cat…" grumbled Mr. Weasley.
"Come on, Arty, we can sneak down the side staircase," said Mrs. Weasley urgently, grabbing her future husband's hand and pulling him towards the trapdoor.
Arty? Harry suppressed a snicker and followed them as the raced down the stairs. They finally paused, flushed and disheveled, in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Stardust," panted Molly. The Fat Lady, who was busy snoring loudly, was suddenly startled from her sleep with a yelp. Her face was covered in a layer of pale green goop. "Stardust," she repeated in an impatient voice.
"And where were you?" demanded the Fat Lady, peeling what looked like a cucumber off of one of her eyes. She surveyed them through a single, narrowed eye.
"Nowhere," said Arthur in a would-be casual voice.
"And where exactly is 'nowhere'?" hissed the Fat Lady, her voice rising.
"We got lost in the castle," said Molly innocently.
"FOR SEVEN HOURS?!" shrieked the Fat Lady.
"We're very sorry to wake you, it won't happen again," apologized Molly.
"Well…all right," said the Fat Lady. The portrait finally began to open.
"And nice cucumbers," said Arthur, grinning. The portrait slammed shut again. The Fat Lady, apparently already sensitive about being caught in a facemask, exploded with fury.
"HERE I AM TAKING THIS RIDICULOUS JOB, GUARDING A COMMOM ROOM FULL OF UNGRATEFUL CHILDREN WHO WAKE ME UP AT ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN BED! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE IN BED SEVEN HOURS AGO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU'RE DOING! SNEAKING AROUND DOING MERLIN KNOWS WHAT!" she shrieked. Molly winced and elbowed Arthur in the ribs. Arthur shrugged apologetically, also wincing at the high-pitched shrieks. The Fat Lady was still going strong.
"CAN'T I GET ONE DECENT NIGHT'S SLEEP? I NEED MY BEAUTY REST! ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BE ASLEEP RIGHT NOW! RIGHT NOW!" she continued. "WELL? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELVES?!" They stared blankly at her for a moment.
"Stardust?" offered Molly. The Fat Lady, still scowling, opened the portrait. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley climbed in, smiling broadly.
"Do you think she'll tell on us?" asked Mr. Weasley.
"Oh yeah," said Mrs. Weasley. "Enjoy the next few hours, they're going to be the only ones in which you're not trouble for a long, long time….
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