It was pitch black outside. Not a single light shone from inside the village. This didn't feel safe. But than again, what part of the job did? It was such a lovely village, a shame she would have to bring chaos to it. If everything went right, she'd be gone by the time anyone found out. It began to snow, she found that ironic. The sound of footfalls broke her thoughts.
There he was. Standing next an old stone fountain in the middle of the town square. It was getting hard to see her target. The snow was blinding her. She cast a spell on herself so she could see perfectly. She slowly walked up to him and came up behind him. He was a tall dark figure. She couldn't see his face. Only that he had shoulder length dark raven colored hair. She pointed her wand in his back. She knew it was him. She knew what she had to do. She didn't want to. But she did. She preformed a full-body binding spell so he couldn't fight back and she took out her knife and the next thing she remembered was seeing a river of crimson upon the white snow.
Holly shot up from her sleep in a cold sweat. She was breathing hard. Holly put a hand up to her forehead and leaned back against her pillow. She felt like crying, and she did.
"This isn't happening." she whispered to herself. Looking over at her clock it was 3:17 am. Deciding she couldn't go back to sleep, she got out of bed and got dressed. She wandered out to the kitchen and with a shaking hand made herself some coffee.
"Get a grip Holly." she told herself. "It was a dream. Nothing more." she tried to convince herself, but she was doing a poor job. She decided that the best thing to do was start on Remus' room, keep her mind occupied.
She walked down the short hallway and walked into Remus' soon-to-be room. Right now all that was in there was a beaten up old couch, a shabby looking desk and chair set, and two bookshelves stuffed with books.
Holly got out her wand. With a flick of her wrist light filled the room by candles spread throughout.
"That's better" she said smiling.
She fist decided that the cream walls were too bland for her good friend. She said an incantation and the walls became a light blue, matching perfectly with the light wood of the floor. The room now looked cheery, and in Holly's mind that's something Remus needed more of in his life.
Next was the couch. She would not have him sleep on that horrible springy old thing. Holly didn't want his back problem to get worse. She transfigured it into a nice comfy four poster bed, complete with curtains around it. In school she had always received top marks in transfiguration it was the one subject she was better than Lilly at. The bed needed sheets, and a quilt. She was sure she had an extra set her mother had given her. But she'd deal with that later. She needed to clean up this place.
Four hours later she heard a knock at the door.
"Comeonin! Door's unlocked!" she called as she put the final touches on Remus' room. She hoped he liked it.
"I'm glad you up. I was afraid this was too early." Remus said standing in the door watching her put a large quilt on his bed. "You didn't have to do all this." He said almost shyly.
"Yes I did. Trust me. You didn't want to live in what it looked like before. Besides, I've been up sense three so it was no big deal."
"What were you doing up so early?" He said as they began to move his stuff in. He didn't have much. Holly supposed this was because he moved so much.
"Are you hungry? Honestly Remus, you get skinner every time I see you. I'll fix that though." she said changing the subject. She didn't want to talk about her dream, that might lead to another topic she didn't want to discuss.
"Holly what's wrong?" His face was full of concern.
"It's nothing. I just had a nightmare, and I couldn't go back to sleep. Come on, let me make you something to eat."
"Your going to try and make me fat, aren't you." He joked. "Because I've always been like this."
"Yes, we all know. Geez, you've got smaller hips than I do." Holly exaggerated. "Some people have all the luck. Brains and good looks. Remus, your one in a million." she smiled and began to make breakfast.
"You have no idea." he mumbled.
"What was that?" she said from the kitchen.
"Nothing. Now about this dream of yours. What was so horrible about it that you couldn't sleep?" He began to help her cook.
"Look. It's no big deal. It's probably nerves. I start my new job tomorrow." she lied, but Remus didn't say anymore on the subject.
"That reminds me. Um… how much am I going to have to owe you a month? I don't have much, but once I find a new job I swear…" she cut him off. She knew he felt uneasy about all of this. She thought again how someone who graduated at the top of their class, and a prefect, and someone who had great people skills had such a hard time finding a job. And time and time again the only answer she could come up was because he got sick so much.
"Remus. You owe me nothing."
"Holly, be reasonable. I don't…"
"Remus, remember when were 13 and Sirius' cousin was picking on me and you hexed her so she'd leave me alone?" He nodded "Conceder us even."
"Holly, that was what? Eight years ago? I don't see how that possibly…"she came up close to him and put her fingers on his lips. He looked down at her.
"Remus John Lupin, your at the losing end of a battle. Your not going to win this one. All I ask is that you help with the house work, do what you can, and be happy." As he looked into her sparkling eyes he knew this was an argument he'd never win. James was the same way. But she was different, she felt something for him that girls didn't feel about him. She cared about his well being. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
"Thank you." was all he could say.
"Anytime Remus. Besides, I didn't think you'd be too keen on hearing the two love birds in the dead of night." He chuckled that thought had never occurred to him.
"Yeah I don't think I want to wake up to 'Oh James! Oh… Oh!'" he said imitating Lily.
"Watch it buddy that's my cousin." she said truing back to breakfast, giving him a playful look.
"Hey, you're the one who brought it up. Just let me know when you bring a guy home, so I can clear out for the night." he joked.
"Remus! I can't believe you said that!" She was shocked. "Sometimes I think you and Sirius hang out too much. Besides I really don't think you have to worry about that too much. I'm going to be working six days a week. Out side of you and Lily, I don't think I'll have too much of a social life."
They had a wonderful breakfast together. She loved listening to his stories. He had so many of them. All she could do was smile at him.
"What?" he asked when he realized that she was staring at him.
"Nothing. I guess I missed hearing your stories in person."
"Holly. I need to tell you something." He sighed. "I should have told you this along time ago, but I didn't know how to tell you."
"What's going on Remus." But she didn't get his answer. Just then a loud pecking sound came from her window. She went over and let the owl in. She took the note and sat back down.
"That girl just can't seem to get a grip on a schedule the way she used to." Holly muttered.
"Well Lily's been under a large amount of stress. With the wedding, work, and taming James and all."
"Oh, come on, we both know James will do whatever she says. He may protest a bit at first, but we all know it's just an act to get her wild up." they both laughed at their friend. "Remus, do you mind if I leave? Lily moved our day for dress shopping up a week. Are you going to be ok?"
"Yeah. Don't worry about it. Go have fun. I take it your part of the wedding party too?"
"Maid of Honor." she said proudly.
"Ah, so it will be you walking down the isle with Mr. Black."
"I don't know about that Mr. Lupin." she teased winking at him.
"Your a lot more flirtatious than I remember."
"Well, there were very few boys I was interested back in school. Even then I was too afraid to tell them." she didn't look at him directly. She couldn't tell if she still had those feeling for him or not. "Well, anyhow, I'll be back as soon as I can. I have no idea if she's picked out anything yet, so this could take awhile."
"Well, I'll be right here waiting for you to come back."
"Your sweet. I'll see you later." she kissed him on the cheek before apperating to Lily's.
"Lily. If I have to try on one more dress I'm going to scream." Holly said as she came out of the dressing room in a long ice blue dress that was a bit too long for her.
"Admit it, your having fun. Besides, we have to find the perfect dress for my Maid of Honor."
"What about the other girls? Don't they have a say in this?"
"Nope. It's just Lonna. And you know how she is. She's busy planning her own wedding. You two are similar in size so, it'll work." Lilly said examining Holly in the dress. "I don't like the way it hangs on you. The color kind of washes you out too."
"Lily, every color washes me out. Face it, if I was any whiter I'd be transparent." they both laughed.
"I've got it!" Lily said in gusto, as she ran back into the shop and grabbed another dress. "I know this has got to bet the one."
"You've said that for the last two hours." she said playfully.
"Hey, when you get married, I promise you can do this all you want to me."
"I'm holding you too that." Holly said stepping out in the new dress.
"See, I told you. You look so pretty." she said as Holly looked at herself in the mirror. It was emerald green and fell to her ankles. It looked like it was made to fit her exact frame.
"Ok, you win. We done now?" she said like a over tired child. "I start work tomorrow and I need a good night sleep." as she changed back into her jeans and t-shirt and dark blue robes.
"Sure. You just want to go home to Remus."
"No. I mean yes, not in the way your thinking."
"Oh, come on, you were all about him in school, you can't tell me you still don't like him." Lily said teasingly. "Or at least Sirius." Holly looked uncomfortably at her.
"Sirius?" she gulped as they left the store, dresses in hand.
"Yes Sirius. Well at least he likes you."
"How can you be so sure? Sirius likes a lot of girls."
"He came over last night and was ranting to James for an hour about Avrik's unexpected arrival and how he made you upset, and how if he ever saw him again he'd kill him. You know Siri."
"I know. I was wondering why he was being so affectionate lately. You think I should go for it?"
"Defiantly. And if he does anything to hurt you, unlikely as it is, you've not only got James and Remus to get him in line, but you've got me too. I was always handy with charms." Lily said looking at her nails.
"You're the best cousin I have."
"What! What a shocker, I've always thought you liked Petunia more."
"You're a nasty lire Lily Evans-soon-to-be-Potter."
"What do you expect. I'm marring James." the two began to giggle.
"Can I bring up the time you called him…what was it? The biggest bonehead you ever had the displeasure of meeting, at the wedding?"
"You're worse than me."
"Well living abroad will do that to you. Lil' how am I going to find time for Sirius? I mean I work six days a week."
"He'll figure that out. He always does. Let him come to you. Tease him a bit, it'll just make him more determined. You know how he gets. Then finally tell him how you feel, when he's all bothered. Trust me. That's how I did it with James."
"So all those years you were pretending to hate him, you were just toying with that poor boy's emotions?"
"No, I really did hate him. But it's funny how lines get crossed so easily. Go on home. You've got a big day tomorrow."
"Yes mother." she hugged her cousin and popped back home.