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Chapter 11
"You look different, Moony." Sirius said as he and the other Marauders worked on some of their homework in the Gryffindor common room.
It had been two weeks since Remus and Aurora had had their quidditch date. Outside of he and his friends hijinks, it had been the some of his best times at Hogwarts. Secret looks during lessons, stolen kisses in empty classrooms, long talks about nothing, yet everything.
She was the first thing he thought about when he woke and the last thing he saw before he went to sleep. Even then, most nights would find her invading his dreams too. He knew, deep down, that this was no passing crush.
"HEY! REMUS!" Sirius yelled as he waved a hand in front of Remus's dazed eyes.
"What?" Remus asked defensively.
"I said you look different lately." Sirius repeated.
"How do you mean?" Remus asked.
"You look...happy." James said.
"Do I?"
"It's absolutely disgusting." Sirius ribbed.
"I suppose it's because I am happy. For one of the first times ever." Remus admitted.
"Why are you suddenly so happy?" Peter asked cluelessly.
"Are you really that thick, Wormtail?" Sirius chortled as Peter blushed hotly.
"It's because of his girlfriend, Peter." James explained patiently.
Remus opened his mouth to argue but it seemed pointless to lie to his friends.
"I can't believe she likes me. Just as I am." Remus said.
"You've told her about your...er problem." Sirius asked in surprise.
Remus moved his eyes away guiltily and muttered no.
"Moony, you better get on with it. Women get mad when you lie to them. So the longer you put it off the worse it's going to be."
"I know, Prongs. I know."
"Well then what are you waiting for?" Sirius inquired.
He let the thought that he had been pushing away for a week come to the forefront of his mind and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"What if..." Remus swallowed hard. "What if she won't accept me?"
"You don't need that! She's just a shallow bitch. You move on and do better." Peter said, apparently thinking this was a helpful remark.
Remus gave him a dirty look as he spoke angrily.
"Don't call her that. She's not a bitch. And she's not shallow either."
"Listen, Remus." James said smoothly, trying to divert an argument. "Full moon is a week away. You should tell her before you go."
"Yeah." Remus replied tonelessly.
"You need to stop assuming the worst in people. We stuck by you, didn't we?" Sirius said.
"Yes you did. Thanks Padfoot." He said feeling a bit better.
"Ok, change of topic. I'm tired of talking about me." He added and leaned back to listen to the chatter that turned to broomsticks.
Aurora watched Remus the following night from her perch on the ground as he pressed his eye to the telescope. His thoughts were clearly somewhere else, his body was rigid and he had yet to meet her gaze all evening.
In fact he might as well have been there alone for all the attention he was paying her.
"Remus?" She asked tentatively.
"Yeah?" Came his curt reply.
"Umm. Are you alright? You seem a little preoccupied." She went on cautiously.
"Fine." Remus said succinctly.
Remus was so distracted with his own nerves he didn't even notice her eyes shining suddenly much brighter or the bite to her lower lip as she focused her attention on the ground.
He had decided that he was going to tell her tonight. If he wanted to take their relationship any further he would have to quit lying to her.
After another thirty minutes of silence he finally spoke up.
"What do you think of half humans?" He asked quickly, trying his best to sound normal.
"Pardon?" She said, clearly not expecting the sudden conversation.
"Half humans. Like Centaurs and half giants, that kind of thing. What do you think of them?" He clarified nonchalantly.
"Erm.." She began. What in the world brought this up, she wondered. Oh well, at least he's talking.
"I don't know. I've never met either of them." She said honestly.
"Surely you have some kind of opinion."
"You can't judge what you don't know. Not accurately anyway. All you would have to go off was stereotypes." She said quietly, realizing he was hanging onto every word she said.
"And you don't think stereotypes are accurate?" He debated.
"Not entirely. I think a lot of information is from individuals are uninformed and judgmental. Or scared." Aurora said.
"Scared of what?"
"Of what they don't know or understand." She explained.
"So you have no problem with half humans." He said with resolve, his heart feeling a little lighter.
"None. They're not bothering me. They're not making my life more difficult. I don't see one around attacking me."
Remus fell silent and stared back up at the moon overhead. Wishing it wasn't approaching fullness.
"What are your thoughts on the matter?" Aurora said engagingly after a ten minute silence. Fully aware that this was no meaningless chat.
"The same as yours." He replied honestly.
Another ten minutes past and Aurora finally had to ask the question she'd wanted to since he brought it up.
"Why Remus?"
"Huh?" He asked, not paying attention.
"What brought that up?"
Remus looked at her softly inquisitive face and knew the moment had come. She had just assured him of everything he was timid about but still he hesitated.
"Aurora, I need to tell you something. Very important." He said quickly before he lost his nerve.
"What is it?" She asked soothingly.
Remus opened his mouth but snapped it shut when he heard the crunching of feet treading on the grass heading toward them.
"Remus?" She said.
"Someone is coming." He replied in a hushed tone. And pressed his eye back to the telescope as Aurora picked up the forgotten star chart.
"How's it going you two?" Professor Sinistra said when she emerged into the clearing.
"Just great." They said.
"No questions?" She asked.
The two of them shook their heads no and were bid good night as the professor left them to it.
Aurora waited until Sinistra was out of ear shot before she turned back to Remus.
"Now, what were you going to say?" She asked him.
Remus turned to look at her and realized that no matter how short the interruption was, it was enough for the moment to pass.
"Only that I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier." He said resignedly, kicking himself for acting gutless.
"No problem." Aurora replied, knowing that was not what he was going to say.
"Anytime you want to talk Remus...I'm an excellent listener." She added before bidding him good night and making her way to the castle.
Damn teachers...always interrupting things.