Complicated

By Neurotica

Six

For at least a month, ever since the Muggle fair where Sirius had dueled with Lucius Malfoy, he and his Aurors had worked tirelessly in an attempt to locate the runaway Death Eater. Unfortunately, they were no closer than they had been before Sirius had sighted him.

Magical Forensics had gone to the scene in the middle of the night to avoid being seen by Muggles, but all they discovered was that Malfoy had Disapparated. They should have been able to detect where he'd gone, but it seemed Malfoy had covered his tracks very well. The Head Auror had even gone to Malfoy Manor to question his cousin Narcissa about her husband's whereabouts, but she was no help; the only things Sirius got from his trips there were a few new insults and a pair of sore eyeballs from rolling them far too much.

Sirius' long days at the Ministry tired him immensely, but he always found a spurt of new energy upon returning home, when his godson and daughter would run into the room to give him overenthusiastic welcomes. The pair were more and more often accompanied by little Neenie Granger, because Remus had started inviting Danger and Hermione over to the cottage every chance he could. He'd even talked Sirius into having the Granger house connected to the Floo Network – "for their own safety, of course," Remus had insisted. "You know, if they need help in a hurry, they can contact us…" Sirius had only grinned slyly at his best friend and said he'd do what he could to get their fireplace connected.

During Danger and Hermione's visits, Remus and Aletha had taken it upon themselves to begin teaching Danger magical theory and spells and such. By the end of the month, if she was up to it, Remus wanted to take Danger to Diagon Alley to get her a wand of her own. "Every witch or wizard needs a wand," Remus told her. "Whether it be for defense or household spells, or hexing your best friend – which is personally my favorite use for my wand."

Danger giggled. "Household spells?" she asked, looking over at Aletha.

"Oh, you know, doing dishes, making the bed, cleaning up a mess… very handy when you've got a child around." Aletha smiled. "I'm sure Neenie makes as many messes as these two."

Danger shook her head. "How did I ever get along without magic?"

Remus smiled. "Well, I'm sure it's quite easy when you don't know you can do magic, but once you cast your first spell with your own wand, you'll feel like a whole new person."

"I've felt like a whole new person for months now," she responded. Since I met you in the park, she added silently. She saw Remus' brow furrow in either thought or surprise, she wasn't sure which, and when he looked at her next, she swore he was blushing.

Aletha heard Harry, Meghan, and Hermione cheer in the kitchen followed by Sirius' bark-like laughter. "That's never a good thing," she said lightly to Danger. "Excuse me."

Remus glanced at Danger out of the corner of his eye and reached over to the table to pick up his copy of Standard Book of Spells, Grade Two. During their lessons, Danger had been using Aletha's wand, since they'd discovered she got better results with the other witch's than Remus'. As much as Remus liked Aletha, he found himself strangely annoyed and a little jealous about the discovery. He had to remind himself what he'd been told at age eleven by the wand-maker Ollivander in Diagon Alley: "The wand chooses the wizard." Well, that didn't mean he couldn't be a little upset that Danger reacted better to Aletha's wand than his…

"Can I tell you something, Remus?" Danger asked hesitantly.

Remus snapped his head up from his book, fighting down the blush creeping up his neck, and cleared his throat. "Of course," he said, closing the book and setting it aside.

Danger bit her lip. "You know how I told you I had dreams about you, Sirius, and Letha being magical, and about Harry and his parents?" Remus nodded. "Well, there was a lot more to my dreams than just that…"

Remus nodded slowly. "I thought as much," he said quietly, hoping this wasn't going where he thought it was. "Go on…"

Danger took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, I'd have flashes of images all jumbled together, of what I assume was your and Sirius' childhoods, when you were at school. Some of them were of you as teens, and of a boy who looked a lot like an older Harry, and a fourth one, kind of mousy. But a lot of them showed a very bright full moon, and four animals running across a lawn, playing together as though it was the most normal thing in the world."

Remus felt his heart sinking. She knew what he was, and soon she would tell him that he was far too dangerous for him to be associated with her and her sister, who he'd grown quite fond of over the last few weeks.

"The weirdest thing about the animals was that in the wild, you'd never see these types together, unless it was a predator-prey situation." She closed her eyes as though thinking back to the images. "There was a big black dog, a rat with a bald tail, a dark-colored stag with huge antlers, and… the handsomest wolf I've ever seen in my life."

Remus' jaw fell open. He couldn't help it. She couldn't have just said what he thought she had. His wolf form had never been described as handsome by anybody, save one person who was no longer in his life. And Naomi never should have seen me in the first place, he thought distantly.

Danger continued. "I always paid more attention to the wolf than to any of the others. His fur was light brown with a few gray specks here and there. Like your hair. And his eyes… they were this most gorgeous blue. Like yours."

Remus felt his heart pounding.

"The wolf was you, wasn't it?"

It hadn't been a question really, more of a statement of fact. Normally, Remus would have denied anything of the sort, but something told him that Danger wouldn't be fooled by his attempts. He nodded. "Yes, it's me."

"And the others?"

"Sirius is the dog, Harry's father, James, was the stag, and the rat was Wormtail, the one who betrayed us," Remus rattled off automatically.

She nodded. "That seems to fit. But you really are… beautiful… as a wolf. Did you know that?"

Remus gulped surreptitiously. Did she think he could turn into a regular wolf? Aletha had told her about Animagi, but left out the part about her husband and two of his friends becoming such illegally at the age of fifteen. Sure, Danger thought he was handsome now that she believed he was just a regular Animagus, but what would she say if he told her the truth – that he was a vicious, bloodthirsty monster one night a month?

He couldn't take it anymore. He had to tell her. "What do you know about werewolves?" he asked croakily.

She didn't seem the least bit taken aback by the statement. "I know that most of the magical world sees them as horrid beasts, and that they can't get jobs due to ancient prejudice. I know that they can't help being what they are. And I know that there are some who are actually quite decent, and more gentle and kindhearted than a lot of wizards, or Muggles, in the world." She put a hand on his knee. "Remus, I know."

Remus averted his eyes. He felt his heart ripping apart; he would have given anything for her not to. The next sentence was sure to be, And I want to know why you've been lying to me, or And I don't want to know you anymore.

But it wasn't. "I've known since before I met you, just like I knew all those other things about you. I don't think you're the stereotypical werewolf in any way whatsoever. If I may flatter myself, I've always thought I was a good judge of character. If I didn't trust you and like you, do you think I'd bring my little sister over here all the time?"

Remus had had the vague impression that the only reason Danger brought Neenie over was to play with Harry and Meghan. Could I have been wrong…?

"Neenie adores you," she said simply. "That's part of the reason I come over here. She doesn't remember our dad, so she's never had a man in her life." She chuckled. "As wrong as that sounds for a six-year-old. And, if you want the truth, the whole play-date thing with Harry and Meghan, and the magic lessons, are really just excuses for me to justify spending time with you."

Remus snapped his eyes up to look at her. "What?" he said in disbelief. "Why?"

Danger sighed. "I don't suppose you'd believe I like you for your own sake," she said, moving her hand from his knee to take his hand. "Though it's certainly true. But I had another dream, not long after you and I met. I was in a magnificent-looking stone hall, wearing a white gown, on the arm of a man with long silver hair and a beard. We were walking down an aisle between seats to the front, where another man was waiting for me. It was you. I was marrying you."

Remus' mind was moving a mile a minute. This can't be happening…

"The moment I touched your hand, I knew you. I knew all about your life, as if we'd been friends for years. And I knew I wanted to keep learning more about you forever. We exchanged vows, we danced, and I felt more complete than I ever have in my life. And when we kissed…" She sighed again, closing her eyes with an expression of bliss. "Well, all I can say is that if you kiss in real life like you did in that dream… damn."

"I had the same dream," Remus heard himself say hoarsely. "I held your hands and I knew everything there was to know about you – like a Muggle movie set on fast forward…"

"Amazing, wasn't it?"

"Quite." He looked into her warm brown eyes and saw no rejection there, no hatred or fear, only friendship and – could there be something more?

This'll be a good time to lean in for a kiss, mate, said that sly voice that wouldn't leave him alone. Find out if there is...

Remus started to obey the voice, and Danger looked more than happy to cooperate. They were no more than six inches from each other when three voices somewhere in the background laughed loudly, a fourth yelped, and a fifth said, "That ought to teach you."

Danger and Remus jerked away from each other, avoiding one another's eyes, blushes creeping up on both of their faces. Remus was getting quite sick of his tendency to blush…

Aletha came back into the room, sniggering, not noticing the looks on her friends' faces. "Just so you know, Remus, Sirius will not be riding a broomstick anytime in the very near future."

Remus cleared his throat, not looking at anything in the room but his feet. "What'd he do this time?" he asked, quite annoyed at the hoarseness of his voice.

While Aletha described how her husband had very intelligently decided to float the children near the ceiling, Remus thought about what had nearly just happened. He'd been so close to kissing Danger and finding out if what his dream told him was true – that she too was an incredible kisser. But there had been more at stake than just a kiss. There was a very good chance that a relationship could have formed right at that moment, and that scared Remus more than a kiss ever could.

He hadn't even thought about being in a romantic relationship with a woman for nearly six years, not since the love of his life had left him the way she had. His heart was still broken over what had happened with Naomi, and he'd always believed that the end of their engagement had meant he was doomed to spend his life without love. He'd even started to convince himself that he didn't deserve love – he'd had a wonderful woman for five glorious years, and for some reason, she decided it was better to join the Death Eaters than to spend her life with him.

But what if he told Danger he couldn't be with her and years later found out that it'd been the biggest mistake of his life? She could be exactly what he needed to make his life whole again. Sure, he had Sirius and Harry, and they were very important parts of his life, but now that Aletha was back, Sirius would be spending less time pranking Remus and more time with her. Did he really want to live his life watching from the sidelines as his best friend enjoyed love?

No, said his own voice in his head. You need Danger. Mentally, he raised an eyebrow at the statement. After that wedding dream, didn't you feel the emptiness in your heart? She could help fill that… And her sister… That little girl does adore you, you know. Wasn't Danger saying not too long ago that Neenie never warmed up to anyone the way she has you, Sirius, and Letha?

The emptiness was from Naomi, he argued with himself. From when she left me. It's nothing to do with any dream…

But he knew he was lying to himself. Just as he had for years when he told himself he didn't deserve to have love in his life again. Or friendship. He'd been wrong about that one – why not this?

"Moony?" said a voice behind him. Remus snapped his head up and looked around to find Sirius looking at him oddly. "You all right? You've been sitting there for about an hour…"

Remus blinked and looked out the window where the sun was starting to set. "Sorry," he said quietly. "Lost in my thoughts again. Where is everyone?"

"The kids have settled down with Letha and Danger to read some book or other," the Auror said. "Dinner's on the stove; it'll be done soon…"

Remus nodded. "Okay."

Sirius started to leave the room, but stopped, turning to raise an eyebrow at his best friend. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Honestly."

"I don't believe you," Sirius said frankly. "You're never this quiet when Danger and Neenie are over; you're usually laughing and talking and happier than I've seen you since I've been back. What's going on?"

Remus sighed, but he knew he couldn't avoid telling Sirius forever. Sirius Black was, if nothing else, determined, and more so in his pursuit of knowledge than in his pursuit of anything else except trouble. So Remus made sure the children and the women were indeed settled in another room, then pulled his best friend out the front door into the chilly night. Sirius was looking at him oddly again, but that couldn't be helped – by the end of this, he'd be looking at Remus more oddly than he ever had in his life.

Remus told Sirius everything – the dream he'd had, in which he'd come to know everything about Danger; how she'd had dreams with flashes of the Marauders' full moon escapades, how she said she knew what he was and didn't care, how she even thought his wolf form was beautiful; how he'd nearly kissed her before Aletha had walked in on them.

But instead of Sirius bursting out laughing the way Remus had been so sure he would, the Auror grinned at his best friend. "I knew it," he said. "Now you have to kiss her before she goes home, Moony. Doing anything else would be a criminal waste, and I'm obligated to arrest criminals."

It was Remus' turn to look at his best friend oddly. "Have you heard anything I've said?"

"Yes," Sirius said. "You've both had the same dream, and you're both, apparently, very good kissers. Not that I want to find out firsthand or anything; I mean, I love you and all, but definitely not like that…"

Remus rolled his eyes. "And you don't think any of this is a little strange?"

"I don't remember saying that none of this is strange. This whole situation is strange, Remus, but what just happened, or almost happened, with you and Danger is probably the least strange of all of it. Wizard, witch, both over age of consent, mutually attracted…" Sirius wiggled his fingers suggestively. "I assume you know what happens."

Remus rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know, Sirius. I'm still not over Naomi… I don't know if I can be in a relationship right now."

"You'll never know until you try, now will you?" Sirius said wisely. "Look, mate, it's more than obvious you fancy her. What could it hurt to take her out to a nice restaurant or something? If it doesn't work out, okay. But you're not going to be satisfied until you know for sure what could happen."

Remus nodded slowly. He's right. Sirius is right.

Wait a minute. Now I'm going crazy. Sirius is never right. About anything.

But about this, it seems he is...

"Okay, you win," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "I'll ask her on a date. After the full moon. It's not that far away, and you know how utterly useless I am for a few days before and after."

Sirius nodded, satisfied. "Sounds like a plan to me," he said. "Oh, and just so you know, I'm taking Aletha, Meghan, and Harry to Hogwarts that night, so you'll be on your own."

"That's not a problem," Remus said. "I've got my Wolfsbane. Are you going to tell the Weasleys why Harry won't be over this month?"

Sirius shrugged. "Eventually," he said. "I'll talk to Arthur at work tomorrow." He sniffed the air. "Dinner's ready… Come on. Food."

Remus chuckled as his best friend pulled him by the arm into the house for dinner. When they entered the kitchen, the children were already seated, with Aletha filling glasses of water for everyone and Danger setting the last pot on the table. Remus smiled at the brown-haired witch, wondering how he could ever deny himself this chance at happiness.

He helped Harry cut up his roast beef, thinking, This could quite possibly be the best decision I ever made in my life.

AN: Bit of a transition chapter, but I've actually started the next one, and the transition ends here. Thank you to whydoyouneedtoknow (who I'm naming co-author of this story for many differentreasons :wink:) for allthe help andtweakage with this chapter.

This is part one of the Christmas present I've got for my readers and reviewers. Part two will be up shortly! Please review!