Author's Note: I have a feeling this is the chapter that everyone's been waiting for :) I needed some more time to figure out exactly how I thought this chapter should play out, and it turned out to be quite lengthy. Let me know what you think!

Thank you to everyone who has favorites or followed this story :D I can't believe it has almost 400 followers and is creeping up to 300 favorites! It's awesome!

Review shout-out: EddaValkyrie, haleygur7, Vienna22, and Justforloveknows! Thanks! :)

I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or anything else resembling what J.K Rowling introduced us all to. Just the plot and OC are mine.


Chapter 32

Later that same night, Avalynn found herself pacing in front of the fireplace that the Room of Requirement had created along with a coffee table, couch, and a set of comfy looking over-sized chairs. The witch's nerves were wearing on her as she and James waited for the arrival of Sirius and Remus. It was time to tell her soulmate the truth. She fiddled with her fingers as she wore a hole in the carpet, the sense of dread increasing every moment. What if he doesn't ever forgive me for lying? What if he thinks we're making it all up? Ava froze in place and whipped her gaze to James lounging on the sofa. "What if he doesn't believe us?" she squeaked out.

The wizard rolled his eyes. "Of course he's going to believe us. We're his best friends. We wouldn't mess about with something this serious."

One of her brows inched up as she crossed her arms. "Oh, really? You and Sirius 'wouldn't mess about with something this serious'? How about something as serious as a spell that connects soulmates? Sound like something you'd mess about with?" she hissed.

James's eyes widened slightly and he raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I've already told you, but I'll say it again. I'm sorry. Both of us really are sorry, Ava."

The hurt lacing his voice softened her anger, causing her to sigh. "I know. I'm sorry. I forgave you and Sirius forever ago. I'm just kinda freaking out."

James stood from his seat with a scoff. "You don't say." He walked over to Ava and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Everything's going to be just fine. Moony really likes you, and I mean both the man and the wolf. Just take some deep breaths. You're going to be fine."

Ava nodded while breathing slowly, in and out. In…and out…in…and out, she repeated to herself as she peeked around James to take a look at the door.

He chuckled and stepped away, dropping his hands. "They should be here soon."

She stayed silent, eyes glued to the door while she continued taking slow, calming breaths. He's right. It'll be fine. The door knob jiggled. Ava startled and her fingers dug into James's arm. Nope, nope, nope, I'm not fine. This is not fine. He's going to hate me. He'll never speak to me again.

The door swung open, revealing a grinning Sirius followed by Remus, whose wide eyes were darting all over the room. "What the hell?" the werewolf asked.

Sirius laughed. "I told you, mate. It's a secret room that Ava…found." He must've seen the worry in her eyes because his smile vanished. "Hey, Moony, why don't we sit and have our chat with Ava and James and then we can talk about the Room?"

Remus stopped his inspection of the Room and connected eyes with Ava before walking over to her.

She released James and grasped her soulmate's hand instead. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hey," he said before leaning down to give her a quick peck on the lips before gently nuzzling her cheek.

Regardless of how much Ava's magic urged her to explore Remus's hard body with her hands and mouth, she pulled back from him with a weak smile. "C'mon," she said. Their magic fizzled and danced across their connected hands as Ava led him towards the couch. James and Sirius had taken their seats in the chairs and gave her expectant looks when she remained quiet. Nodding to herself, she turned to Remus and began wringing her hands in her lap.

The werewolf chuckled, glancing between Ava and the boys. "What's going on? Is this an intervention?" he joked.

Ava tried to smile, but she was sure it came out more like a grimace. Especially when Remus's expression dropped and his green eyes showed concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he reached out to hold her hands.

"Maybe we should start with the Wizard's Oath?" James suggested, drawing Remus's attention before he looked back to Ava.

"What in the name of Merlin would we need a Wizard's Oath for?" he asked.

Ava gulped, glancing at the boys with wide eyes. James offered her a warm smile and Sirius nodded, seemingly encouraging her to get it over with. She took a deep breath and squeezed her soulmate's hands. "So, there are some things that you don't know about me. Things that I want to tell you because I think you should know the truth."

His brows furrowed. "Okay, but why are James and Sirius here?"

"I thought they might be able to help me explain. And, honestly, I'm worried that you won't believe me," she said, dropping her gaze to her lap. Feeling his hand cup her chin, Ava hesitantly lifted her head. She felt like Remus was looking into her very soul, her magic shivering in delight.

"I'll believe you. You can tell me anything," he said.

"So, you know that I arrived to Hogwarts in the Shrieking Shack and—" she began, interrupted by the loud clearing of a throat.

"The Oath?" Sirius prompted with raised brows.

Ava's mouth hung opened. I can't believe I almost forgot that, she scolded herself. She turned back to Remus. "I need you to swear on your magic that you won't tell anyone about what you'll learn from me," she blurted out, feeling ashamed for asking her soulmate to keep her secrets when she already knew he would.

After a beat of silence, Remus retrieved his wand from within his robes and said, "I, Remus John Lupin, swear upon my magic that I will never divulge any information about Avalynn McGonagall that I learn tonight to anyone else."

She let out a relieved breath, glad the demand that he take an Oath hadn't turned into an argument. "Like I was saying, when I first got to Hogwarts, I appeared in the Shrieking Shack. I know that the story was that I took a portkey and it somehow messed up my journey, but the truth is that I was essentially summoned to the Shack. I didn't use a portkey."

Remus frowned. "Summoned? How?"

"Well, that would be where your best friends come in," she said with a small smile.

The werewolf looked to James and Sirius.

The boys shared a look before James huffed in annoyance. "I suppose it's my family's spell." He flicked his eyes back to Remus. "Moony, Sirius and I were trying to do something nice for you, and we found a spell that my ancestors used."

"What did you do?" he growled, gripping Ava's hand harder.

She clenched her jaw to refrain from letting out a whimper of pain. "They love you, Remus. They just wanted to see you happy."

His eyes flashed to her briefly before turning back to glare at the boys.

This time, Sirius spoke up. "The spell connects soulmates. McGonagall already looked it over and explained that your soulmate would've shown up during a time of need, so our first full moon back at school, you transform, and boom. Ava."

She rolled her eyes at his casual explanation and tugged on Remus's hand to gain his attention. "What he means is, they cast the spell over the summer and figured it didn't work, but that's only because I guess the magic hadn't decided that you needed me yet. So, the connection didn't pull me here until that full moon." She reached out and cupped his cheek. "Because you needed me."

Remus leaned into her hand with closed eyes for a moment before they snapped back open. "Pull?" he asked before turning to the boys. "Summoned?" He turned back to Ava. "You mean the spell Apparated you to the Shack?" he asked with raised brows.

"Basically, yeah."

"And you're my soulmate, not just my mate because I'm a werewolf?"

She nodded again, noticing the awed look overcome his face.

"Soulmate," he whispered reverently.

His magic reached out and brushed up against Ava's, causing a tingle of warm pleasure to race throughout her body. Thank God. He still wants me.

But after a few moments, his eyes narrowed and he pulled his hands away from Ava. "So, you aren't McGonagall's niece?"

"Well, not really. But yeah?" Ava turned to James and Sirius. "She kinda adopted me, right?"

Both boys nodded. "Your name says Avalynn McGonagall on the map," James said.

"It does?" she asked, beaming. She looked back to her soulmate. "So, I guess it's official then. I am Ava McGonagall." She poked him. "The map doesn't lie, you know."

Remus rolled his eyes before glancing at his fellow Marauders. "Is it safe to assume you've told her every one of our secrets?"

The boys looked flustered and tried to explain themselves several times, but each time they opened their mouths, they couldn't speak. Realization slowly settled in and Ava jumped, speaking quickly. "Oh, I'm sorry! James, Sirius, you both are allowed to speak with Remus about what you've learned from me." Sirius went to speak, but she interrupted. "About me," she added.

Ignoring Remus's questioning gaze, Ava kept her eyes on Sirius when he said, "She knows some things about us and the Wizarding World because of where she's from."

"Shit," Remus muttered, standing from the couch. "I didn't even think to ask where the spell took you from. Where are you from? America, like you told everyone?" He frowned. "That's a long way to Apparate though. Where's your family? Shouldn't you have gone back to them, or at least explained where you disappeared off to?" He turned a glare on the boys, missing the tears springing to Ava's eyes. "Did you assholes even think about that when you cast the spell? You probably pulled her out of school." He huffed. "Well, McGonagall would've taken care of that and probably her family." He glanced back at Ava's face. "Did McGonagall reach out to your fam—," he started to say, but paused, likely noticing that she was upset.

She could see Remus's deep frown through her blurry vision, but he didn't come back to her. He stayed rooted to the spot, apparently waiting for her to explain. His self-imposed distance cut Ava deeply and her magic coiled tightly in her chest, making itself smaller and smaller, as if hiding from sight. She couldn't help but relate to the feeling as she wiped the tears from her eyes. The suspicion present on Remus's face was enough to make Ava wish she could melt into the floor and disappear. She couldn't bare the thought of him leaving her, but she also couldn't bring herself to keep the truth from him any longer. She swallowed. "You might want to sit down."

Remus narrowed his eyes. "I'm fine where I am."

Her stomach sank, along with her hope. Casting a quick glance at James and Sirius, she could see sympathy in their eyes, knowing that she was in a shit position.

Sirius cleared his throat, still looking at Ava. "I can tell him, if you want."

"Tell me what?" Remus snapped, obviously displeased at being left in the dark.

She cracked a small smile at her Animagus friend, but shook her head. Turning to Remus, she steeled her nerves. C'mon, just rip off the band-aid. Her soulmate was now standing with his fists clenched at his sides, his glare flicking from the boys to her and back again. Just tell him, she urged herself. "I'm from another world. Or another reality or dimension or whatever. Wherever it is that I'm from, it's different from here. Magic isn't real where I'm from."

"What do you mean?" he asked with a tilt of his head, thankfully sounding more confused than anything.

"The spell that they cast pulled me from the world I grew up in, and magic wasn't real there. I didn't just live in the Muggle world, but my entire world was Muggle. Magic didn't exist."

His eyes alternated from green to amber as he frowned, trying to find words.

Not good, Ava thought, worried about why Moony was beginning to surface.

"So, let's say I believe there are other worlds in which magic isn't real, and that the spell was able to find you and pull you here from that world. How do you have magic then?"

She shrugged and looked to the boys, who were as clueless as her. "No idea."

It was silent for several long moments before Remus nodded. "Okay, so you're from a world without magic, and here, you somehow have magic. That's certainly not what I expected to hear, but it's not that outlandish."

She flinched. "That's not all."

He huffed out a breath. "What else is there? You're secretly a werewolf? A Death Eater?" he asked, voice raising as he paced, looking between her and the boys. "What's this other world anyway? Are you going back?" He froze in place, his back facing Ava. "Are you leaving?" he choked out, his fists trembling at his sides.

"No!" she shouted. Remus visibly relaxed, his shoulders dropping.

He swiveled around. "So, what is it then? What else are you hiding from me?"

Ava wrung her hands. "Well, in my world, the Wizarding World is known by everyone because of a very popular book series. A fictional book series," she said with a grimace. "I know about Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic and everything because I read the books."

Remus looked utterly bewildered. His wide eyes sought out his friends, clearly not believing her.

"She's telling the truth," James said.

Sirius nodded. "It was hard for us to believe at first too, but she is."

Ava spoke, catching Remus's attention once again. "The books followed the life of a particular student at Hogwarts, but they were set during the 90's."

His eyebrows lifted. "The 1990's?"

She nodded.

"Who was the student?" he asked.

She shook her head as she said, "It doesn't matter. What matters is that I have insider knowledge on the war that Voldemort and his Death Eaters are ramping up to start within the next few years, and I know how to stop them."

He scoffed. "You're joking."

Ava's lips pressed into a thin line. "I'm not joking. This is actually very serious and important. I would never joke about this. People will die if I allow the time line to go on as expected."

His eyes widened. "You genuinely believe that a book you read in an alternate reality described the Wizarding World and events that are going to take place here?" He looked to his friends for support, probably thinking that she was crazy, but he found none.

"It's all true, Moony," Sirius said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "All of it. Ava knows things that could help us defeat Voldemort." He chuckled. "She knows way more than that though. She knows us. The Marauders. That's how she knew about the map, our nicknames, and how you're a werewolf."

Remus's eyes flashed to hers. "What does he mean?" he asked in a low voice.

Ava tensed at his tone, and stood, wanting to touch Remus, but as she stepped towards him, he backpedaled, keeping distance between them. She dropped the hand she had reached out to him with a frown.

"What does he mean, Ava?" he growled.

She locked eyes with him, hoping he could see the remorse etched onto her face. I knew it. I should've told him sooner. "There are a lot of people in this world, people who are living and breathing, who were characters in the book series." She paused to let that sink in. "So, for example, Minerva McGonagall is still a professor in the 90's, so I knew that she was Head of Gryffindor, her Animagus is a cat, and I knew she would probably be the best person for me to tell the truth to. Little things like that."

Remus shook his head. "That's not little. It sounds like you knew her well enough to trust her with your life." He narrowed his eyes and took a couple steps towards her, and she instinctively backed away from him and his stormy expression. "Were we all characters in your books?" he asked with a sneer, gesturing to himself and the boys, who were now also standing.

Her mouth hung opened, unable to form a response. Ava had never heard such animosity spew from his lips before.

"Was I a character?" His words were angry, but she could see the hurt beneath the surface of his face.

When she hesitated to respond, he turned to leave. "Wait! Remus, please!" she yelled, stepping forward to grasp his arm.

He wrenched himself from her hold and spun around to glare at her.

"Please, I may have known some things about you guys from my world, but it's different knowing that you're real. At first, I just wanted to help save some lives and stop Voldemort, but I didn't know I was your soulmate." She offered him a tentative smile. "Once we realized that's why I appeared and why I feel such a strong connection with you, that became important to me too. You're important to me. I tried to keep away so I wouldn't be forcing the spell on you, but it was obvious you felt it too, so I wanted to get to know you better. And you know me, I'm the same girl that I was yesterday, the same I was this morning. I stayed with you in the Hospital Wing because I care about you." Her voice had become more pleading as she explained, but Remus kept backing away from her, shaking his head.

"Don't," he snapped. "Don't touch me." He backed up to the door.

"Remus, please. You aren't some random storybook character to me. You're a kind and thoughtful man. You make me laugh, and blush, and forget my own name when you kiss me." His eyes flashed amber, so she pushed on. "You're intelligent and caring. And a werewolf." His gaze hardened. "Yes, being a werewolf is one of your redeeming qualities. I love Moony. He's so cuddly and playful. I love spending the full moon with him." His expression morphed to confusion, but she prattled on. "I love spending time with you and I love the way you make me feel. You don't make me feel stupid for learning magic so late in life, and you helped me feel like I belong at Hogwarts." Holy shit, I love him. She took a deep breath. "I love you, Remus."

His mouth dropped open as his eyes alternated between green and amber.

The silence was deafening, making Ava fidgety, but she was done speaking. She had said her peace.

Without a word, Remus spun to the door and yanked it open before fleeing into the corridor, not even casting a backwards glance to her.

Ava was numb with shock. She stood in place, eyes locked on the spot Remus had just been standing not moments before. He left. He actually left. She couldn't believe it. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing them. Opening them back up, it was obvious she wasn't dreaming. "He really just left," she whispered, throat tightening. "He left me." Tears pricked at her eyes as her mind whirled back through their entire conversation, trying to figure out what she had done wrong. But I told him the truth. Oh my God, I told him that I love him. She gasped in pain, clutching her chest as tears spilled down her face. "My soulmate left me." She whipped around to Sirius and James, who appeared to be just as taken aback at Remus's hasty departure as she was. Her bottom lip trembled. "How could he leave me?"

Both of their expressions softened as their eyes fell on Ava, before transforming into glares. James stomped towards her, and she automatically raised her arms. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I didn't—ooph." Her words were muffled by James's shoulder as her wrapped her up in a hug. After a split second of surprise, Ava squeezed him back tightly, feeling her sorrow resurface. "I'm sorry," she repeated, crying into her friend's robe.

James pulled back, holding her at arm's length. "Nothing you said was your fault, Ava. You don't need to be sorry." He stepped away and looked to Sirius. "You got her?" With a nod from the Animagus, James turned back to her and said, "I'll see you later, I've got to go talk to Moony." Without giving her a chance to question him, he brushed past her and went out the door, closing it behind him.

Even though she doubted it would help, Ava wiped her eyes and nose. Her thoughts returned to Remus. He doesn't want to be with me anymore. The pain behind her ribs sharpened, forcing another gasp out of her. The magic inside her was frantic, buzzing through her body, desperately searching for something. For Remus, she told herself before dissolving into tears once more.

"Ava?" Sirius asked, worry in his voice and he strided over to her. "Are you okay?"

"No," she sputtered out as sobs wracked her body. "I'm not okay. He left, Sirius." She felt lightheaded and wobbly, and just as her knees gave out, Sirius caught her. "He just walked away like I was nothing. Like I'm not his soulmate," she said, blubbering into his chest.

He allowed her to cling to him and held her close, wrapping an arm around her to keep her standing. "You're not nothing, Ava, don't say say that," he said, holding the back of her head.

"I'm so stupid," she cried out in frustration. "I shouldn't have told him that I love him." The ache in her heart couldn't have been normal. It was as though it was being torn into pieces, like paper being slowly ripped and shredded. She could've sworn that she felt each tear across her heart within her chest. The more her thoughts focused on Remus and the fact that she likely just lost him, the more frantic her breathing became. "I can't—I can't lose him, Sirius," she gasped out.

"Hey, hey, shhhh, you're not going to lose him," Sirius whispered, running his hand over her hair soothingly.

She gulped, trying to catch her breath and nodded. "I am. I shouldn't have kept everything from him. He hates me now, and I don't blame him. I'm an awful soulmate."

Sirius tightened his grip on her and sternly said, "Stop it. Don't say that."

"But—but, it's true. Why else would he choose to walk away from me?" She laughed bitterly. "Well, run. He ran from me. That can't be good." Unable to control her emotions, Ava resumed sobbing into his chest. Before she knew it, Sirius had scooped her up and carried her over to the couch, placing her gently beside him but still allowing her to bury her face against him. "I'm such a terrible person. I should've trusted him sooner, but I didn't want to make him feel obligated to me before he actually got to know me."

Even though her voice must've been distorted by her weeping, Sirius appeared to understand her words as he said, "You did the best that you could in a tough situation, Ava. Please don't blame yourself." As he spoke, he continued stroking her hair and rubbed light circles on her back. "If you're looking for someone to blame, be mad at me and James. Not yourself."

Ava lifted her head to peek at Sirius and sniffled before wiping her eyes and nose. Trying to look as fierce as possible with her puffy eyes and blotchy face, she said, "I don't want to hear any more apologies from you or James. I'm tired of it. I forgave you already and I don't blame you for anything. You had no idea that the spell would take me from my world." She continued to stare into his gray eyes until he silently nodded. "Good," she mumbled, ducking her head and allowing his ministrations to settle the waves of desperate sadness and longing that kept rising as her thoughts returned to Remus.

"He'll come around, Ava, don't worry," Sirius said, giving a brief squeeze of reassurance with his arm wrapped around her.

"Do you really think so?" she whispered.

She could feel him nod. "Absolutely. He just needs some time to wrap his head around the idea."

Ava let out a shuddering breath. "He seemed so mad. More mad than when he yelled at me in Hogsmeade." I really hope he'll forgive me.

"He's just worried about you."

She scoffed. "Doubtful." She leaned away from Sirius and frowned, wiping the tears building in her eyes. "Why would he leave me then?"

His jaw clenched before he answered. "Because he's a silly, stupid boy who will regret his actions when he takes time to think about them later."

Ava couldn't stop her giggle. "Is that so? Speaking from experience, Sirius?"

"Something like that," he said with a smile, still running his hand over her back soothingly.

Her expression dropped and she grasped his free hand. "Thank you for staying with me." She could feel more unwanted tears gathering.

He sighed. "I hate seeing you cry, Ava. I'd do nearly anything to make your pain go away." He pulled his hand from hers and reached up to wipe away the wetness on her cheeks.

Though Remus had just crushed her heart into dust, the fact that Sirius was trying his best to help her piece it back together warmed her from the inside out. She reached up and placed her hand atop his that rested against the side of her face, having cleared it of any lingering tears. "I think everyone underestimates you," she told him with a smile.

His brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

She patted the hand she was holding to her cheek. "This."

His eyes widened for a moment before he slowly pulled his hand back.

Ava threw an arm across his chest and hugged him tight, resting her head on his shoulder. "You're this handsome, troublemaker extraordinaire, who gives off this bad boy vibe, but you're so much more than that underneath everything. You're a loyal, caring, cuddly little puppy."

Sirius stiffened beneath her.

Shit, she thought. Did I go too far? Exposing him like that? I know he doesn't like being vulnerable.

"You think I'm handsome?"

She could hear the smile in his voice and rolled her eyes. "And to think, you were doing so well, Sirius."

His resulting chuckle vibrated through his chest.

She squeezed him once more, grateful for his presence, and she earned a hug in return. The pair sat in contemplative silence for several minutes before Ava pulled away from her friend and shooed him away, claiming that she would be fine on her own to get back to her quarters later, but for now, she just wanted to be alone. Sirius begrudgingly left her after depositing a kiss atop her head, and she remained on the sofa with her knees pulled up to her chest, staring into the crackling fire, hoping with everything fiber of her being that Remus would come to forgive her.


"I love you, Remus," Ava said, looking at him with pure anguish as he continued to back away.

He couldn't breathe. She loves me? he thought in wonder. No, she doesn't love me. She loves him. He turned on his heel and fled, not wanting to see Ava's face full of unabashed devotion for him when it was really meant for another.

He bolted down the corridor, ignoring the sharp pain in his chest and the lonesome whine from Moony. He shook his head. No, she doesn't love us, he tried to tell his wolf. She's in love with the idea of some character from a book.

Moony clearly didn't agree as he growled in response. Mate.

Remus shook his head again.

Our mate, Moony snarled, before pacing and making his presence more known.

Remus took a few deep breaths as he slowed to a walk. He had noticed recently that he didn't always have the tightest leash on his wolf, especially when it came to Ava. Moony was becoming more restless, rising to the surface, probably vying for the opportunity to claim the witch he believed to be his mate.

Moony snapped his jaws and bared his teeth at his human. She is our mate.

He ignored his wolf as he ducked behind a tapestry, hoping to evade James and Sirius, who would no doubt chase after him. Remus paced in the confined space as his thoughts and feelings raced, one always pulling ahead of the other. She lied to me. She's been lying this whole time. But I suppose she had a good reason to. I mean, I barely believe it. I can't believe she's from another world…I can't believe she loves me. He growled aloud. Not me. Some other Remus Lupin that she thinks she knows. Even though he was currently struggling to accept it, Remus knew that the connection he shared with Ava was real. He knew deep down that they were meant for each other. She set his skin on fire from a mere touch, and his magic came to life around her. Wanting to swirl and play, but also wanting to caress and pleasure. I think I love her, he realized with a shock. He stood still for a moment, wide eyes peering into the darkness of the alcove.

Remus was so absorbed in his thoughts that he startled when someone whipped open the tapestry. He looked over to see James staring him down with a murderous glare, cast in a blue hue from the light at the tip of his wand.

James tucked away the map as he stomped the few feet separating him from the werewolf. "You fucked up, Moony," he scolded.

Remus hung his head. "I know. I shouldn't have left." He glanced back up to see his friend standing with his arms crossed and brows raised.

"And?"

He frowned. "And—I'll apologize to her?"

James nodded sharply. "And?"

Remus's frown deepened. "And—I'll make it up to her?"

His friend nodded once again. "And?" he repeated.

Patience wearing thin, Remus clenched his jaw. "And what, James? What else would you have me do?"

The other Marauder rolled his eyes. "Look at it from her perspective, Remus. The guilt from lying to you ate away at Ava and when she finally tells you the truth, you vanish. You ran away from the truth of who she is, not wanting to deal with it. Which I can understand, it's a lot to wrap your head around."

Remus opened his mouth to speak, but James cut him off.

"But, then, in the process of trying to stop you from leaving, she admits another truth to you. That she loves you," he said, voice turning hard as stone. "She's in love with you, and you ran like a scared little boy."

"No," Remus growled, clenching his fists. "She doesn't love me, James. She only cares about this other Remus—this character of Remus Lupin. She doesn't know me. She doesn't love me."

He could see the anger deflate from James. "Moony," he groaned in exasperation, running a hand through his messy black hair. "It's not like that at all."

"It's not?"

James shook his head. "No. Ava's very aware of the difference between the stories from her world and us all here as real people. You weren't there when she realized the truth, mate. It hit her really hard." His voice took on a hint of admiration as he added, "She's fiercely protective of us all."

Remus frowned and went to question him further, but was interrupted by light streaking into the alcove from someone pulling the tapestry back.


Sirius warred with himself as he stalked down the corridor. I shouldn't have left her in such a state. He shook his head. That's what she wanted though.

He was nearly to the Gryffindor common room when his sensitive hearing picked up the familiar tones of James and Remus. He followed the sound to a cut out of the castle wall that he knew was hidden behind a tapestry. Knowing that Ava was feeling better already than when Remus initially left the Room, Sirius's anger towards the werewolf had simmered. He pulled the hanging decoration back, intending to tease his friends about a late night rendezvous, but the moment he saw Remus's upset and guilt ridden face, his rage returned full force. Without uttering a greeting, he marched forward while pulled back his arm, and punched Remus in the face, making his lip bleed. "You left her," he snarled.

Both James and Remus looked at him in shock. As James began to say something, Sirius ignored him and threw another punch at Remus, landing a hit that split open skin at the edge of his eyebrow. "You are an utter arsehole, Remus. Ava is your fucking soulmate, and you just left her in there."

The werewolf's eyes flashed amber briefly but he stayed silent and dropped his gaze.

The lack of response pissed Sirius off further. He shoved Remus against the stone wall and placed an arm across his friend's chest, pushing it up so that Remus was forced to look at him. Sirius held his arm in place and added a little pressure, pressing against the werewolf's throat. Ignoring eyes that alternated between green and amber, Sirius spoke with steel in his tone. "She feels horrible enough as it is, lying to you all this time, feeling like she's forcing herself on you, losing her family and friends, and dealing with the upcoming war on top of it, and what do you do? You abandoned her right after she poured her fucking heart out to you. Do you even realize how lucky you are to have someone like her love you? She's one hell of a woman. Yeah, she might have some secrets, but she's loyal and funny and caring. She didn't deserve that."

James must've assumed that he was done because his friend tried to pull him away from Remus, who was still forced against the wall. However, Sirius didn't budge. He wanted to make the situation very clear to the werewolf first.

"You broke her heart, Remus, and you better go back there and at least try to pick up pieces, or so help me Merlin, I'll do it myself. If she were mine, I'd never treat her like that."

Remus's eyes turned amber as he growled, finally struggling against Sirius's hold.

He dropped the werewolf and backed off, putting some distance between them.

"You stay the hell away from her, Sirius," his friend said in a low voice, clenching his fists.

He smirked. "As I see it, Moony, Ava's up for grabs if you aren't claiming her as your soulmate."

Remus stepped closer to him, eyes remaining a glowing amber. "She's mine."

He wasn't threatened and merely raised an eyebrow. "Is she? Then what are you doing here? She's hurting real bad right now, and needs you, but here you are," he said, gesturing to the space around them.

Remus's eyes reverted to their usual green before he dropped his gaze. "She's hurting because of me. She wouldn't want to see me."

Sirius scoffed. "Of course she does." Remus frowned at him, not moving, so he shooed him with his hands. "Go back to the room. Walk in front of the door three times, and think about how much you want to see Ava and apologize to her."

"I don't think—" Remus started, but Sirius nudged him towards the tapestry.

"Go. You need to be there for her now, or you might lose her, Moony."

Remus's eyes flickered between amber and green as they roved over Sirius's face. His expression softened as he released a breath. "Thank you, Sirius."

He nodded sharply. "Go."

Remus looked to James and then back to Sirius. "See you later." He peeked out into the corridor before leaving, heading towards the Room of Requirement.

"What the hell was that, Sirius?" James asked.

He shrugged. "I had to get him to go back to her somehow. She needs him right now."

It was silent for a few moments before James spoke. "Would you really have gone after Ava if Remus hadn't?"

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know." He sighed. "Probably."

James whipped his head to look at Sirius with wide eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, mate," he groaned. "I won't come between Moony and Ava if that's what you're worried about. I just didn't want her to be alone. She was really upset, James. I could barely stand to see her like that, I would've done anything to fix it."

Understanding dawned in James eyes and he nodded. "Let's go wait for Moony," he said before pulling out the map to check that the corridor was clear.

The two made their way towards the Fat Lady's portrait, and James looked over the map once again. "I don't see either of them on here, so they must be in the Room."

"Good," Sirius said before giving the password to the painting and stepping into the common room.


Ava was curled up, laying on her side, vision filled with the hypnotic flames flickering in the fireplace. She blinked hard a few times, realizing she was going to be seeing spots for days if she didn't peel her gaze away from the fire. With a sigh, she shifted slightly, looking at a bookcase that appeared a couple minutes ago after Sirius had left. Maybe the Room senses I need a distraction, she thought as she reached for another tissue to wipe her runny nose. Ava was certain the room could sense not only things that you wanted, but also those that you needed, considering the box of tissues had appeared as soon as she had bursted into sobs once more after Sirius had reluctantly agreed to give her some space.

Her thoughts drifted to the dark caves of despair in her mind, forcing her to plan for a future without Remus. She would need to talk to Severus about brewing the pain potion again since she wouldn't be spending time with Remus any longer. She assumed he didn't want her after lying about her identity. Not to mention, he's probably freaked out at the idea of me knowing things about him without actually knowing him as a person. She was surprised by her magic's reaction to the werewolf's quick exit. Apart from when he first left, it hadn't flared up painfully again, but settled within her bones as a dull ache. With a despondent sigh, Ava decided the feeling wasn't the worst thing in the world when her focus needed to be on changing the time line. She knew that was more important than how much she longed to be in Remus's arms.

She sniffled as her magic tingled a little, stirring within her chest, causing her to frown. "What now?" she groaned aloud to the Room.

A throat cleared from behind her, and she startled with a scream, tumbling to the floor.

"I'm sorry! Ava, are you alright?" Remus asked, scampering around to the front of the couch. He crouched down to the ground only a foot or so away from her, eyes flashing between amber and green. "I'm sorry for scaring you, I didn't mean to."

She was unable to hold back the patented Snape sneer. "Oh, is that all you're apologizing for?" He lifted a hand towards her, but she snatched herself out of his reach and stood. "Don't worry, I'll be on my way," she said, wiping the remnant of tears from her face. She tore her eyes from his and looked to the ground, refusing to see his remorseful expression for fear of her resolve crumbling.

"That's not all I'm apologizing for. I want to apologize for everything. All of it. I shouldn't have left like that, I should've stayed and we could've talked through everything."

Eyes still boring a hole into the ground, she mumbled, "It's fine," and moved to leave.

Faster than she liked, Remus moved in front of her, his chest crowding her vision as he blocked her path. She huffed out a breath of annoyance and sidestepped, moving to go around him, but he stepped with her.

"Part of why I ran is because I'm worried that your feelings are all for this fictional Remus that you've built up in your head."

She whipped her head up to glare at him. "My feelings are not confused. I know what I feel." She reached out and placed her hand flat against his chest. "This soulmate connection that we share is real," she said firmly. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She shuffled to the side, intending on leave the Room, but once again, he moved with her.

"Ava, please wait," he said.

Staring at his chest, she blinked back tears, recalling how she had asked him the same before he ran from the Room. She didn't say anything, but she didn't move to leave.

"I know I shouldn't have questioned your feelings. I know what we share is real. I've just never had anybody care for me like you do. I assumed it was too good to be true."

She sighed and tilted her head up to look at him. Her eyes quickly drank in the sorrow and guilt etched onto his face, and she made note of the bruises and blood on his face, determined to ask about them later. She reached up to cup his cheek. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin what we had."

Remus inhaled deeply and nuzzled into her hand. "You didn't," he said in a low voice.

Her brows furrowed slightly upon realizing that his eyes had been solid amber and remained so as he kissed the palm of her hand and threw a heated gaze her way.

Laughing under her breath, which the werewolf didn't miss if the confused tilt of his head was anything to go by, she ran her fingers through his sandy hair. "Moony?" His head seemed to perk up. "Moony, can I speak to Remus?" He let out a soft growl. "I'm not asking you to leave entirely, I'd just to talk with Remus for now." She smiled as he leaned into her touch. "Trust me, I don't want you going anywhere."

After another look from the amber eyed wolf that left her feeling naked and wanting, Remus blinked a few times and his eyes were their usual green once again. He rose his brows. "How'd you do that? How'd you know Moony was a part of me like that?"

Ava continued to thread his soft hair between her fingers. "I know some stuff, remember?" She gave him a weak smile before pulling away from him.

He grabbed her hands in his before she could move away. He sighed. "As much as I didn't show it, I appreciate you telling me the truth earlier. I know that couldn't have been easy for you." He paused. "And it was cowardly of me to run away like I did."

"Yes, it was," she snapped. "And if you want to remain my friend, you won't do it again."

His wide-eyed look indicated that her sudden outburst must've startled him, but then confusion fell over his face. "I don't want to be friends."

Her stomach dropped to the floor. "Oh. I should've realized that," she whispered, throat burning as tears sprung to her eyes. She tried to pry her hands from his, but he wouldn't let go.

Remus looked at her with determination glinting in his eyes as he grasped either side of her face. "Ava, I don't want to be just friends. I want to be more than that. If you're still willing to have me. I understand if you don't believe me right now, but I'll work for your trust and forgiveness."

"Really? You aren't just messing with me?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound as desperate as she felt.

Hurt flashed across his face before remorse settled into his expression. "Never. I'll never play with your feelings. I didn't mean to tonight either, I just—just panicked, and didn't know what else to do, I guess."

She nodded. That's something I can certainly relate to. "I get it."

His eyes roved over her face. "Can I kiss you?" he asked softly.

Surprised into silence, Ava slowly nodded once, feeling her heart hammering against her rib cage.

He slowly leaned down, pressing their lips together, and she sighed into his mouth. It was like coming home. She was warm and safe in his embrace and didn't ever plan on leaving. Their kisses weren't frenzied. They were slow and gentle, similar to the way his hands were holding her. As if he were afraid that she'd shatter and break from his touch. Realizing his hesitation, she pulled back but didn't step out of his arms.

"I almost feel like we need to start over. I mean, I'm still the same person, but since you know the truth about me, do you think you need to start our relationship over again?"

Remus smiled. "That's very thoughtful of you, but no. I think I still know you well enough to continue moving our relationship forward."

She returned his grin. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," he repeated before leaning in for a deep kiss, coaxing her tongue with his.

The next time they surfaced for air, Ava suggested that he walk her back to her quarters for the night. As the couple made their way downstairs to her room, Remus hesitantly asked Ava about her family and friends. After a painful but necessary explanation that she couldn't ever return to her world, she launched into a discussion of her mom, dog, and best friends. By the time they had reached the entrance to her quarters, Ava had cheered up somewhat, laughing with Remus about stories of Moose getting himself into trouble.

"Goodnight," she whispered, peering up into his green eyes.

Remus pulled her against him abruptly and kissed the daylights out of her, weaving a hand through her loose hair. He nibbled Ava's bottom lip, forcing a breathless moan from her. With a chuckle, he stepped back.

She couldn't stop the pout that formed on her face if she wanted to. "Not fair."

He gave her a confident smirk, causing her magic and desire to flare. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ava. Goodnight."

Knowing she had best get herself inside before she jumped his bones right in the middle of the corridor, she said "Night, Remus," before twisting around and rushing the password out from her lips. Once inside, she slammed the portrait shut behind her and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to douse the lust that his touch had induced. "Get a grip," she muttered to herself before she pushed off the door and headed into her room to get ready for bed. Once changed, she settled onto the couch and did some homework until Aunt Minerva walked through the entrance to their rooms. Ava beamed at her as she placed down her textbook and launched into a retelling of the night's events, minus the more juicy details of their kisses, of course.


Author's Note:

I think I struggled with this chapter a bit because of the emotional impact on Ava and Remus. I wanted to make sure it came off right, but I also hesitated doing it to them. I felt bad for making Ava such an emotional wreck, lol