Author's Note: Thank you so much for the feedback about last chapter! I'm super happy that it wasn't cringe-worthy :) This chapter took a bit longer since I had an idea spark for a Supernatural fan fic and I needed to get all my ideas down before coming back to this. Rest assured, I'll be finishing this story first, but now you'll have a Dean/Castiel/OFC fic to look forward to :)
Thanks for all of the favorites and follows! :D
Review shout-out: Vienna22, haleygur7, convalla91, MidnightPenguin, Ussmaple, Justforloveknows, and Guest, thank you for your comments :)
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 36
Avalynn peeked at her soulmate from under her lashes as he sat across the library table from her. She knew her focus should be on the parchment in front of her, describing the Epoximise spell that her class had covered in Transfiguration this week, but she couldn't keep her eyes from wandering to Remus every few minutes. It was a compulsion. Deep down, Ava was aware that it was silly, but she needed to see him with her own eyes, making sure that he was truly real and by her side. It was hard to believe, even with the presence of magic in her everyday life, that the handsome wizard was literally made for her.
Over the past couple of months in this new reality, she had felt like her adjustment to a world full of magic had gone rather well, even considering her handful of panic attacks. Ever since completing the bond with Remus nearly a week ago, Ava felt lighter than she had in weeks, but now she had to adjust and adapt to her new normal once again. She wasn't one to shy away from sharing emotions, but the fact that Remus would be able to sense her mood without her permission rubbed her the wrong way. With their connection cemented, Ava doubled down on her Occlumency training with Regulus and Severus, hoping to spare Remus from being exposed to the winding roller coaster that was her emotions.
It had only been a handful of days, and Remus had already questioned her about the immense relief that she had felt after showing the Horcrux to Aunt Minerva. She discussed with the professor the destruction of the Horcruxes and approaching Dumbledore about tracking them all down, using the withered diadem as a peace offering of sorts, and hadn't realized how much the pressure to succeed had been suffocating her until Remus had pointed it out after the fact. Ava felt both unnerved and comforted that he could sense her feelings that well, but that's why she demanded that Severus push her harder with Occlumency. Everything would be better off if I can pick and choose what to share with Remus, she thought as she gazed at him bent over his parchment, quill scribbling across the page as he bit his bottom lip in concentration.
Watching the werewolf nibble on his lip brought forth the memory of him doing the same to hers, working her into a trembling puddle of desire the night before. Want and need tingled through Ava's body, waking at the reminder of how her soulmate could make her feel. They had been intimate twice more since their first night together, but it wasn't enough to satiate her magic or her body. Her eyes trailed over his arms and hands, the memory of his touch eliciting phantom sensations that aroused her even though studying in the library was neither the time nor place.
"Ava?"
Her eyes flicked up to find him smirking. She raised a brow. "Yes, Remus?" His amusement filtered through the bond, so she allowed her irritation to bleed through.
He chuckled. "As much as I would enjoy ravishing you, love, it's nearly curfew and I've got to finish this essay."
"I can always sneak back to my rooms, like last night," she said with the hint of a whine. Their sexual activities had tired them out enough last night that they had fallen asleep in the Room and woke in the middle of the night. Ava had managed to convince Remus to go back to Gryffindor Tower while she snuck to her rooms on her own, not wanting to chance him being caught out after hours.
He smiled but shook his head. "I'd rather not risk it. We'll have plenty of time together this weekend."
She sighed dramatically while rolling her eyes. "Fine, I suppose that's reasonable." She pointed a finger at him. "But I demand at least two orgasms on Saturday."
His eyebrows shot up. "Is that so?" he asked through laughter.
"It is," she said with her arms crossed, deliberately pushing her breasts together and leaning forward on the table, knowing that the top buttons of her shirt were undone.
Remus's gaze dropped to her chest for a moment before flicking back up to meet hers, briefly flashing amber. He swallowed. "I accept your demands, mate."
Ava shifted in her seat, the anticipation already pooling in her lower abdomen.
His pupils dilated as he scented the air. He squeezed his eyes shut with a groan. "Merlin, Ava. I can't concentrate with you smelling that good."
She giggled. "I'm sorry."
He wiped a hand down his face and revealed a smile. "No, you're not."
She laughed again. "No, I'm really not."
With a shake of his head, he said, "Just give me a few more minutes and we'll get out of here."
Ava tampered down her arousal and focused on reviewing her notes for upcoming exams in an attempt to give Remus space to focus. Regardless of the pages in front of her, the witch's mind wandered once more, but thankfully not to the desire compelling her to claim her soulmate all over again. No, mention of the upcoming weekend reminded Ava that it was a Hogsmeade weekend, and the second to last one before Christmas break. With it being a little over a month away, she figured it'd be a good idea to get started on Christmas shopping. She had only mused over gift ideas for a minute or so before Remus announced that he was finished with his assignment. The couple packed up their belongings and headed out of the library.
There was something Ava wanted to discuss with her soulmate, but was hesitant to bring it up. Just tell him. He'll get over it. And if he doesn't? Her hand tightened around her bag's shoulder strap. He'll just have to. As they stepped entered the corridor, she said, "So, I'd like to be in the Shack for the next full moon. Before your transformation."
Remus faltered in his steps. "What?" he asked, turning to see if Ava was joking.
Her lips were pressed together and she let out a breath through her nose.
Shit, she's serious, he bemoaned mentally.
She slipped her wand out from her robes and cast Muffliato. "I want to be with you, in the Shack, but before the transformation."
His brows furrowed, feeling his own unease blend with Moony's. Both the wolf and wizard bristled at the thought of Ava bearing witness to their vulnerable moments during and after the transformation. Remus had his own worries about her presence as well, regardless of the genuine concern coming from Ava that he could detect through the bond. I don't want her to see me like that. Turning into a monster. Weak and broken.
Moony growled in protest against the monster comment, but then whined pitifully as Remus's thoughts hardened towards the idea of her being in the Shack with them during a full moon. The wolf was adamant about needing his mate near.
His deliberating silence allowed for Ava to continue. "I know you were upset to find out that the boys let me in the Shack last full moon after your transformation, but don't forget that that's my second time being there. And I've already seen you turn back twice now and I've visited you in the Hospital Wing afterwards too." She reached out and grasped his hands with hers. "I know what to expect. You don't need to try and keep this from me like some dirty secret, Remus."
He squeezed her fingers. "But I want to shield you from this if I can. You haven't seen me transform into my wolf, and it's not a pretty sight."
Her determined face softened. "This isn't something to protect me from. It's just you, and Moony, who is a part of you, and I love you both." She stepped into him and stretched to place a chaste kiss on his lips.
Remus couldn't ignore the love and adoration radiating from his soulmate. He was still getting used to the influx of emotions from Ava, and it always baffled him how strongly she cared for him. She not afraid. Not even a little bit. He shook his head. "Please, I don't want you to suffer watching me. It's a truly unpleasant experience."
"Oh, I know. I'm rather aware of that fact," she muttered under her breath.
His eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her face. "What does that mean?"
"Nothing," she blurted, looking away from him and trying to retract her hands from his.
He held onto her, feeling her guilt and trepidation leaking through the bond. "What did you mean, Ava?"
She scrunched up her face. "Look, I'll tell you, but you can't freak out. It's really not that bad and I can handle it. Promise you won't freak out," she told him sternly as she poked his chest. "I swear to God Remus, if you flip out over this and try to pull some stupid bullshit, I won't stand for it. And I can guarantee James and Sirius won't either."
He frowned at the mention of his friends. They must already know. Why am I the last to know everything when it comes to my mate? He sighed, knowing that Ava was stubborn enough to withhold information if he didn't agree. "Okay. You can tell me."
She pulled her hands from his, her gaze flicking away as she fiddled with the sleeve of her robe. "So, were connected because of our soulmate bond, right?" she began hesitantly.
"Yeah." Where is she going with this?
She swallowed. "Well, because of our connection, you know how we can share or sense things about one another, right? Like our emotions? Although that's more recent, but you could feel how upset I was before we, uh, completed the bond," she said with a blush staining her cheeks.
Remus smirked, feeling his own body flush with desire to claim his mate all over again.
The corners of her mouth twitched as she peeked up at him and she shook her head. "Anyway, we have an emotional connection, and a magical one," she said while reaching out to trail a finger over the back of his hand and wrist. Her magic sought out his, gently caressing it as one would a lover, and his magic responded with a thrum of delight.
"What does this have to do with the full moon, Ava?" he asked gently, turning his hand over to intertwine their fingers.
She squeezed his hand. "We also share a physical connection, Remus." Her blue eyes were focused on his face, waiting for his reaction.
What does she mean "physical"? His thumb traced over the back of her hand. "Do you mean like how we're attracted to each other?"
With a sigh, she said, "No. It's probably easier if I just say it." She breathed deeply through her nose while her brows rose. "I can feel the transformation during the full moon."
The chill of dread crept over him as he slowly withdrew his hand from Ava's. "What exactly do you mean, Ava?" he asked in a low tone. Please let me be wrong.
"I don't know if it's the same exact experience as yours, but I get this tingly, burning sensation under my skin at first and then it hurts. Then there are few rounds of pain throughout my whole body, making me feel like my bones and muscles are going to burst through my skin, but they don't and it settles after a few minutes."
He couldn't breathe. No. How could this happen? Why is this happening to her? She doesn't deserve it. Her description was comparable to the way it felt to transition from a human to a wolf, but Remus knew that he had years to build up a tolerance for the pain and Ava hadn't. Guilt and shame rained down on his heart in a torrent. She shouldn't have to endure that pain.
Moony spoke up from the back of his mind. Our mate is strong.
She shouldn't have to be, Remus countered.
Ava gripped his shoulders and shook him, drawing his attention. "No matter what you do now," she said, "even if you try to distance yourself from me or deny the bond in a senseless effort to spare me, I will still feel everything. I have for the past two full moons and we hadn't even claimed one another yet. So, there's nothing you can do to make the pain go away, but you could at least make it bearable if you'll allow me to be with you." She shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe if we're together, it won't hurt as much. You and Madame Pomfrey both said that last time you weren't beat up as much as you normally are."
His brow furrowed, feeling himself begin to sway in her favor. She'll only dig herself in more if I try to pull away.
"I was there with you, but after the transformation. I'm pretty sure you'll hurt less if I'm there the whole time. The full moon before that, when you and Moony hurt yourselves even worse, I wasn't able to get to you."
"Why not?"
She rolled her eyes, letting her arms drop. "Well, partly because James and Sirius wouldn't let me until I told them how painful it was to be away from you, but Aunt Minerva didn't think I should be with you then either. She's changed her mind now though."
He quirked an eyebrow. "Why'd she do that?"
Ava grimaced. "I may have been rather insistent on seeing you after the transformation passed. I—uh, might've Stupefied her and bolted from our rooms and out of the castle to get to you in the Shack."
Remus's eyes widened as his jaw dropped.
She giggled. "I know, right? I felt like an absolute lunatic the next day when I woke up and Madame Pomfrey told me she had to knock me unconscious to stop me as I was sprinting to the Whomping Willow."
A huff of laughter escaped from his lips. "Shit, Ava. I suppose 'insistent' is one way to describe it. I can't believe you bested McGonagall," he told her with a smile.
She returned his smile and shook her head. "I can't believe it either. Thankfully, I didn't actually hurt her, but I was terrified when I saw her the next day. I thought she was going to be so mad at me."
"She wasn't?"
"No, she's been incredibly understanding of our situation and my whole deal with being here," she said, gesturing with her hand.
Remus reached out and grasped both of her hands. "Let me be clear. I'll agree for you to be there during the next full moon, but if Moony or I, or even the guys, sense that anything is wrong, you're leaving the Shack. Immediately."
She beamed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss.
He held her, relishing the feeling of her soft body against his. Unable to help himself, Remus dipped his head and nuzzled her neck, peppering it with kisses as he moved down to the juncture of her shoulder. He softly bit down over the mark claiming Ava as his mate, and felt desire shoot through him, lighting up his nerves. His fingers flexed around her hips and he pulled back. "No more secrets, okay? I want you to be honest with me and not keep stuff like this from me. Whatever it is, I'm not going to be leaving your side. Ever. I want to know everything that's going on or bothering you."
She tried to smile through a pained expression, "I can't tell you everything Remus, not even Aunt Minerva or Severus know everything."
Her expression made the guilt she felt clear, but he could only sense a dim flicker of it through their bond, so he brushed it to the back of his mind. He nodded. "Well, everything concerning the two of us then. I don't want there to be secrets between us. Not that I'm afraid you're hiding anything, but I just want you to know that you can trust me and come to me about anything."
Relief overcame her face before she tugged him forward and buried her face in his chest.
Remus grinned as he rested his chin atop her head, thinking that he could spend the rest of his life getting used to her affection.
It was no surprise that Ava found herself in the library once again the following day. However, her study group consisted of Lily, Frank, and Alice, and the couple was currently gathering their things to leave. As soon as the future Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom turned the corner, Lily leaned forward in her seat.
"We haven't had a lot of girl time to chat and catch up. You've been looking a lot healthier recently. Has your magic returned to normal?"
Ava's eyes widened minutely before she remembered that Lily knew there was something deeper going on between her and Remus. She nodded slowly, trying to decide how much she could reveal to the redhead. "My magic's been stable for a while now."
Lily tried to hide a smile. "And you've been dating Remus for 'a while now', haven't you?"
She rolled her eyes. "What is it that you want to know?"
The other girl inched towards Ava as much as she could. She whispered, "Are you and Remus just dating?"
Hmm. Smart cookie, Lily Evans. Ava knew that her friend had already been keeping Remus's furry little problem a secret, so she didn't see any harm in admitting a partial truth. "I'm his mate."
A wide grin stretched across Lily's face before a squeal of delight erupted from her, startling Ava. "I knew it!" she yelled.
Ava shushed her, trying not to laugh.
Lily covered her mouth, flinching at her own outburst. "I knew it," she repeated softly, still beaming.
With a shake of her head, Ava laughed.
"That's amazing. Incredible. I'm so happy for you both. I can't believe it. That's so romantic. Having someone who fits your soul and magic perfectly," Lily rambled. "I'm assuming Moony likes you. Do you stay with him while he transforms? I wonder if your bond will affect him."
Ava let the redhead voice her musings, but didn't confirm or deny anything, not wanting to reveal the entirety of her relationship with Remus in one fell swoop. She managed to divert the conversation to Lily and James and asked, "So, how exactly did you go from detesting James to caring about him and wanting to give him a chance?"
Granted, she already knew a lot about that particular relationship, but she wanted to spend more time getting to know Lily. Ava didn't have any other female friends, seeing as she couldn't bring herself to count Aunt Minerva and Madame Pomfrey as friends. As Lily's explanation broached the incident in their fifth year, involving Severus, she straightened in her seat. Maybe I can help him out a bit, she pondered.
Severus had come to the library, hoping to catch Ava studying alone, but he heard the familiar tones of Lily mixed with Ava's as he approached their table. Curious, he paused to hear what they were discussing. The utterance of his name caused his desire to eavesdrop to increase and he immediately set about using his lurking abilities to their fullest extent. He cast a nonverbal Disillusionment Charm over himself and crept forward, but kept himself to the shadows of the bookshelves as an extra precaution.
His body froze as his inside squirmed in horror. Lily was regaling Ava with a retelling of the event that signed the death warrant of his friendship with the redhead.
Severus dug his nails into the palms of his fists. He knew he had been stupid and a complete fool for lashing out at Lily and cursing that foul word at her, too prideful to accept her help. And now I'm going to lose Ava as well, he lamented. She'll realize how spiteful and cruel I can be. Who would want to be friends with someone like that anyway?
"And then he called me a—a," Lily stumbled over her words, "a mudblood."
From his vantage point, Severus could see that Ava didn't appear to be upset. Her eyebrows rose slightly, giving her expression one of mild surprise. "Did he apologize?" she asked.
He scoffed mentally. Of course I apologized. She was my best friend, and I was furious with her interference, but I didn't really mean it. I could never think of her that way.
Thankfully, Lily told the truth and nodded, explaining how he even slept outside the Gryffindor Common Room, but that she couldn't bring herself to forgive him. "I was only trying to help and he was so…awful and called me that hateful name. The people he was hanging out with at the time didn't help his case either."
He held his breath, waiting for a speech full of righteous indignation to spew from her mouth in support of Lily in typical Ava fashion.
"Try to see it from his perspective, Lily," she said in a gentle tone. "He was in a vulnerable position, in front of classmates, being bullied by a bunch of assholes, and then instead of getting the chance to stand up for himself and fight back, you stepped in." Lily opened her mouth to speak, but she held up a hand. "I understand why you did. It'd be very difficult for me to stand by in the same situation, but I would also be pretty pissed off if someone felt the need to protect me when I could've done it myself." She shrugged. "We all say things we don't mean when we're angry. I've cursed at the boys, and even Remus and Severus, a handful of times when they've pushed too far. But we always work through it."
Severus felt a tightening in his chest at Ava's defense of him. He was sure that she would've exploded with the need to berate his use of the derogatory term.
"I suppose," Lily mumbled, confusion and guilt flickering across her face. She reached out and grasped Ava's hand. "Promise me you'll be careful around him though."
Ava pulled her hand away with a sigh. "He's my best friend, Lily. He would never hurt me on purpose."
He knew that the witch was his friend, but he hadn't realized to what extent until this moment. Hearing Ava claim him as her best friend, aloud, to Lily of all people, after hearing that story, filled him with a warm rush of joy that he hadn't felt in such a long time.
Lily quietly stood and packed up her schoolbag.
"You're my friend too, though," Ava said. "I have no intentions of being friends with either Gryffindors or Slytherins. It will be both and everyone will just have to suck it up and deal."
The redhead nodded and moved to leave.
"Lily," Ava called softly. "We shouldn't let so much time pass between our girl talks." She smiled with a hopeful expression, which Lily returned before turning to depart. Ava's brows wrinkled as she sighed to herself. She collected her things and hefted the schoolbag over her shoulder before ambling towards the table she shared with him.
Severus followed her, frantically thinking of something to say to Ava that would be able to convey how much his friendship with her meant to him. Hopefully, without making him look like a fool. He lingered in the stacks, watching his friend settle, and then dropped the Disillusionment Charm. As he walked out of the shadows, his dark eyes peered around the space to make sure he was truly alone with Ava.
The witch glanced up and smiled upon seeing him. "I was hoping I'd find you here," she said.
Merlin, this is going to be embarrassing. I can't do this. He stopped next to her and held out a hand. No, she deserves this.
She frowned at his outstretched hand, but took it anyway.
He pulled her from the chair and tried to keep his mask in place. However, he sensed that he must've been failing when Ava looked at him in concern.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
He silently nodded and couldn't hesitate any longer for fear of his courage leaving him. He wrapped his arms around Ava and held her close, whispering, "I know you've suffered a great deal of heartache since your arrival, but I feel the need to express my gratitude for your presence in my life."
She tensed in his arms, alarming him and causing him to think he'd made a mistake, but a moment later, she gripped him back even tighter than before. "I'm so glad you're in my life too, Severus."
