As Fae Would Have It

by AlwaysRunning9

The Marauders deserve to live through the 80s at least, Voldemort deserves to be attacked by bees in a desert of legos, Snape and Peter actually aren't so bad (ish), and werewolves actually are magnificent. With a little help from The Fae, Remus becomes the badass he always should have been.

21. Eros and Psyche

The 7th year graduation ceremony was really more of a big speech at breakfast and then the graduates got to ride back across the lake to the express. The Marauders went out in style, letting all the other boats cross first before they perfectly combined a series of spells to have a tidal wave launch them across the lake.

Remus had apparated to his parent's house from Kings Cross, apparently having meant it when he said he was moving out right after school.

It had been hell, hugging him close and then letting him go. Leaving it to him alone to pack his things over the next two days. Fae kept herself busy setting up a huge graduation party with Euphemia for the Marauders and Lily. It was just in the backyard, but it had been transformed magnificently with tables and a vast dance floor and strings of lights, all encompassed in the most beautiful and overflowing gardens which only had a little help from Fae.

It was going to be huge and tons of people were going to be there, families, friends, members of the Order, Aurors, cousins, close neighbors, classmates. Theresa, Clyde, and Ms. Cole. The Prewetts and The Weasleys and The Longbottoms. Regulus and Romilly were going to be there too, to Sirius' joy. Lucrecia had even shut down the shop for a few days to cater a staggering amount of cupcakes and assorted desserts.

At least both of their parents had finally had phones installed. Hope had insisted with Remus going to live there so she could at least talk to him frequently. Fae took wild advantage of the phones in those two days, calling Remus as soon as the day was winding down and talking with him far into the night. It had been hilarious - she still remembered her cellphone and thus had been jerked to the ground several times by the cord whist idly pacing. James and Sirius laughed their asses off and she would have to tell Remus to hold on a second while she hunted them down and got revenge.

On the morning of the party, Fae was up at 4am to get on the road and go pick up Remus. To go bring him home. He was waiting, boxes and bags and trunks and suitcases in the living room and already spilling onto the porch where he sat waiting, face alighting with a grin as Fae parked the car and hurled herself out to hug him. Lyall helped them shrink the boxes so they would all fit in Fae's station wagon and he gave Fae an impressed look when she carried several heavy boxes of books on her own. She grinned proudly and kept it up - mostly she was just in a rush to get out before Hope could say something. As it was, the woman was standing on the porch, just watching them with tight lips.

"I'll see you tonight? For the party?" Remus asked. Lyall clapped him on the shoulder and nodded.

"Of course," he said.

Fae rolled her eyes and 'bumped' into Remus as she walked back onto the porch, forcing her darling to actually hug his father like he wanted to. It was a nice moment. Then, as they let go, Remus turned to his mother, but Hope was looking at Fae. She looked a second longer and Fae was waiting for the sharp backhanded compliment or the petty remark, but Hope just hummed thoughtfully and said nothing. Not even a dismissive glance or a disapproving up-down at Fae's baggy rolled-up boxer shorts, flip flops, messy braided pigtails, and band tee. Then she turned to Remus and gave him a fierce hug, promising to see him later and bidding them a safe drive.

Odd.

Fae forgot about it on the drive home, a million words between her and Remus about the past two horrible days apart, and then getting him unpacked while Fae got dragged into causing mayhem with her brothers. Remus, sweetheart, set to helping Euphemia with party set-up as much as he could. It was in the middle of the party, a complete rager, where Fae was unsuspectingly cornered by Hope, having just pulled away for a second to find some extra film for Peter.

"You'll look after him," Hope said, catching her in the kitchen as she passed and, quite frankly, scaring the shit out of her. Fae got it back quickly though, and grinned brightly.

"Of course, I will," Fae said. And then, when Hope didn't look too reassured or confident in her answer, Fae blushed a little, glanced around to check it was just them, and added, "He means the world to me, Hope, you have to know that. I would do anything to keep him safe and smiling."

At that, Hope nodded. Just once. "You love him," she said, and like most things with her, Fae was never really sure if it was a question, a statement, both, neither, something different. Either way, it had her blushing bright red. Before she could answer, Sirius was there, asking what was taking so long, and demanding she get her ass out there for Come On, Eileen immediately.

Which she did, shrieking laughter and spinning wildly. And then Peter got his film, set up a tripod, and pulled all the graduates into a picture that Fae just had to bomb. James forcing a kiss on Lily's grinning cheek, Sirius doing likewise to Regulus' cheek while the younger sibling tried to get away, Romilly leaning and smiling with an arm propped up on Peter's shoulder, and Fae having jumped on Remus' back, legs and arms wrapped around him while she hooked her face over his shoulder, cheek to cheek and grinned with him. She made sure to get copies of that photo and of all the photos taken during the evening.

It echoed in her head the rest of the night. You love him. Remus was very confused when she let him lead on the dance floor the whole time they twirled together. She blamed her dazed state on a few too many sips of champagne and he promised not to let her fall. Thank Merlin it was a slow dance so it didn't look too weird for her to bury her burning face in his shoulder.

To be fair - there had been a lot of champagne. There were so many things to celebrate. Sirius and James had passed their NEWTS brilliantly and were accepted into the Auror program to start training in a week. Lily had landed an apprenticeship at a prestigious company known for producing charmed objects, the kind of every day, awesome, fun new thing that you'd see on the shelves in every bookstore, outlet, major grocery, clothing store, convenience shop, and so on. Fleamont had been thrilled to have another inventor around and Fae could just imagine the crazy projects they'd get up to this summer in the workshop.

Regulus had been accepted into an extremely exclusive and intensive summer class at Durmstrang on Alchemic Engineering with a focus on corrosive materials. He, along with Fae and Romilly, had passed their apparition tests on the first try too. Peter and Romilly had been receiving compliments and congratulations all night long - several copies of the best yearbook Hogwarts had ever seen were floating around for all to see. Both of them had even received requests from several witches and wizards to do photography for kids' birthday parties, family portraits, and the like.

Both were going to be too busy though - Romilly would have a camera sure, but it would be going to use during her internship at the world famous Dragon Reserve in Romania. As for Peter, his photography would be centered on products as he began an apprenticeship learning business, management, and advertising at his Uncles' expanding chain of Deluxe Sports Shops. It was a perfect fit for both of them.

As for Remus - he'd left Hogwarts with the highest NEWT scores in his class, along with breaking the record of being top student in 5 out of 7 major core classes for his entire time as a student. He had 8 interviews in the coming week. 8. Of which, only 3 he had actually applied to. He was shining and brilliant and Fae was so proud of him. So proud of all of them.

Which led to a few days later - Fae had gotten Remus plenty of things for graduation, but had insisted on this one gift kind of for herself. Although she was regretting it now. But it was essential for the next part of his life. And. fuck. Oh. Oh good Merlin, sweet Morgana, Jesus Christ, and St. Jude.

"Do I look okay? You think they'll take me seriously?" Remus asked, twisting this way and that in the mirror, fiddling with the jacket buttons and shifting his shoulders into the perfect fit of a freshly tailored, navy, bespoke suit. He had no clue that Fae was losing her mind off to the side, unable to stand, think, speak, or breathe properly.

"I think you look absolutely breathtaking," Fae said, thighs pressing tight together and fidgeting under her skirt. Gods, this summer was unbearable and did this store honestly not have air conditioning? It did? Oh. Not sweat then.

"But will it impress prospective employers?"

"You'll put all those pureblood pretty boys with daddy's money to shame. You're so.." she said, voice cutting off to prevent an actual moan from coming out. Why did she say Daddy? Why was she such a fucking idiot? Oh, his legs were so long and lean and those pants fit him magically and that ass.

Then he sighed and fussed with his hair, trying to style it into something refined. "Do you think it's too much? Too flashy?"

"I think it's perfect," she insisted, trying to get a hold of herself and flag down an attendant. "And excuse me, we're going to need a few more of these suits."

Finally Remus turned around and rolled his eyes at her. "Oh no, Fae. We agreed. Only one." Because he just couldn't stand the idea of people spending money on him and giving him nice things, despite the fact that he deserved all the nice things. Diamonds. Watches. Premium Tea imported from China every morning. First Editions. An entire library. The sun and stars.

"But-"

"No," he said, voice firm, and fuuuuck. "Besides, my dad gave me a few of his old ones and your mom has offered to tailor them so I think I have plenty for the time being."

Well. It was probably for the best. If he wore bespoke suits all the time, he'd have most of London panting after him and Fae was strong, but could realistically only fight off so many people at once.

So they headed back home with his one bespoke suit and got to work trying on his fathers' old suits. And he continued to look amazingly, unfairly hot while he fussed bashfully. "You sure I can't repay you in some way? At least a little bit? I do have savings-"

"Nonsense and I don't want to hear another word," Euphemia said, swatting his shoulders as she measured how much she'd have to take in. From Fae's point of view - it didn't look like a lot. Remus and Lyall had extremely similar builds and, damnit, now she was thinking of what Remus would look like with five o'clock shadow.

"Really, I just appreciate your help so much and wish I could return the-"

"Remus, darling, you do plenty. You're more helpful and tidy around the house than my three children combined. Now go try this one on," Euphemia ordered, all business and love. Remus smiled sweetly at her, blushed a bit, and obeyed.

Fae leaned over the side of the couch, entire body following her gaze which was glued to Remus' tall, professional, wildly attractive form as he disappeared behind a sliding screen partition. She knocked over her water and nearly went ass over tea kettle off the couch. With a squeak, she leant back and cast quick cleaning charms.

"Anything you'd like to talk about, dear?" Euphemia asked, giving Fae a sly, amused, completely knowing gaze. She looked far too thrilled.

"Uh… no!" Fae said. "Nope. Nothing to talk about."

The following week was insanely busy. Between Sirius and James starting training, Lily starting her apprenticeship, and Remus fussing over his interviews, Fae was stuck listening to a lot of practice introductions, a lot of practice answers, and a lot of stories. Like a million stories from all three boys combined. What happened at training, things this mentor Auror said, things this trainer did, how well James did that, how much better Sirius did it a moment later, the amazing new tracking spell, the protocol for bringing someone in, who Lily's new coworkers were, the projects she was already working on, new ideas she had to try out, the amazing resources and lab rooms, where this interview was and who with, the pros and cons of potentially working there, how the interview went, what questions he felt good about answering, what questions he felt worried about answering, when he could expect to hear back. Although listening to them all rattle on at night was actually a bit of a relief and a calm point for her. The days were busy. Blissfully busy.

The thing was - Remus had successfully loaded all of his interviews into one week because next Tuesday was the full moon and then Saturday was the marathon. So. He was kind of a wreck. A very adorable, sexy, massive wreck.

Even though they couldn't floor it and go all out for the marathon, as Lyall had pointed out, Remus was still taking training seriously and running as much as he could every day. Well, that's what he said it was. Fae thought it was rather more like last semester had been and he was just running to vent off his overthinking and anxiety and nervous energy. Either way, she was happy to help him out. She ran with him every morning for sure. Then depending on his interview schedule for the day, they would go again in the afternoon - at a slower pace because Fae kept asking questions and prodding Remus to verbalize the millions of concerns that were bouncing in his head leading up to another interview.

Mostly though, the afternoons were loaded with getting ready for, practicing for, or actually attending the meetings. Fae stayed through it all and after practicing the different questions so much, she felt like she was fit to interview for the UKs next prime minister. She helped him tidy his hair and pick out which suit and tie to wear, very happily. She made sure he stayed well hydrated and well fed. Plenty of chocolate to keep his endorphins up. And usually, she drove him to his interviews so he could babble some more in the car until Fae inevitably blasted the music and told him to relax, and clear his head for a moment. Look cool and confident before he walked in. Bruce Springsteen and Linkin Park always did the trick.

As most of the jobs were in London, Fae usually took the time waiting to wander around, find some new treats or trinkets for him. It became a bit of an obsession. As long as it was small and not noticeably expensive, Remus was happy to receive little 'good job, you got through the interview!' Gifts like a small bag of truffles or a keychain or sample size blend of tea he hasn't tried before or neon shoelaces or pocket edition mini novels or brain-teaser puzzles. She adored spoiling him and seeing the pleased look on his face when he emerged from the building and saw her waiting for him, grinning and excited to hear everything.

And then - at the end of the day, they would run again. For hours in the woods and all over town and sometimes around the parks in London if they felt like exploring. And there, Remus would tell her everything and unwind. After was dinner, where he told it all again to everybody as they passed stories over the dinner table and in the living room to wind down for the night. With Lily over so often, it was becoming perfectly crowded. Euphemia and Fleamont had their chairs on one side, James had his on the other which he usually gave up to Lily or shared with her if he wasn't wrestling on the floor with Sirius. Sirius usually liked to sprawl on the rug in the center of the room beside the coffee table, sometimes as Padfoot.

Which left Remus and Fae to share the couch where they usually stretched out languidly, easing sore muscles and relaxing deeply into the cushions, or each other, while they wrote their penpals or journals or just read. That was another thing - Fae constantly reminded him to stretch and relax. Wouldn't be good to strain something before the race, yeah? If she was sneaky, she might even get to rub his shoulders out which usually resulted in him relaxing so much that he fell completely backwards and wound up with his head in her lap.

Keeping him happy was the priority because she just knew that on high-stress weeks like that, all it took was one bad thing like misplacing your phone or forgetting your lunch or running out of gas could fuck it all up and send you down a nasty spiral. It definitely kept her busy and she hasn't been so sick of interviews since she graduated college. But they got through it and on Saturday, did a full practice marathon to really shake off the remainder of his nerves. Because all that was left for now was waiting to hear back, which would be well after their vacation in most cases, so Fae was determined to get his mind off it completely.

Which ended up being pretty easy because they managed to finish their practice marathon around Warheim in a little under 3 hours which was incredible. As in, literally could not believe the time, asking Fleamont repeatedly, and jumping up and down and screaming. Sure it was right before the full moon and Remus had so much energy. Fae had been struggling to keep up for once, but wow. That was. Wow.

They celebrated with pastries at Lucrecia's and burgers from the diner and pasta from the nice Italian restaurant and chicken wings from the bar, all with a picnic basket made by Euphemia which they thoroughly enjoyed, all spread out on a blanket in the backyard. The food coma and subsequent nap was heavenly and she woke up around sunset, curled up to his side and with him still sleeping away. She sighed and basked in the moment, enjoying it for as long as she could. Unfortunately, that wasn't long at all, because as night descended, so did her brothers demanding a night out.

Lily and Fae threw on sexy, sparkly dresses and thick, powerful, bright high heels and electric make up. She even let Lily style her hair into some crazy updo. And then they helped Sirius put on make-up, took a few shots, and piled into Fae's station wagon. To James' dismay, Fae was driving and had volunteered to be DD since she insisted Remus enjoy himself after the week he had. Not that he ended up drinking that much. Certainly enough to get up on stage and do karaoke and shake it to Caught Up In You, but not fall-down wasted like her brothers. And Lily.

Still, they laughed and danced and sang for hours until Sirius tried to strip and dance on a telephone pole and Lily tried to climb James like a tree, at which point she and Remus had to maneuver and scoop their drunken friends back into Fae's car for the drive home. They all passed out halfway and it left Fae and Remus to singing together, just them, laughing and breathing in the summer air on the highway. Magical.

Sunday was shopping with Sirius, as always, and miraculously. She didn't know how he did it - bright and early without a hint of being hungover. Then the rest of the day was spent pouring over tour books and guide books, mapping out all the places and things they wanted to see in Athens. They'd be heading out after Sirius, James, and Lily returned from work on Thursday, having luckily secured Friday off.

The Potters, Lily, and Remus would be taking Fae's station wagon and the Thunderbird to London. They weren't flying, but we're taking a portkey at Haul-o-Way Co. which was a travel company that specialized in convenient floo networks, portkeys, and apparition points all over the globe. And Fae and Remus were unbelievably excited - there was so much to see and do. The Parthenon and the Acropolis and the Temple of Hephaestus and The National Library of Greece, the National Garden, and the Zappeion to name a few.

It couldn't come soon enough and thanks to the full moon, Thursday was there in the blink of an eye. Monday was all running and preemptive packing and then with how much energy they had, they literally spent the entire day of the full moon running, swimming, hiking, tree climbing, mountain climbing, any activity they could find which required a lot of energy. The moon was brilliant and wild and actually really really hard to stay within the wards and barriers. They'd have to see about expanding them. With all the activity they did, it was no surprise that they were both completely burnt out the next day and spent most of Wednesday sleeping on the couch.

Waiting for her brothers to come home on Thursday had been impossible and she didn't know how Remus did it - he spent a good chunk of the day intensively learning and practicing Greek like the good little nerd he was. Fae couldn't focus for shit and it was really hard because her body needed so much rest to prepare for the race and recover from the moon so she couldn't run.

That left stretching and walking and pacing like a mad person until Remus got sick of it and forced her to settle down between his legs while he tried to teach her Greek and ended up teaching her Greek mythology because that was way more interesting. They took turns telling stories and making up tales about the Gods, and Fae may have gushed over Hades and Persephone a bit. She had been a huge fan of Lore Olympus and Remus was amused by her take on the God of Death and the Goddess of Spring.

The house was a mad rush when it was finally time to go, trying to find Lily's brush and Sirius' shampoo and James' extra glasses and Euphemia wanted to make sure the plants would be okay and Fleamont was almost done with this test, Lily could you assist me dear, almost ready to go.

They barely made the portkey and then it was another mad exciting rush, staying all together, figuring out bags, trying to navigate how to get to the hotel, and taking in all the sights. It was gorgeous and lovely and beautiful and lively and Fae was immediately drawn to the water. She'd have been pulled away and carried off, curiously exploring the streets and finding out where they took her, had it not been for Remus's firm grip around her waist.

The hotel was the least interesting thing there, but still grand and beautiful. Euphemia and Fleamont had their room together, a gorgeous suite, while James and Lily shared, Remus bunked with Sirius, and Fae got her own room and queen-size bed to herself, being the odd one out. Honestly, it was a little lonely so she spent most of her time hanging out with Sirius and Remus on the patio by the pool while everybody settled in. Then, when they were all good to go - it was off to find dinner, which had Fae drifting off and wandering like crazy again. Sirius took her hand to keep her leashed, but ended up wandering off right along with her so it fell to Remus again to keep a hold of them, once again throwing an arm around Fae to literally steer her where they were supposed to go. And sure, maybe she was playing up the overexcitable wandering a bit, but this was Athens and it was so cool, and it felt so nice to be pressed up against Remus' side.

Aside from the food, dinner at a beachside restaurant in Athens was no different than dinner at home - loud. Then there was more walking and wandering and then drinks by the pool at the hotel and then several drunken games of keep away and chicken in the pool. Fae passed out very easily that night.

The next day was all about touring. Lily, Euphemia, and Remus had combined into an unstoppable tour brigade that had them up and out by 7 in the morning and off to see a truly mad amount of monuments and cathedrals and churches and museums. It was impressive. While not caring too much for history, Fae was all about taking in the sights and soaking up the experiences so she was happy to be dragged around all day here and there, often times holding onto Remus' hand and asking him what it was they were looking at.

Now, he really liked history and would go on and on about every little detail, every major event by date in chronological order, all the geographical nuances, any political or contemporary considerations in current day Greece. It was a lot and frankly, kind of boring, but he made it sound like music. He was beautiful when he was talking so eagerly and passionately.

James, just as besotted, was hanging off Lily's every word. At least until lunch. Then, he and Sirius couldn't help it anymore and just had to start exploring and running around and causing trouble. And well, Fae was a Potter kid too, so.

Racing up and down all the stairs, crude photos with the statues, photobomb unsuspecting families, touching every single thing to see what it does in every shop, balancing on the statues, falling off the statues, attempting to speak Greek, butchering Greek, trying the weirdest sounding foods on the menu, attempting to sneak away, being tossed over Remus' shoulder and brought back giggling, playing catch with anything not nailed down, playing catch with Wingardium Leviosa and some very heavy things that probably should've been nailed down, running from authorities, spiking Remus' tea with alcohol, spiking Euphemia's tea with alcohol, realizing Euphemia's drink already had alcohol, historical reenacting scenes between the Gods, trying on cute dresses with Lily, charming Lily's money to be inescapably and hilariously sticky whenever she tried to buy something, running from Lily, trying to push each other into the water, trying to go up the stairs on their hands, laughing at Sirius' sunburn, attempting to five star Sirius' sunburn, and then finally settling down, sort of, as they met Lyall and Hope at the travel company.

Euphemia told them to mind their manners with company and thus dinner was a very slightly quieter affair. Only slightly. Remus was so excited, mouth going a mile a minute as he told his mom all about the monuments they'd seen that day and told his dad about how fast he and Fae had run last weekend and about how his interviews had gone. Fae was exceedingly pleased to see that Hope was more excited to talk about all the things he'd seen instead of the interviews. Apparently, Fae had been wrong. Hope, rather than Lyall, was the one with wanderlust. Huh. But her darling was glowing, receiving so much attention and love from both of his parents.

The night was a lot of talking and drinks by the pool and maybe accidentally splashing Hope with a cannonball once. Or twice. It was 10 when Fleamont called it a night. The race started at 6 the next day and they had to get some rest, were already probably up too late as it was. They needed to meet in the lobby no later than 5 for breakfast and get there by blah, blah, blah. All Fae could think was - tomorrow. Finally. One of her life goals was coming true tomorrow.

So of course, sleep was not happening. She tossed for a few hours and then got up with a huff, deciding to head for her balcony to get some fresh air. Hilariously, Remus had apparently been doing the same thing and they stared at each other before snickering and grinning.

"I'm so excited I can't sleep," she whispered.

"Me too."

"Should we…" she said, gesturing her head down to the streets of Athens, silently suggesting a little adventure.

"No, we should be getting rest," he said, shaking his head. Then, he bit his lip, hummed, and smiled. "Yeah, okay let's go."

When you sneak out of anywhere at really late hours of the night, it's almost a rule that you can't do it without laughing from giddiness and from trying to stay quiet, even if you didn't really have to sneak or be quiet. Still, Remus hopped over the balconies to join her in her room before they crept out the door, tiptoed down the hall, and then practically sprinted down the stairs and out the hotel doors, not bothering to stop running as they hit the streets and gasped and laughed all the way down to the main street.

It was Friday and plenty of places were still busy, lively and full of drinkers and dancers and dreamers. They at least knew better than to drink or get into any trouble the night before the race, so they wandered away from the partying and walked along the harbor instead, taking in the fresh air and beauty, burning off some more energy so hopefully they could get at least a few hours of sleep.

"Wow. Athens is so gorgeous," Fae breathed, looking out over all the boats and the lights.

"S' something else," she heard Remus murmur.

"Hmm?"

He didn't answer and she glanced at him, curious. He was watching her back, eyes thoughtful like how he got about a test question or a tricky crossword clue. Strange.

"How are you?" he suddenly asked.

Even stranger. Taking it in stride, Fae grinned brightly. "I'm excellent. So wonderful. How are you?"

"No, I mean really?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, giving him an odd look. How else could her statement be perceived? Did she look unhappy? They were in fucking Greece with their favorite people in the world! She was living her best life right now, as far as she was concerned.

But it seemed Remus had other ideas because he sighed and leaned back against the wall she was sitting on. "I just…. I feel like things have been so crazy lately. With moving and graduation and jobs and all."

"Yeah, it's been awesome!"

"Absolutely," he agreed. "Everything's been so great-"

"I'm glad to hear that!" Oh hell yeah, she was such a badass, keeping him from getting too stressed. 200 points to Hufflepuuuffffff.

"-and I just feel like between moving and everybody congratulating me and your brothers at the party and then dealing with new jobs and all those interviews, that I've sort of maybe neglected you?"

At that she stopped her internal cheering and nearly fell off the wall. Instead she turned towards him and gaped. "Neglected?"

"Not neglected, more like, I mean, kind of just- Um. And during the end of term too, you were taking care of everybody and making sure we didn't lose our minds and constantly looking after me and reassuring me and being there for me and I just feel like I haven't been there for you at all," he rambled. Then he fidgeted his fingers and played with the hem of his shirt because no sleeves were available.

"You think you've been… neglecting me?" Fae repeated, still trying to process what she was hearing.

"Well when you say it like that…" he said, cheeks darkening under the night sky.

And then it occurred to Fae exactly what he was saying. She tossed back her head and fell into hysterics, laughing so hard she had to clutch at her seizing stomach.

"Remus you absolute nutter. You make me sound like some kind of puppy or something that always needs attention!" she said between wheezes.

"No, not like that, I just meant-"

"Neglecting me."

"Oh do shut up," he said, turning away and crossing his arms like a pouting toddler. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't feeling left behind or forgotten in all of this."

At that, Fae melted and smiled. "Trust me, I'm not. You guys are the ones who've had a million things going on, not me. And I'm happy to help where I can, you know that," she said, tugging on his hair and then on his sleeve to get him to turn around and look at her. And really, better them than her. Graduating and job hunting had sucked the first time around, she was not at all looking forward to her next go. Although, she supposed there'd be less job hunting and more war planning when she graduated which probably wasn't going to be much better.

He sighed deeply and turned around, meeting her smile with a frown. "But that's what I mean. We've all been so busy and thinking only of ourselves and you've been so-"

"So…?"

He turned away again, this time purposefully averting his gaze and definitely blushing. "Wonderful. Attentive. Fantastic."

And well fuck, now Fae was blushing too. Only the Greek Gods knew how badly she wanted to throw herself off this wall and into his arms so she could kiss him senseless. Or throw herself the other way off the wall into the ocean, because she really needed to cool it. To hide her deep and obnoxious feels, she laughed it off.

"Oh you sap," she teased, reaching out to tug playfully on his hair.

He rolled his eyes. "No really. I just… I expected all of this to be a mess and to be scary and awful. Moving out, trying to get a job, and the moon all at once? But thanks to you, I got through it. No, better. I actually had fun and I feel really good about everything."

"Well good, because that's what I was aiming for," she pointed out cheerfully, back to cheering and awarding herself points. That was music to her ears, to know she'd successfully kept him happy and busy enough not to overthink himself into a downward spiral. Score!

"You nailed it," he said, giving her one of those sweet smiles. "And so I just want to make sure you're happy too."

She laughed, leaned forward, and headbutted him lightly. Turned a bit so she could nuzzle his temple affectionately. "I couldn't be happier."

He grinned at that and Fae was suddenly so aware of how close their faces were, how close his mouth was. She could smell his breath, the coconut from the pina colada he'd had a while back. Surely it would still taste as good and intoxicating.

She shifted and wrapped her arms around him for a tight hug, burying her face in his shoulder. "Seeing the people I love happy is all I need to be happy," she said.

Which was true. It was just that seeing Remus was happy was the equivalent of winning the lottery for her.

"And chocolate?" he joked a moment later.

"And chocolate," she agreed, pulling back.

"Think there's a store still open around here?" he asked thoughtfully.

She grinned. "Think your Greek is good enough to bargain a good price?"

They found a little convenient store and ended up buying at least one of every chocolate and every sweet treat and snack and candy bar they could find, because there were so many new and interesting and unknown types and she simply couldn't choose. They excitedly swung the bag between them as they hurried back to the hotel. On Fae's bed, they took turns trying new chocolates, sometimes blindfolding the other to taste-test or guess the flavor.

The next thing Fae knew was the cushion beneath her shaking as Sirius urgently whispered, "Wake the fuck up Moony!"

Fae groaned and waved a hand towards her brother, nonverbally telling him to shut the fuck up and let her sleep.

"Whassit?" Remus asked, and suddenly Fae was very awake and very aware that she was sleeping on Remus' chest and his arm was around her waist very comfortably and snuggly. She lurched up and looked at Sirius for lack of anything better to do. Her brain was kind of blank.

"Dude, your mom is looking for you!"

"WHAT!" Remus yelled, lurching up and suddenly wide awake as well. Fae squeaked and tumbled back on the bed into a considerable pile of wrappers from the force of his movement.

"I told her you were in the bathroom, now come on!" Sirius said, wrapping an arm around Remus and pop. They apparated away and Fae shoved her face in a pillow to scream. And then launched herself off the bed because it was race day. She was dressed and downstairs to go in seconds. Her parents, Lily, and Lyall were there.

"Did you see Remus on your way down by chance?" Lyall asked. Fae shook her head and shrugged, hiding a smile. Her brothers and Remus arrived a moment later, Hope behind them fussing at Remus' messy hair. As they ate breakfast, Remus glanced at Hope and then at Fae over his plate. They shared a grin and snickered.

The race was amazing. It was perfect weather and there were so many people. People from all over the world and there was music and cheering and so much energy. Fae was practically jumping in place as she and Remus pinned on their tags, said goodbye to their families, and got in line to start the race. It was only due to so many people also being in the lane that she didn't outright sprint the second they passed the starting line. As it was, it was really hard not to sprint at all when they finally made it to a clearer road, but it did feel damn good to pick up the pace.

The men's fastest time last year was two hours and fifteen minutes while the women's winner had finished in a little over three hours. They decided to aim for a time of three and a half hours. Well, Fae had been aiming for that. She told Remus to gun it and go for two and a half, really open up and challenge himself. But that dumb sweetheart refused to cross the finish line without her.

It was really fun and every so often, they got carried away chasing and racing each other and would end up laughing as they slowed their pace for a while, chatting about the other places they wanted to see in Athens while they were here. It was easy and pretty comfortable. All the training had paid off and this was one hell of a benefit to lycanthropy she had to say. It was really great to hear Remus agree.

They sprinted the last two miles. Of course, they'd planned for that and factored it into their ideal finish time since they both knew they'd be way too excited at the end. They passed the 24-mile marker and immediately began an all out run. Between gasps, they started laughing when the finish line came into view. Fae and Remus threw themselves across the line and kept running a few seconds more before their hands found each other and they spun into each other from the force of their speeding, moving, swaying bodies. Remus wound his arms around her hips and picked her up in a spinning hug, both of them still panting and laughing and shouting because they had just finished a goddamn marathon.

Fae was whooping and pumping her arms as he spun them in circles and then he abruptly loosened his arms, dropping her a bit. She shrieked and wrapped her arms around his neck in reflex, giggling from the quick fright and grinning down at him. Flushed and sweaty and full of joy, he was grinning up at her so stunningly. She couldn't help herself. Her eyes flickered to his chapped lips and the fantasy of leaning down and kissing him flashed through her mind, putting her in a daze. Then she looked back up into those pretty blue eyes and saw confusion. Thoughtfulness. And it occurred to her that she had been very obvious about looking at his lips and had probably looked a few seconds far too long. But he was still smiling and still holding her so tight and-

They were being tackled by Sirius and James, wrapped up in hugs, jostled and slapped on the shoulder and spun around and congratulated by their family members. There was jumping and shouting and, embarrassingly, tears. Because she had just run a marathon and her family had supported her and cheered for her and they were all here with her.

"Come on, let's get a picture!" Fleamont said, gesturing for Remus and Fae to stand by the finish line. Fae fought a blush and slowly looked to where Remus was with his parents, only to find him grinning at her, already yanking her into his side and under his arm. They thrust their free fists into the air and beamed.

They took it easy for the rest of the day, sort of. Running a marathon in three hours and thirty-five minutes only a few days post-moon was unsurprisingly pretty tiring. The adrenaline had kept them going through getting all the free water and treats and swag at the finish line and through the music and the closing ceremony, but it wore off as they all walked home and Fae found herself hopping on Sirius' back so he could carry her.

She got a bit of a second wind after reaching the hotel, freshening up, and indulging in the vast lunch buffet. Still, she was pretty out of it for the night, content to just be led around by Remus as their big group went casually sight-seeing and shopping around the bazaars and markets. She was almost falling asleep at dinner and when they all settled by the pool again at night for chatting and drinks, Fae did fall asleep on Remus's shoulder. The last thing she remembered was hearing Lyall telling his son how proud he was of him, and feeling the stretch of Remus' lips as he hid his beaming smile in her hair.

Lyall and Hope went home the next day after breakfast and The Potters', Lily, and Remus went down to the beach for the day. It was busy and crowded, but Sirius, James, and Fae were so rowdy that most people gave them plenty of space. There was volleyball and building sandcastles and chicken and swimming races and jumping around in the waves and trying to surf with a boogie board and hunting for seashells. And sunscreen. Lots of sunscreen, because Sirius and Lily refused to get sunburned again.

Remus, while not as fair as they were, still had lighter skin compared to the untouchable tan on the Potters', so Fae made sure he had plenty of sunscreen on too. And if she took her time rubbing it slowly and indulgently over his back and glaring threateningly at all the girls glancing in his direction, then what of it? She couldn't really blame them, he was hot as hell without a shirt on and his legs were all long and gorgeous in his swim shorts. But still. This was a family vacation so there would be no picking up dates.

Fae shrieked when Remus abruptly decided they were done with the sunscreen. He tossed the bottle, spun around, tossed her over his shoulder, and raced for the water, diving in and submerging both of them. Fae came up spluttering and coughing into his grinning, smug face. Her next move was to try and drown him which prompted more rounds of chicken. Of course, she and Remus were the undefeatable team. Not so much in volleyball, Sirius and James had that covered and would not let them live it down for the rest of the day.

Of course, Remus and Fae got them back, bragging about how they still had another day in Athens. The next morning, Monday, they said goodbye to Lily, James, and Sirius bright and early so they could get back in time for work. After, Remus, Fae, Fleamont, and Euphemia went to the National Library of Greece - a stop that Fae had been dying for since she'd first heard she was going to Athens. It was better than being a kid in a candy store and she and Remus were gone within seconds of walking in, Remus to the fiction section and Fae to the section on dark creatures. They met back up in the central area, picking a little couch area with a few chairs and a coffee table for them to spread all their findings out on. Fleamont and Euphemia joined them, flicking through books of their own and mostly just sitting and reading and relaxing while Fae and Remus whispered excitedly over their discoveries.

It was hard to leave and Fae promised she would come back to Athens, if only for the library alone. They went to lunch and then visited a few more churches and museums. Without James and Sirius around, she'd thought it would be boring, but nope. Remus stepped up his game, adding all these cool stories to his lectures on the history of every little thing. It was a lovely afternoon, topped off by some walks, and races, through the gardens. They were unbelievably gorgeous and Fae was itching to conjure some flowers inspired by all the new ones she'd seen.

And then Fleamont and Euphemia threw them a curve ball. Instead of all going out to dinner like they had done every night, Euphemia began to complain of her sore knees. Which, okay, there were a lot of stairs in Athens and she wasn't a teenager, but Euphemia never complained about anything, certainly not about aging pains. And then Fleamont couldn't let his darling be in pain so they went back to the hotel to spell some ice packs and rest them.

Fae was filled with dread waiting for the inevitable. But it did come. They were going to call it an early night, but Fae and Remus should go out, have fun, enjoy their last night in Athens. Get dinner, maybe go dancing. Fae loved to dance and hadn't had the chance yet, after all. There was a lovely restaurant a few blocks over that had outdoor seating by the square where live music was constantly playing, as a matter of fact.

And Fae was so embarrassed. She and Remus agreed of course, because this was their last night in Athens and they were definitely not spending it at the hotel, but fuuuuck. At least he seemed oblivious and instead eager to check out some of the historical theaters after dinner and maybe go by Ardittos and go for a run on the stadium.

Fae did not know how to feel when Euphemia guided her into her suite and sat her down on the bed. "What are you doi- oh that's really cute," she said, cutting herself off at the sight of a gorgeous, white, classic greek style dress. It was delicate and flowy and looked like it would actually fit Fae's height instead of trailing all over the ground and tripping her.

"Nothing dear," Euphemia said, handing the dress to Fae to try on. Which she did, immediately. Oh it was so soft and pretty! "Now how do you feel about me curling your hair for dinner?"

"Go for it," Fae answered, shuffling over to the mirror for a good look. Ah, so pretty! "But seriously, what are you doing?"

"Nothing," Euphemia hummed, pulling some make-up out of her bag along with the curling iron.

"Really? Because I think you're setting me up on a date with Remus," Fae said, fighting off a blush and trying to sound accusatory rather than flustered as fuck.

"Do you want to go on a date with Remus?"

"No!" Fae squeaked, cheeks going unfortunately red. Euphemia arched an eyebrow at her as she gestured for Fae to come sit in front of the mirror.

Fae threw up her hands in the air and sat down heavily. "Okay fine, yes. But not when he doesn't know it's a date and not when he doesn't care for it to be a date."

Euphemia got to work, hands gentle and quick as always. "And how do you know he doesn't want to go on a date with you?" she asked.

"Because, surprisingly, he has no problem asking out girls that he likes and thinks are pretty," Fae answered bitterly. "I am not one of them - I'm his best friend and it would make things weird."

"Okay, if you say so."

"I do. So."

Euphemia tittered and gave Fae an amused look in the mirror. "But you still want to wear the dress and look pretty right?"

She grinned back. "A heck yeah. I want to look like a Greek goddess."

And so Euphemia made her look like a Greek goddess. The dress fit perfectly and fell in soft, fluttering waves, but was short in the front so Fae could walk easily. She wore the cutest strappy sandals and her hair had been tamed into smooth black waves, half of it pinned back with a glittering clip that matched her earrings. The make-up was light and subtle, a good thing since she'd probably sweat it off in this humidity. Hopefully that clip was made of strong metal, because as nice as her hair was now, by the end of the night it would surely come alive and start fighting for sweet, wild freedom. Still, she looked amazing and gave Euphemia a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Euphemia hugged her back. "For what it's worth, Fae, Remus would be crazy to not want to go on a date with you."

Fae's heart skipped a beat and she shook it off with a lopsided smirk. "Well, he is a bit of a nutter isn't he?"

"Take a chance, my love. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

And Fae was a massive coward about things concerning love so she did not take a chance.

She did have a great time though. It was her best friend and she felt beautiful and happy and this was Greece so it was kind of a guarantee that she would have an amazing time. They had dinner and Remus, bless him, charmed a napkin to protect her dress so she could eat like the starving creature she was. They destroyed an obscene amount of Greek food, getting their fill in before they would have to leave.

True to word - Remus took her to see the classic theaters. Lucky for her, one of them was an open-air outdoor theater that still showed movies so they ended up catching a show, Jaws 2, which had her jumping and laughing and suggesting they go for a swim in the ocean after.

Remus, never backing down from a challenge from Fae, took her up on her joke. And so her hair and make-up and gorgeous dress were ruined by the waves, but she had way too much fun to care. They walked along the beach for a while after, sighing over how much they already missed Athens. And then they went for that run on the stadium, got some dessert, and ate the rest of the candies from the other night in Fae's room.

Before they left for their portkey, Fae requested just one more stop after breakfast. She led them to The University of Athens where they had a guided tour, arranged by Fae, with a professor of the school who told them all about the courses, facilities, tuition and scholarship options, living situations, and so on. Euphemia and Fleamont listened attentively, wondering curiously if Fae wanted to go there. Fae was busy watching Remus, feeling rather triumphant at the look of surprise on his face followed by interest and thoughtfulness. He didn't say anything until after they'd gotten back to the hotel and they were waiting in the lobby to go, just letting Euphemia and Fleamont settle the bill.

"You really think I'll be able to go to college one day, huh?" he eventually said, fixing her with a lopsided, slightly shy smile.

"Without a doubt."

He sighed and fiddled with his fingers. She longed to reach for his hand and so he could fiddle with her's instead.

"You have so much faith in me and in the future. I don't know how you do it," he said.

She shrugged. "Not hard to believe in you darling, you are rather exceptional and you've got the awards from Hogwarts to prove it. Besides, the war won't last forever and I rather like the idea of having some hope and excitement to get us through, you know?"

"I suppose you're right," he said with an incredulous laugh.

"I always am. Just imagine, living here? Going to school by the ocean every day? And the library?" she said, grinning and fantasizing.

A similar dreamy look washed over his features. "It'd be amazing. But you'd really live here? Over Italy or Spain or the States?"

She nodded and tossed her hair easily, smiling at him. I'd go anywhere, as long as it's with you.

Unfortunately, what goes up, must come down.

Of the 8 interviews Remus had, 6 asked for a second round. And second round, with a smaller pool of applicants and closer consideration, was where the ministry identification mark for werewolves usually came into play. Any time a potential magical employer offered a job to an ID'd werewolf, said werewolf was compelled to inform them of their condition by the mark. Of course, more often than not, the employer had already found that information out from the available public ministry records.

And so, Remus went from 8 potential jobs, to 6, and then to 0. And then back to 9, because Remus had plenty of other options applications ready to go and was determined. He went hard at the job hunting game and Fae nearly had to open a new notebook just to keep track of all the jobs he'd applied to or would apply to, which ones had answered, which were first round interview, second round, waiting to hear back, ghosted, or rejected. And as with every job hunting process, there was a wildly depressing amount of rejections.

But Fae had prepared for it. She'd hoped it wouldn't happen, but it was the reality of the world. Job hunting sucked and constant hope and rejection was draining and exhausting and hard to deal with. So their routine went back to running every morning, preparing and going to meetings during the days, and running a shit ton every night. Little gifts and lots of practice.

The big change was that whenever he got a letter of rejection, Fae referred to her extensive list of cheer up methods and got to work. The first round of rejections had been some of the hardest, especially because he'd been really excited about the Magic London Museum's Collections Junior Assistant position. She'd surprised him with a long, wild drive, a thorough hike, and an amazing afternoon swimming in a series of waterfalls she'd researched a little while back. He'd been so tired and worn out that he'd fallen asleep on the drive home.

There were trips to secret bookstores and visits to planetariums. Long, luxurious back rubs which were just as cheerful for her as they were for him. Tea at his favorite tea shop in Diagon Alley. Playing with puppies at the pet store. Gifts of singing flower bouquets and signed novels and silk-smooth ink pens with funny phrases engraved. Picnics in the woods, Hide and Hunt with her brothers, chatting with Lily about a good novel, mystery thrillers at the drive-in. Late nights gazing at the stars and chasing conjured fireflies that were faster than birds. And sometimes, he just needed space so she would toss him the car keys and tell him she'd see him later.

As the weeks rolled on and the rejections kept coming, Fae discovered that Remus often just liked to go for a drive with her the most. No music, steady, quiet and thoughtful at first. And then eventually he'd relax, start speeding and playfully swerving a bit more, turn up the music and sing and roll down the windows, smiling and leaning into the whipping summer breeze.

Fae loved those evenings the best. Just them, driving wherever, listening to whatever, talking about absolutely anything like the weird horror factor of corn mazes or how fast they could run the Great Wall of China or what it would be like to transform into a mermaid instead of a werewolf. Being completely themselves together.

"So you and Remus have been pretty close lately," Lily said suspiciously as the two girls idly flipped through magazines on the back porch.

Fae shrugged. "Oh, you know. Just keeping him from freaking out about the whole job thing."

"Mhmm," Lily hummed. "Going for drives and going to the movies and exploring waterfalls together?" she asked.

"Distractions," Fae replied easily, hoping that if she stayed casual, Lily would drop it. "Keeps him from overthinking and helps him remember to have fun time to time."

No such luck.

"Uh huh. And all the cuddling on the couch every night?"

"It's a werewolf thing, I think? It's just nice.. To be close to pack. Like how puppies sleep in piles, you know?" Fae explained, gazing more intently at her magazine. Hmm, that dress was cute. It would go great with her blue gogo boots.

"Finishing each other's sentences?"

Oh come on. They didn't do that that often. "Well like you said, we've been hanging out a lot. No surprise we've picked up each other's verbal cues."

Lily snatched Fae's magazine away and fixed her with a sly look. "The fact that you can't keep your hands off each other?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," Fae said, voice as even as she could force it and meeting Lily's gaze fearlessly. Please, please just drop it. We don't need to talk about this.

As per usual Lily, she went right for the throat. "You're always holding hands or have each other's arms around each other or playing with each other's hair or-"

"We're affectionate people?"

"Maybe you are, but Remus certainly is not," Lily said smugly. "I can't remember the last time he gave me a hug."

"That's because James would kill him. My brother would kill anyone who touched you," Fae drawled.

"Which is exactly my point! I thought you were going to rip the arms off of that waitress who kept touching Remus' shoulder the other day at lunch."

Fae fought a blush. She thought she'd been subtle and at least passably polite. Guess not. "But I didn't, clearly. I'm not crazy like my brother, thank you."

Lily scoffed and tossed her head in Remus' direction. "Fae you're practically eyefucking him right now," she said.

Which was….aggressive, but fair. They didn't normally read magazines outside, but Fae had insisted and had tried to make it look like she was reading and paying attention to girl talk. Damn, she was really not good at being subtle.

"What? He's hot when he has his shirt off, even you can't deny that," Fae said, attempting to defend herself.

Lily gave her a pointed look. "He's literally doing the laundry. He's folding socks."

Fae sighed deeply. He was. Between all the running and the interviews and the cheering up, Remus still insisted on helping out around the house whenever he could as thanks for being allowed to stay here. He helped Euphemia and Fleamont cook dinner most nights. He cleaned up after all of Fae's leftover coffee mugs and water glasses, all of Sirius' discarded shirts and socks and jackets, James' quidditch stuff. He watered the house plants and dusted the bookshelves and did the laundry. Why was it so fucking attractive to see a man do simple housework without being asked?

"Girl, you've got it so bad."

Fae sighed again and let her head thunk to the floorboards of the porch, knocking her forehead a few times and hoping she'd get brain damage. "Fuck it, I know. I know! Ugh. I thought I'd gotten this shit under control!" she whined.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Lily asked, eyebrows arching high.

"It means I acknowledged my very obvious and very unrequited feelings for my best friend and wisely locked them away so it wouldn't make things weird! It's just lately, he's been, and I just, and- fuccccckkk," she rambled, muffling some of it into her arms.

"Well how do you know your feelings are unrequited?"

"Huh?" The dark-haired girl glanced up sharply, frowning in confusion.

"I'm just saying," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "You two are inseparable these days and you're not exactly forcing him to spend all that time with you."

"Well everybody else is busy," Fae answered, biting her lip and trying to keep her eyes from straying back to Remus. Thank Merlin he had the cassette player with him. She'd fucking die if he could hear them right now. She was fucking dying, having this conversation.

"Not all day and all night," Lily argued. "And he can't keep his hands, or eyes, off you either, you know? You should see the way he looks at you sometimes."

"Like how?" How did Remus look at her? Because usually he was rolling his eyes or staring at her like she was some strange, impossible creature.

"Like you hung the sun, moon, and stars in the sky."

"Uh-"

"Okay, well, not the moon. But you get my point. You should go for it, Fae."

Fae shook her head and averted her eyes from Lily's fiery, intense, excited gaze. She clearly had a lot of feelings about this. "I should not. We have a good thing going and I don't want to ruin it."

"You won't ruin it. There's nothing you could do to that boy that would chase him away from you," Lily sassed.

"Wanna bet?"

"Wow. So The Fae is afraid of something. Chicken."

"You have no idea," Fae mumbled, hiding her face back in her arms and letting her gaze stray again. She loved him so much and it would kill her to lose him. She couldn't risk it.

"Think about it. I just know you guys could be really happy together."

And the thing was, even if she was absolutely sure she would never act on her feelings, Fae couldn't help thinking of it. Well, she always thought about being with Remus in a fantasy, late-at-night, kind of way. But seriously considering making it a reality? No fucking way.

But after their little chat, Fae couldn't stop noticing things. Things like the way Remus would put his hand on the small of her back whenever they entered or exited any cafe or shop or even the library. When she was reaching for something on the top shelf, instead of getting it for her, he would put his hands on her waist and lift her up easily, making her shriek in surprise and laugh. At night, when they curled up on the couch, it was almost always leaning against each other and lately he'd taken to just keeping her within the loop of his arms while he read, no matter what position they ended up in. At Lucrecia's, he always shared his treats and fed it to her himself, before slyly stealing some of hers. Whenever Fae reached for his hand to lead him somewhere, he always reached back and laced their fingers together.

And then there was after the July full moon - Fae had been feeling particularly cuddly, which she blamed on the werewolf pack bond thing. After they'd gotten home in the morning, she and Remus had passed out on the couch as usual. They just… hadn't pulled it out or Engorgio'd it before collapsing. So Remus was on his back, probably crushed into the cushions, with Fae curled up on his chest, their legs tangled together. And he just let her stay there, sleeping for half the day. He always woke up before she did and instead of waking her to move her, he had just pulled out a book and read it, holding it above her carefully. When they were both awake, they continued to stay there and used magic to turn on the tv and bring food. And then when it got too hot, because it was the middle of summer, he just cast cooling charms which felt amazing and had her shivering happily against him while he ran his fingers through her hair, untangling it, braiding it, unbraiding it, smoothing it out, doing it all over again all day long. She felt deliriously happy, surely high on some kind of psychedelic drug or somehow in a coma and dreaming, dreaming, dreaming.

Fae rarely needed Euphemia or Sirius to brush out her hair or style it anymore because Remus seemed to constantly be running his fingers through it, playing with it, twisting it up or smoothing it down as he pleased, whenever he pleased. Her hair had never been so obedient or consistently well-groomed.

She couldn't deny that Lily was right about Remus being extremely touchy with her lately. Fae was living for it, definitely couldn't complain. But she wondered if it wasn't because he was so emotionally vulnerable these days and she was his go-to for comfort.

They still went out Saturday nights and Fae continued being designated driver because she wanted Remus to unwind. Which he did. Progressively more with every week. And he was a lot of fun when he was drunk, especially when he clung to Fae to dance and didn't even notice all the pretty girls watching him. That night had been just as fun as the others, but Sirius was looking distinctly green so she called it around 3 and, in what was one of her most amazing solo operations, she corralled them all out of the bar, down two blocks, and into her car. As usual, Sirius passed out and James and Lily were getting there, a ferocious make-out session in the back seat becoming slow and leisurely and nonexistent until Lily fell asleep on James' shoulder. They were all so cute. As long as they didn't throw up in her goddamn car.

Remus, the cutest and clingiest drunk, did not fall asleep with the smooth music and the steady drive. Instead, he slumped deeply in his seat and curled his legs up and hid his face in his arms.

"Fae what if I never find a job?" he asked.

"What?"

"What if nobody hires me and it's like my mom said and I just end up a burden, bumming on your parents' couch for the rest of my life?" he said miserably, words slurring and sad.

Fae sighed. Oh boy, sad drunks were not fun. "Remus, I know it's been hard, but-"

"What if I'm just worthless?" he asked in a very small voice, so quiet and broken she barely heard it.

Fae slowed the car to a stop and pulled over on the side of the highway. Then turned to Remus, reaching out to make him sit up and stop hiding.

"Remus John Lupin, you look at me right now." She cupped his cheeks a little roughly, but she had to make her point very clear.

He sniffled and looked at her, eyes red-rimmed and mouth a small, fragile, wobbly frown.

"You are not worthless. You are not a bum. You are not a burden. What you are is amazing and smart and funny. You are genuinely kind and sweet which is so rare. You're clever and witty and you're completely wonderful," she told him, thumbing away the wetness in his eyes.

"You are the best person I know. You are my favorite person. And you are loved, so loved, no matter what happens. Things will work out. You just need to believe in yourself, okay?"

He nodded very slightly and she smooshed his cheeks, shaking his head back and forth, asking 'okay?' again until he smiled, and laughed, and agreed.

Then she grinned, let go, and started driving down the highway again, laughing and saying, "Incidentally, you're also drunk and kind of an idiot right now, but you're a cute, cuddly drunk so I'll have to let you live."

"You think I'm cute?" he asked, voice bubbly in his happy-drunk ways again.

"Completely a-dork-able," she said very seriously.

"Thank you, Fae," he said. Then his lips landed wetly on her cheek for a slow, purposeful, sweet kiss and she swerved the car so badly that if another car or a cop had been around, they'd be in big trouble.

"A-Anytime darling."

He leaned his head on her shoulder and mumbled, "I love it when you call me darling."

For her friends, she was all over it. But when it was herself, Fae didn't play games with love and didn't fuck with love and preferred to just avoid the topic altogether. That being said, the feelings she had for Remus were becoming so strong and unavoidable that it felt like it was becoming a sort of sentient creature all on it's own, about to burst out of her fucking chest. Especially when Remus got protective or clingy like this.

She'd been gearing up to go on her weekly shopping bitch-a-thon with the miraculously un-hungover Sirius when Remus walked into the kitchen, also unfairly hungover. It had her wondering how much he remembered of the night before.

"Hey," he said, running a hand through her hair as he passed her on the way to the fridge. He took a drink of orange juice and then gave her a teasing smile. "Weren't Sundays supposed to be our day?"

Sirius, who had been eating at the table, tossed a roll at him. "Uh-uh Moony. No you don't. You get her all day every day, but Sunday mornings are my time with Fae. You can't monopolize her mate," he argued.

Remus was blushing. Actually, red in the cheeks, embarrassed, flustered, blushing. "That's not what I-"

To save him, but more importantly herself, from more embarrassment, Fae stepped in. "It was a Hogwarts thing. Right, Remus? Back at school, it was near impossible to find time to hang out, just us, so that's why we decided Sundays were our day," she told Sirius.

Her brother just arched an eyebrow at her and looked slowly between the two of them, implying far too much in the silence.

Fae laughed half heartedly and gave an awkward smile. "But it's summer now and you guys have graduated so…"

"So?" Remus echoed, frowning. Looking disappointed. What the fuck was this morning? What was this summer?

"So I guess we'll just have to pick a new day. After you get a job, so we know what your schedule is. And until then, it's like Sirius said. I'm all yours," she promised.

"Except for Sunday mornings," Sirius added.

"Except for Sunday mornings," she agreed solemnly.

"Yeah, you're right."

"I always am," she said grinning.

And her darling brother wasn't done yet. Oh no. Then he said, "Merlin, what are the two of you going to do when Fae goes back to Hogwarts?"

The look on Remus' face was even more depressed than when he'd gotten the rejection letter from the Central Library in London. And Fae felt the mirror reaction of it like knives in her chest.

As it happened, Remus finally got a job a few days later. A part-time job with the potential to become full-time if he did well, which lined up pretty good timing wise. He'd go in most weekdays between 9 and 4 with the weekends, Thursdays, and every other Tuesday off. By the time Fae went back to school, no doubt he'd be promoted to full-time and start living that 9 to 5 life.

It was at Locke & Key publishing, which was perfect for him, Fae thought. He was an assistant copy-editor, mostly to be working on academic textbooks for lower grades with a few educational fiction pieces. It sounded perfect. And he had been so excited when he read the letter, literally shouting for joy. Kissing Fae on the cheek, lifting her up and spinning her in a circle, setting her down, and then doing the same thing to Euphemia.

He gave Fleamont a kiss and a hug on the cheek too and waltzed Euphemia and Fae around the kitchen while he cooked dinner. And then when the boys and Lily were home too, he told them all about how the first interview had gone great and how they'd tested him unexpectedly for proofreading a manuscript and giving an analysis of it and how he'd done amazingly. And then how the second interview he'd been so sure he wouldn't get the job, but the owner's daughter had stood up for him, insisting that he was the only one who had passed her test with flying colors and that he was clearly intelligent and sane and being a werewolf would have no effect on a regular day job.

Fae was overwhelmingly happy for him. So relieved that he'd finally found a place and that he was feeling confident in himself and his abilities again. Every day he went to work, excited and smiling, and every day he came home the same way, adding to the thousands of stories passed over the dinner table.

He talked about his boss, Mr. Locke and the way he joked with a dead serious face, only to bellow laughter contagiously loud a moment later. He talked about his mentor, Mr. Johnson who was soft-spoken and patient and loved details and loved that Remus had a sharp eye for details. There was the receptionist, Hunter Higgins, who was the same age as Remus, but had gone to Beauxbatons and shared a healthy school rivalry. Vivian who was the eccentric poetry editor and married to George the dreamy-eyed sci-fi editor. And then there was Ms. Locke, who quickly became Lorelei after constantly checking in on Remus and insisting he was capable of more difficult jobs. And then she became Lori after introducing him to one of their best textbook writers and having Remus impress him with the edits and suggestions he'd made to his history book.

Fae was only, mostly, human. And she was also mostly a teenage girl in love and stupid with it. So she took whatever chance she could to hear more about his job, which was easy because he loved talking about it. Worse, she jumped at the chance to come meet him for lunch and be introduced to his coworkers.

"Everybody, this is my best friend, Fae. Fae, everybody."

And well. Okay.

Fae wanted to like Lorelei Locke. She really did. For starters, she had a badass name. Secondly, she'd helped Remus get a job. But Fae had hated her from almost the get-go, partially because her perfume smelled like red roses and was way too strong, partially because she was pretty in a pedigreed and proudly-rich-girl kind of way, partially because she eyed Remus like he was a steak dinner, and partially because her voice was extremely high-pitched like a dog whistle.

But mostly, she hated Lorelei because Lorelei knew about both her and Remus and thought werewolves were cool. Cool, like oh that's so interesting and mysterious and wounded. Like oh that's dangerous and sexy. Like oh you're wild and I want to tame you. She asked a lot of questions about werewolves and Remus was eager to answer them, completely thrown with the idea that someone normal and unrelated to a werewolf could actually be kind to a werewolf knowingly. But Fae read between the lines and the way she laid on compliments for Remus so thickly while pretty much ignoring Fae's presence altogether.

"Oh you're fast? You must be so strong too."

"You can see in the dark? How neat!"

"You're so brave, going through that every month."

Fae went to Locke and Key Publishing for lunch as often as she could without being obnoxious, intrusive, or obvious. Partially because the publishing industry had always been her dream too and she liked the work they did. Partially to spend time with Remus and see him beautifully shine during a job well done, in his zone. But mostly to get to know Lori better. Unfortunately, knowing Lori did not get better.

Lorelei didn't know a thing about Remus as a person and didn't care about the lifestyles or abilities of werewolves, otherwise she'd be interested in Fae too. No. To Lorelei, Remus was conventionally attractive on the outside and a wild creature to show off to her friends on the inside. And Fae did not like her one bit. But who knows? Maybe she was just jealous. She hoped so. Remus finally had a job and she'd hate for it to be wrecked by a spoiled little girl who knew nothing of life's realities and poked him and flaunted him and made him feel like a sideshow attraction.

But then again, maybe there was nothing to worry about. And maybe Fae wasn't the only one who got jealous.

A few weeks into his new job, the Marauders, Lily, and Fae deviated from their usual Saturday night routine to go to the fair and celebrate Peter's birthday, just like they had all those years ago. Peter had been scarce this summer, busy going back and forth between at least six different shops around London and learning a million different jobs. He was doing great. Exhausted, but happy with the work he was doing.

They always saw him on Saturday nights, of course, because otherwise they'd drag him out. But he didn't come around for dinner as much and Fae was happy to spend time with him again. That is, until she was distracted by Remus pulling her onto the dance floor. Then she was blissfully happy to spin around with him for hours and hours, through at least two live bands and a ridiculous number of different genre music. They just couldn't stop dancing and laughing. Couldn't let go of each other.

And of course, the second they did, Fae was hit on by some guy. It wasn't that surprising, she looked really good that night in a cute white crop t-shirt, a pair of high-waisted cut off jean shorts which showed off an eyeful of her toned legs, one of Remus' sweaters tied around her waist so it flared like a skirt when she spun, and a pair of brown, lace-up, high heeled boots. Although, she wished she'd worn lower rise shorts so she could actually feel Remus' hands on the skin of her hips. Thinking about it gave her shivers. It already made her heart race just to be close to him and it made her legs shake when he set his hand on her bare back, just between the bottom of her shirt and the top of her shorts.

"Hey there missy," a blonde boy said, strutting up to her with a clear up-down gaze over her small form. Remus had gone to get them some water, having been thirsty as hell after dancing for an hour or two. Or more? She had no clue what time it was and she had zero interest in this guy.

"Do I look like a 'missy' to you?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

The blonde smirked charmingly. "No, but you look like you would like to dance with me," he said. And honestly, not that bad of a line.

"She doesn't," Remus growled, dumping his cup of water over the blonde guy's head and in the same motion, wrapping his arm possessively around Fae's waist and guiding her away. He handed her the other cup of water and she took a long sip, eyeing him sharply over the rim of the cup. He just kept glaring into the distance, arm around her with fingers splayed over her abdomen, and her heart raced, raced, raced.

"What if I had wanted to dance with him?"

He flicked his intense gaze to her. "You didn't."

"So sure of yourself," she teased.

He took the water from her hand and tossed it in a nearby trash can before walking forward and backing her onto the dance floor. She went, stunned by his aggression, by his closeness. "Aren't you always telling me to be?" he teased back, settling them back into position and moving her in smooth circles with ease, despite her dazedness.

"Well. Yeah. It's just."

"Just what?" he asked, voice smooth and low and laughing.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. Then she grinned devilishly, unwilling to just be charmed so completely by his little tough guy act, as sexy as it was. "It's good. You look good like this."

He grinned back and pulled her closer, smoothing his hand over the center of her back, fingers soft and firm over her hot skin. A slow, melodic, sensual song came on, one of her favorites. To her surprise, Remus raised the hand he was holding up, hooking her fingers behind his neck so her arms encircled him. Then he shifted closer still, one of his long legs sliding between hers and a second, big, long-fingered, hot hand settled on her back as they swayed back and forth.

Stubborn and bold and dying inside, Fae met his challenge and pushed in closer, sliding her chest against his, hip to hip, legs sliding as they rocked and slowly grinded. She kept their eyes locked as her fingers curled over the nape of his neck and rubbed like she knew he loved. His eyelashes flickered with pleasure and pretty blue eyes took on a more grey, heated daze. They had never danced like this before, not even for funsies or for a laugh. She exaggerated the sway of her hips under his hands which had slid down from her back, holding her tightly and a few fingers dipping below her jeans just slightly.

He took one of her hands, spun her out, twirled her, and pulled her in so her back was pressed against his chest, still slowly rocking to the song. She laughed wildly, pressed back against him, head tilted to the side so her neck was open to him. The curve of her spine arched, pressing her ass against him and continuing that maddening sway. It had the double effect of pressing his leg up and hard between her legs even more and she bit her lip, grinded down just a little. Fuck.

This time when he spun her, he pulled her back to dip her low, leaning deep over her chest and stopping just shy of his lips skimming between her breasts and down her stomach, eyes locked the whole time. She hooked one of her legs up on his hip, arched hard, and slid sensually back up to lock her arms around his neck again. They were both breathing hard as Fae affectionately headbutted his jaw and then pressed against him hard, reaching up on tip toes to bump their foreheads together softly, eyes still unable to look at anything besides each other, swaying, swaying, swaying.

She broke their gaze first, doing that stupid, impulsive thing where she glanced down at his mouth and thought very hard about giving in and kissing him right now. Except when she glanced back up, she saw him doing the same thing to her.

Take a chance Euphemia had said.

You'd be happy together Lily said.

"Guys we gotta go!" James yelled, shooting past them with Sirius right on his tail, nearly knocking them over. Several vendors were coming down the row towards the dance floor, shouting angrily. Fae laughed hysterically, turned, and ran, fingers laced with Remus' on instinct.

"Really guys?! Again?!"

Things were the same between them, as if it never happened. They still went running every morning and evening. Still shared treats at the cafe and talked about books and sang loudly to music while driving wherever. Except, that was bullshit and it felt like everything had changed under the surface. Fae was simply on fire whenever he was within a foot of her. They were as touchy as ever, but now there were extra slow slides and purposeful grips and extremely aware fidgeting. It was driving her crazy and every day left her breathlessly happy yet increasingly restless at night.

She couldn't stop thinking. Couldn't stop wondering if maybe he did have feelings for her. He wasn't an emotional wreck anymore now that he had his job, but he seemed as clingy and happy to constantly be with her as ever. And what if he did? What if it was just this goddamn heat, this overwhelming desire that was also wrecking her? Not romantic, but lustful and primal. But what if it was romantic? What if he wanted stargazing and laughing in fields all night together just as much as she wanted slow dancing and grinding and touching everywhere. Sensations and memories of the fair overwhelmed her and sent her hand sliding down between her legs more nights than she cared to admit.

Could she really risk their friendship? Could she just kiss him and hope they'd be together forever? As friends and as more? Or as more? Or?

But then again, time wasn't exactly on their side. Before she knew it, August was ending and it was almost time to go back to school. The summer disappeared in the blink of an eye and the highs became mixed with the lows of realizing she'd be spending months without him soon. Suddenly, the whole feelings thing seemed less important. Much less important than just being able to keep their friendship stable while hundreds of miles apart. Forget romantic or sexual anything. She just needed Remus to be a part of her life.

Things were easier when she could focus on that instead - on having the most fun they could in the days remaining and on making plans to write all the time, owls and their shared notebook, and to meet for the full moons and in Hogsmeade whenever they had a chance. Remus seemed just as anxious as she was about her upcoming departure, just as eager to prove that their connection was strong and a little distance and time wouldn't shake it. So their last few days of summer were bright and happy and filled with laughter.

The night before she had to go back to Hogwarts found them breaking into the neighborhood pool by Peter's house. It had started with a comment from James about Remus being a boring working man now and had somehow escalated here, but she wasn't arguing. Breaking into places was fun. Hopping the fences, because simply apparating took the run out of it, setting loose her fairy lights around the stone ground, shushing each other's bubbling laughter until Fae eventually just gave up, whooped loudly, and jumped into the pool.

Remus jumped in after her and they ended up splashing and laughing hysterically while shoving each other around and trying to drown each other and just flopping around and making so much obnoxious noise, so sure they were going to get caught, but they never did. Fae had always been pretty good at silencing charms. She dared him to jump off the diving board and the little coward jumped off the shorter one, aiming to splash her as much as possible. She dove in and yanked him under water, both resurfacing a second later and giggling madly while she made 'Jaws' noises.

The initial rush eventually died down and for a while they just floated, talking about everything. And then just floating and talking about nothing at all. And thinking a lot. Fae got out of the water and climbed the high dive. She went all the way up and walked to the edge, looking down and assuring herself that the hole in her gut was from fear of heights and not from having to leave Remus tomorrow.

"We hate heights, why are we up here?" Remus whined a moment later, having followed her up, but staying far back by the rails.

"Maybe I want to face my fears?" Fae said, turning towards him and sort of joking.

He scoffed and smirked at her. "You don't have fears, you have things you don't like to deal with."

"True," she said laughing. And then smiling sadly. "Like the fact that I don't want to be without you for a year."

His smirk disappeared. "It'll go by fast," he said.

"Yeah I guess.."

"I'll come see you every Hogsmeade and every full moon," he promised.

"It's not enough though," she found herself saying before she realized what was coming out of her mouth.

"What?" he asked.

She bit her lip. "Where you're concerned," she said. "It's never enough."

Remus stared at her. And then he was across the diving board, wrapping her up against his chest, big hands on her cheeks as he slammed their mouths together heatedly. Fae gasped and his tongue slipped inside, stroking and tasting her obsessively. Her fingers dug into his hair and fisted as she arched up and kissed back so hard. So hard with everything she had, lips massaging, coming unstuck, sucking bottom lip, tongues teasing, back together in nearly damaging collision. They fell.

They fell right off the diving board, crashing into the water with yelps, and then resurfacing with splutters and coughs. Caught sight of each other, started laughing at the same time. And then he was rushing forward again, snaking his arms around her in a tight, inescapable grip and kissing her senseless. Senseless except her senses were completely alive, body scorching wherever skin met skin, heart racing right out of her chest, fingers and toes tingling, mouth and tongue searching and searching and stroking and kissing him forever.

They were both moaning and gasping and then a cry left her mouth automatically as her back hit the wall of the pool and finally, he had a solid surface to push her against, to align his body with hers. But still, the water made it too tricky. So his hands slid down her chest and her waist and bruised her hips as he lifted her onto the stone ground outside the pool. Their mouths disconnected for a minute and Fae scratched his back, yanking on him in a hurry to get him out of the pool and falling on top of her, heavy between her legs as she encased his hips and arched against him.

His body was slick and firm and warm and alive. She wanted to feel all of it, lick and touch and experience every inch. But she was far too impatient. Too hot and out of her mind to act on anything other than writhing impulses. Their mouths reconnected as he pinned her to the ground and a groan ripped out of his throat as she ground up against him. His length was hot and hard, pressing against her and she wanted more. Needed more, now.

She rolled them and sat up, fingers likely scratching more gouges into his shoulders as she yanked him up with her. Her mouth met his neck harshly in hot, open-mouthed, sucking up and down while her thighs shuffled forward to wrap as firmly and closely as possible around his hips. And then she ground down, hard, rubbing herself against his stiff cock, both of them crying out wildly at how fucking good it all felt. So good, so fucking good. Her body was nearly shaking with how good it felt and how badly she wanted more. His arms wound around her back, constricted tight enough to make them press together again, more shuddering and moans. Then his arms let go and his hands found her ass pulling her against him at the same time she pushed, undulated, began to ride.

Fuck, if it weren't for his swim trunks and her shorts, she would be taking him and riding him. As it was, their mouths had met again and they were grinding so frantically that it was only a few more minutes before he jerked, froze, and moaned loudly. The sound of his orgasm, the look across his face, and a final jerking grind against him of her own had her coming right after.

They panted heavily against each other, Fae slumping forward to bury her face in his neck and try and regain her breath. Oh fuck, that had been so good. And her mind finally stopped working against her. The fire dimmed, but didn't die, and she started laughing against him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugging him tight when he started to laugh too. She pulled back and smiled, smiled so bright, but not brighter than his pretty blue eyes or the way he was smiling back at her. They met in the middle, kissing again and unable to stop until there was a particularly strong 3am breeze to remind them that they were soaking wet and on the ground of a public pool.

Back to shushed, secretive laughter and giddiness, they stood up, cast a drying charm, and retrieved their clothes, clinging to each other and unable to let go for a second. When he tried to put on his shirt, she took it and slipped it on herself, vanishing her own shirt and grinning mischievously. He kissed her hard and apparated her to the Potter home.

They landed in the backyard, but that wasn't close enough so Fae apparated them again, this time landing them in the hallway. They stumbled and he pushed her up against her door, kissing hard and pressing against each other desperately again. The loud sound of her back hitting the wall made them pause and giggle and shush, hoping nobody would wake up and interrupt them. Fae opened her door and yanked him in with her, shutting it as quietly as she could and casting a silencing charm before she jumped on him. His hands wrapped around her thighs and carried her weight easily, cores hot and grinding and rubbing. Fuuuccckk he was already hard again. He was all ready for her again so soon and it drove her wild with want as the kisses began to turn biting and harsh.

Fae went for his neck again, determined to leave a hickey, but Remus threw her down on her bed instead. He crawled up between her legs and settled over her, hips grinding almost immediately as they met. Fae tossed her head back and moaned, trusting in her charm and not even bothering to be quiet anymore. He inhaled sharply at the sound and then growled and went for her neck himself, mouthing hotly and licking and tasting every inch before settling down near her shoulder and sucking hard, teething just a bit. She moaned again and arched up harshly, hands scrambling for his back and feeling the muscles move, the beautiful stretch of his shoulder blades, the long line of his spine, the strong curve of his waist as he thrust against her, the firmness of his abs as she felt and felt all the way down.

She felt him through his shorts, palming him and rubbing him, making him gasp and whine and cry out sweetly. Then she reached inside and wrapped her hand around his hot, hard, length, stroking up and down, even more turned on at the slippery feeling of his previous orgasm easing the way.

"Oh- shit Fae!" he groaned and Fae writhed again, whining and rubbing against him at the mere sound of his pleasure-rough voice. She stroked him harder, thumbing over the tip, squeezing as she slid back down. Repeating anything that caused him to make another sound as he panted and squirmed against her neck. Her other hand smoothed back up his body, feeling everything slow and firm before curling at the nape of his neck and pulling his hair hard. He came a second time, this time with her name spilling from his sweet kiss-bruised mouth. She needed more kisses, now. So she took them, pecking him cutely as he shuddered and tried to regain his breath.

As he slowly came back to himself, he planted his hands on either side of his head and pushed up enough to meet her face to face again, gazes locking intensely. They met in the middle, kissing sensually and slickly. Fae's head fell back down and she arched her back, whining again because she still needed so badly to come. Remus moaned softly, took one of his hands and began inching it up her shirt. His shirt. They removed it altogether and Fae quickly tossed her swimsuit top with it. A moan erupted from her as his mouth descended on a breast, tongue playing with a nipple relentlessly. She tossed her head and then saw his other hand still there.

While he kissed and licked at her chest, Fae reached up and took his hand in her's, bringing it to her mouth and sucking on his long fingers. Remus stopped and looked up at her sharply as she laved over his digits, put them in her mouth and got them soaking wet. His wet hand was guided down her body, under the hem of her panties, and then curled around her soaking core.

"A-aaah, oh gods," she breathed as she pressed his fingers against her. He was still staring at her in shock and she arched up to kiss his lips and bite them, before falling back down and tossing her head back in pleasure as her hips ground against his hand, wordleslly begging him to fuck her that way, please, now. He got the hint and his fingers began stroking, sliding back and forth and sending volts of electricity all through her.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, Remus!" she screamed as his fingers pressed harder, moved more steadily. So close, she was so close, his hand felt so good, her thighs quivered and moved relentlessly against his hips, squeezing and shifting as her hips pulsed, pulsed, pulsed and his fingers slid in.

He kissed her lips sweetly, once, twice, three times, sucking on her bottom lip and then kissing down her neck to lave over the bite he'd given her. Her entire body jerked as his thumb played with her clit and three long fingers wiggled deep and smooth and so good.

"Remus, please, please, O-oh. Remu- fuck!" she whimpered, body shaking and colliding with his as she jerked and came hard. He stroked her through it and then removed his hand when she started whimpering and trembling. They kissed again and again, until Fae fell asleep in a daze of orgasmic bliss.

When she woke up by herself, she knew something was wrong. She went looking for Remus, hoping he was just in the shower. No, Sirius said, he went into work early to make sure he'd be off on time to see her to Kings Cross. Which, weird, but okay, not impossible. She packed her things in a daze, euphoric and scared and anxious and joyful and terrified. Fae picked his t-shirt up off the floor and held it to her chest, happy for the proof that last night had happened. Shaking with worry about why Remus hadn't been there when she woke up. Dreading having to say goodbye. She packed his t-shirt into her trunk and gave Sirius a hug, since he hadn't been able to get off work. Same to Euphemia and Fleamont who had duties with the Order to fulfil. Hugging them so close and giving them lots of kisses and promising she'd be fine getting to Kings Cross. She waited on the porch. At ten minutes til, she apparated straight to the station.

And there he was, waiting with Lily and James and Peter.

It was moments like this that allowed cheesy writers to get away with using the phrase 'the world was ending' when no apocalyptic event was actually destroying the world. Fae took one look at Lorelei hanging off Remus, Remus who still smelled like Fae and had a hickey on his wrist, peeking out of his sleeve. Remus who was meeting her broken, shattered gaze head on, with pity in his eyes. And it felt like the world was ending.

He'd had her. Remus had Fae for one night, and decided he'd rather literally anybody else, including the spoiled daughter of his employer who fetishized werewolves like dangerous luxury pets.

She was lurched away suddenly, someone's arm clotheslining her face and obscuring her vision while another person's arm hooked around her waist. They didn't stop walking for a second. Fae let herself fall and be shoved and moved like a marionette with all the strings cut off.

Fae was practically dropped onto a bench in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, already wrecked and eyes dripping tears and knees just completely not working. The door slammed shut and Romilly and Regulus surrounded her with their arms and soft, sweet words that Fae just couldn't hear. Fae lurched for the nearest body, hugged their chest, and sobbed the whole way to Hogwarts.

---

A/N: For those of you curious - the song I imagined them dancing to at the fair was Andante, Andante as sung by Lily James in Mamma Mia Here We Go Again.

Also, sorry not sorry. I couldn't make things that easy for Fae and I'm afraid this is just the beginning. Life is a bitch and how good it can be is proportional to how we handle it. I, and Fae, wouldn't be who we are if not for the challenges and obstacles we have and will encounter.