Chapter twenty-one: a big surprise

It promised to be a chaotic Christmas. Arthur Weasley had been attacked in the Ministry of Magic on a patrolling duty. He was lethally injured when they found him. When he was brought into St Mungo's the healer on duty had said that if they had been half an hour later, he wouldn't have made it. Somehow, Harry had seen the attack in his dream, which meant his connection to Voldemort was stronger than they had anticipated. It was enough to give anyone sleepless nights.

All of it should be more on Remus' mind, he thought. He should be really concerned about Arthur and Harry. The Order was in a right state about it. People started to get scared, now that they saw the true danger of being involved with a rebellious party.

However, Remus had whole other reasons to have sleepless nights. Last night he hadn't slept at all, and it had nothing to do with the war. He had sat the entire night on the tiny balcony – freezing his toes off but not caring enough to do something about it – looking up at the stars. It had been a clear evening but he couldn't see the moon. He loved it when he couldn't see the moon. Most people looked at the moon in wonder, but all he did was calculate the days until it was full again. So with dark circles under his eyes but an energetic nervousness keeping him awake, he waited on platform 9 ¾ as the scarlet steam train rolled into the station.

In a matter of moments the whole station was filled with steam from the train. Slowly the crowd dispersed from the train and onto the platform. It was crowded with teenagers and family members happily embracing each other. Remus strained his eyes to find the person he was looking for. Then he saw her.

Graceful as ever – in his eyes anyway – Alicia walked over the platform like an entity that was not to be messed with. Ever since she had returned from Romania she carried herself a bit more confident, throwing her shoulders back and striding forward purposefully. If she wasn't intimidating enough on her own to some people, the big strong dog with the endless eyes next to her should seal the deal. Together they formed a fairy tale story, walking through the steam clouds as they did.

'Hey Moony!' she smiled. At once her bad-ass attitude faltered to make room for her bubbly personality. She placed her suitcase on the floor and hugged Remus tightly around his neck. She had to stand on her toes to get close. Remus felt happy and calm at once as he felt her in his arms again. It felt like ages since he last saw her, when in reality it had been a mere two months.

'Hey Nessie,' Remus mumbled in her ear. His smile couldn't be wider as he could finally hold his girl in his arms again. After a long-lasting hug he released her. She started to lean forward, her eyes looking to his lips and back up to his eyes as if asking: 'May I?' Before she could lean in, Remus drew back a bit. She furrowed a brow.

'Are you sure? With so many people watching? Your cover…' Remus said as he at once was reminded of the façade she had to keep up. On second thought, he shouldn't have come here at all.

All she did was roll her eyes. Then she grabbed the lapels of his coat and brought her lips to his in a harsh, rushed kiss that didn't last long enough. She released him as quickly as she had grabbed him, licked her lips and said: 'Let's do some more of that when we get inside.'

Butterflies were fluttering around in his stomach. They walked out of the train station hand in hand.

Sirius was very glad to see Alicia. He could hardly hold himself back when he saw her walking through the door. They hugged tightly, and Remus watched them for a moment. A part of him – most likely his wolf part – looked upon them with envy. Alicia and Sirius had shared a bond that he didn't fully understand, because most of their relationship was built in moments when he had been absent. He remembered the day when Alicia had been attacked by a dementor, and she had sworn loudly and had wished that Sirius was captured and had to deal with a dementor's kiss. That Alicia had changed her mind when she had found Sirius Black in the Shrieking Shack, and some days Remus wished he knew how that conversation had gone. How had Sirius convinced her of his innocence? Why hadn't she stunned him and dragged him to the castle? He didn't doubt that she could have done it, so it had been a choice to protect and aid him. Some things would remain a mystery to him, he decided.

When the both of them broke off the hug they joked a bit back and forth. When Alicia fell silent, Sirius his expression changed. He looked guarded and played with his hands nervously.

'Nessie, about your latest letter...you shouldn't think that way,' Sirius muttered, maybe hoping Remus wouldn't hear him.

Alicia shook her head, which made her long locks bounce around her face. 'No need to talk about it Pads. I…I shouldn't have send that letter. I was in a bad state of mind.'

'I can imagine that! After-,'

Alicia shushed him and averted her eyes. Remus watched them both, wondering what this was about.

'No need to tell me then?' Remus asked simply. He wasn't mad, just curious.

Alicia looked him in the eye. 'It's not really important. Please believe me. I don't want to talk about it anymore.'

Remus shrugged. 'Okay. You are not the only one with a secret, anyway.'

This piqued her interest. 'Oh?'

Remus smiled enigmatically. 'Can I have your suitcase for a moment?'

With a curious smile on her face, she presented her suitcase to him. Remus waved his wand. The suitcase jerked around like something was alive in it, but then it fell silent again. Nothing seemed different about it.

'This is getting more and more interesting,' Alicia stated with a chuckle. She reached to open the suitcase but Remus stopped her.

'I just changed the contents to fit what you need,' he told her with a beaming smile. He really needed to downplay his excitement.

She looked up at him with a confused look. 'Need for what?'

Remus stuffed his wand away and hooked his thumbs in the rim of her trousers. He pulled her closer to his body so he had a bit more height advantage over her. He kissed her cheek before he told her: 'We are going on a little vacation. Just you and me. I will not tell you where we go. You just have to trust me.'

A whole bunch of emotions crossed her face, but the most prominent was a joyful, excited smile. 'I always trust you,' she told him.

It sounded so heartfelt, it was enough to undo Remus. He kissed her again, meaning for it to be a short kiss but Alicia's lips lingered and kept asking for more. Every time he tried to pull away she would reach just a bit further and get her lips back to his. Remus smiled as she continued her little game.

'You haven't changed your mind yet? About bringing your loyal dog along on this trip?' Sirius suddenly said. With a blush on their cheeks they broke off their kissing game. Remus looked a bit dazed at the third person in the room, he had forgotten for a moment that he was there.

'No, Sirius,' Remus said, trying to sound stern but failing terribly, 'We are not bringing you.'

Right at that moment Charles barked. Sirius gave it a dirty look. 'But he can come.'

'He isn't a person,' Alicia said as she ruffled the hair of her dog. 'He isn't going to tell anyone if he sees us having sex.'

Sirius huffed. 'Like I would want to see…never mind. Have fun in Italy.'

Alicia gasped and turned back to Remus. 'Did he just spoil the surprise?'

Remus gave Sirius a look. Sirius didn't even dignify it by looking guilty. 'Well, luckily I know this man so well I knew there was a risk he would spoil it. So I gave him false information. Now at least you know it is not Italy.'

Sirius gasped dramatically. 'The lack of faith you have in me!'

'You did just prove my point.'

'Yes but still! I'm disappointed Lupin.'

Remus rolled his eyes and ignored his best friend. He drew Alicia closer to him and kissed her cheek lightly, not meaning to start snogging in front of Sirius again. 'We are leaving after dinner. That gives you some time to catch up with this nuisance. We will be back here on Christmas eve, so we can spend that with the Weasley family. Hopefully Arthur will be out of St. Mungo's by then.'

Alicia did a little jiggle. 'I'm excited! I wonder what you have in store for me Lupin!'

Remus smiled down at her with a knowing look. 'I promise, I am going to render you speechless.'

After spending some time with Sirius and generally feeling happy Alicia couldn't wait to figure out where they were going. She hadn't expected Remus' surprise at all, which made it even better. She loved Sirius as much as Remus did, but she had to admit she really wanted to spend some time alone with her partner. At Hogwarts they had their moments, but there was always the fear that someone could walk in. And on one unfortunate morning that actually happened.

All Remus had said so far was that she would need her coat and some warm clothes. Alicia had pulled on a white knitted sweater and black trousers. Her coat was dark, reached to her calves and was fireproof. The coat had been her main clothing item since she started her internship at the RDS. It looked worn and smelled of pine trees and mud, but she couldn't part with it. Despite the fact that she wasn't working with dragons anymore on a daily basis, she loved to be prepared for anything. And a fire-repellent coat often came in handy.

Remus came down from the stairs with his own suitcase in hand. He was wearing a beige cardigan that he was wearing most days, but underneath he wore a new lilac button-up shirt that added a splash of colour to him. He placed the suitcase on the floor to pull on a warm winter coat, which, unsurprisingly, was beige of colour. His hair looked neater than it did before and he wore a happy smile on his face. Alicia loved seeing him like this. For a moment, they forgot the burning world around them and focused on a holiday trip.

'Ready?' Remus asked while raising an eyebrow. He held out his hand towards her.

Alicia turned around to give Sirius a quick peck on the cheek before she took Remus' hand. Her other hand grabbed Charles by the collar. They disapparated.

After her head stopped spinning Alicia could take in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that it was a lot colder. They were outside and the sun had set. She saw her own breath fog in front of her.

Then she heard a whistle. She looked up and saw she was standing on a train platform. It was a tiny old-fashioned platform with only one building where tickets were sold. Behind her was a road with a couple of houses. The style of the houses and the scenery around her told her they were not in the UK anymore.

'Well this is a good start,' Alicia laughed. 'The place looks like a fairy tale.'

Remus chuckled. 'Still haven't seen enough magic, have you?'

Alicia watched the train approach their tiny station. The train also looked like an idyllic picture. Like the model trains in Christmas decorations. She smiled. 'Never.'

Charles barked as the train approached. Two elderly ladies further down the platform looked disapprovingly, so Alicia quickly conjured a leash. It was only for show, because Charles would never walk away from her. He obeyed orders better than a show dog.

'Are we taking this train?' Alicia asked.

'Yes. Our journey doesn't end here. I could have brought us to our destination straight away, but I think you will like this more. The landscape is beautiful and you will have some time to guess where you are,' Remus said happily. He showed their tickets to a railway guard and they boarded the train.

Remus was right; Alicia greatly enjoyed watching the dark landscape glide by outside the window. There were pine trees close by and mountains in the distance. They passed by several little villages that were decorated with Christmas lights. And finally, after driving for half an hour, it started to snow. It made Alicia feel like she was in a snow globe.

'I've never felt myself fit so perfectly in a Christmas story,' she told Remus, her nose still touching the window. Beneath her nose the glass was fogged up by her breathing. 'We must be in Scandinavia right?'

Remus looked up from the book he was reading, a small adoring smile on his face. 'Yes, we are in Norway. On our way to meet Santa Claus!' Remus exclaimed while flinging his arms wildly about. Alicia laughed with him. 'Or well, we are going up North anyway. I found us a nice cosy spot.'

Alicia looked outside as yet another village passed by. 'Are none of them good enough for us?' she said while pointing at the warmly lit streets and houses.

'No they aren't,' Remus said mysteriously. After that he returned to reading his book. Alicia stopped looking outside for a moment to study the beautiful man in front of her. It had been a while since they took the time to do something fun together. She was so grateful for his idea already, and she didn't even know what it was yet.

Remus always looked peaceful and happy when he was reading. Every spare moment he had he dedicated to either Alicia or books. He often got lost in the words he was reading and didn't notice the faces he pulled. He scrunched his nose up when he strongly disagreed with someone's choice, his eyes could pop open wide if he was surprised and he chuckled soundlessly when he found something funny. Sometimes if he was focussing really hard he would run the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip. It was one of Alicia's favourite things in the world.

However, he wasn't doing any of these things as he was reading in the train. His eyes kept re-scanning words he had already read and he tapped a finger against the cover. Was he nervous? He looked like it. Alicia wondered how big this surprise really was.

It took another twenty minutes before a voice announced: Next stop: Tryllestav. Remus put his book in his bag and stood once the train slowed down. Alicia and Charles followed him out of the train. When they stepped outside, Alicia could feel that it was even colder here. They were definitely further up North. The place was packed with snow here. The village looked just like the others had done, with their warm lights and Christmas decorations.

'Not that I don't like it, but what is so special about Tryllestav that the other villages didn't have?' Alicia inquired.

'Look closely,' is all Remus said. As they left the tiny station and stood in a town square, Alicia assessed her surroundings. There were still some people on the street, who looked curiously at the new arrivals. They were clad in thick cloaks and pointy hats. Hold on…

Alicia watched a window display on her right and noticed that the miniature Christmas village was moving around in a way that electronics couldn't fix. The tiny people were walking and ice skating. Then she looked back to a pub that stood on the corner of a street. At first glance it looked like someone had made a nutcracker doll to stand by the door, but it was actually a gnome dressed up as one.

'It's a wizarding village!' Alicia exclaimed. She looked over to Remus and saw the confirmation in his eyes. 'So they are openly magical here? What if a muggle travels here?'

'I believe it is something about the train. You give them a ticket for Tryllestav and they place you in a compartment that goes one stop further than the rest of the train. Or so I think…do you want to see where we are staying?'

Alicia rubbed her hands together. 'Yes please. You prepared me for cold but not this cold! I need some more layers.'

Remus took her hand in his and rubbed it warm. 'Don't worry, we'll be warm soon enough.'

The cottage was everything they had promised Remus it would be. It was on the edge of town and it overlooked a great lake that glittered in the bright starlight. The cottage had a living room combined with tiny kitchen, a bedroom with an enormous soft bed, and a bathroom. There were paintings of landscapes and magical creatures like hippogriffs on the walls, fluffy pillows on the armchairs and sofa, and a fire was already burning in the fireplace. One side of the house was mostly window panes, which looked out over the lake.

'Remus this is a dream!' Alicia sang cheerfully. She danced around in the living area as she inspected the place. 'However did you find this place?'

Remus shrugged simply, trying to downplay the gesture. 'Just asked around. I wanted something special and remote…for multiple reasons.'

Remus swallowed and frowned. He stepped up to the window to see the moon in the sky. It was just bad timing, really. That the bloody full moon had to be tomorrow.

Alicia walked up to him and rubbed his back. 'I'll take care of you. Don't worry.'

Alicia had a way of making it sound like it wasn't such a big problem, to turn into a raging monster every month. He appreciated it a lot. He kissed the top of her head. They both admired the view, but it would always be slightly ruined for Remus whenever he could see the moon.

He stopped himself from slipping into a train wreck of thoughts, as he usually did.

He took Alicia's hands and guided her towards the bedroom. Her eyebrow quirked. 'Are you seducing me, Mr. Moony?'

He chuckled. 'Not yet. I still have something planned for tonight. We are going outside again so I want you to dress warmly.'

She looked a little disappointed, but also curious. 'Alright.'

Remus dressed a bit more warmly himself, but it didn't feel like he needed it. He was burning up already. His body felt like it was on fire. He was sure his cheeks looked more rosy than usual. He had to step out of the bedroom to allow himself some deep breaths. He put his trembling hands in his pockets and stared out over the landscape. He had done alright, hadn't he? It was beautiful here…but maybe she would prefer a sunny beach in Spain? He smiled at his own thoughts, knowing he was worrying about nothing. Alicia would love every form of effort he showed her. And as far as effort went, he thought he was doing pretty well.

'I'm ready,' Alicia announced before she stepped up to him. Remus looked around to smile at her. She had added a winter hat and gloves to her outfit. Her blonde hair poked out under the hat in an adorable way, and Remus' heartbeat sped up even more as he looked at her. They both lined their clothes with heating spells so they would stay warm for hours.

'Good! Let's go. My instincts say you will love this,' Remus said with a beaming smile.

'Your instincts have been right so far,' Alicia wisecracked as she stepped through the door he was holding for her.

It was a little walk up the hill he had planned. It took a bit longer than expected because of the thick snow slowing them down. It reached up to their knees. At the bottom of the hill the trees grew thickly, but the higher they climbed the thinner the forest became. Once they reached the top, they had a clear view all around them. Remus stopped walking.

'Wow,' Alicia breathed as she tried to regain her breath from the exercise. She looked down at the warmly lit village and the glittering lake next to it. Up on the hill it was quite dark, apart from the light coming from the moon and stars. 'I love the view.'

Remus stood next to her with his hands in his pockets. 'It's not bad,' Remus said nonchalantly, 'but it isn't even the reason I brought you up here.'

'What do you…' Alicia turned around to look at him, but as she started talking she saw it. He could see the reflection in her big eyes as she looked over his head towards the sky. Remus threw his head back too.

'Oh my…' Alicia whispered.

They looked up as the aurora became visible. Green, blue and purple coloured the night sky like an impossible painting. The lights danced up and down. Sometimes it almost seemed like there were creatures behind the lights, dancing around each other. In all honesty, there were no words to describe the beauty of it.

Alicia was silently crying. Her big eyes were watery which made the light reflect even more in them. She held a hand up to her mouth as if still in shock. She was utterly blown away by the northern lights.

'Do you like it?' Remus whispered. She gave a choked sob as a reply. It was a bit of a mean question, as he already knew she was too emotional to respond. Remus had to admit that the lights did special things to him too. It was nice that in a world of magic, one could still be amazed by natural phenomenon's. He would almost forget the reason they came up here.

But then he looked at her again, and there was no doubt in his mind. His nervousness disappeared. A fond smile grew on his face. The aurora was beautiful yes, but it was nothing compared to his girl. The way her eyes flickered around to behold all the beauty, the way her lip turned red where she was biting it, the way little strands of hair were poking out beneath the hat around her face. The scar on her cheek didn't bother him anymore; it was part of her unique beauty now. She was raw and delicate, fierce and kind.

Finally she noticed that he wasn't looking up, but at her. Something about the look he was giving her must have tipped her off, because she looked unsure of herself. 'What is it Remus?'

Remus took a deep breath to steady himself. 'You. It's always you. The person that is on my mind all the time. The person that flipped my life upside down and made it so much better. The person that hears people scream 'wolf!' and runs in the opposite direction as the others. You are magnificently beautiful to me,' Remus said in earnest.

This touched her. She exhaled shakily. Her eyes were still watery and she was more emotional than Remus had ever seen her. For once, Alicia didn't have a quick and witty response.

Remus frowned a bit as he continued. 'Alicia we live in dark times. Circumstances have been difficult for us and I don't see them improving greatly in the short run,' he stopped a little moment to see the corners of her mouth drop, 'but we are fighting every day to get to that light at the end.' He took her hands in his. 'I am ecstatic to have you by my side in all this. I wouldn't want it any other way.'

He stopped and took a deep breath. A crease was forming on Alicia's forehead as she was thinking over his words. Then her face went blank as realisation dawned upon her.

Now or never, he told himself as he got down on one knee.

'Alicia Doreen, will you marry me?'

So, what do you think she will say? ;)