He had honestly completely lost track of the date. Remus looked in askance around him. If he had remembered what day it was today, he would not have nipped into the Muggle world. It was the wrong day to pick for a break.

All he had wanted was to be by himself or a few hours without someone else looking on him in suspicion. Ok, he had long since given up on pretending to be a nameless face drifting in and out of Packs to see what side of the line they fell on. Every 'task' or 'mission' he'd been on in the past few months had been purely as Albus' man. Not that he had much of a choice, he was back on the UK mainland where his face was far too well known.

"Thanks to Severus and Miss Skeeter," Remus muttered only a bit bitterly.

Yes, he still understood why Severus had done what he had done what he had done, he wasn't bitter over that actually - though Dora, Tonks, was bitter enough for both of them. It was Rita Skeeter's article in the aftermath that got to him. It had basically got him blacklisted from possibly working in the Wizarding World again. He shook his head violently and wrapped his threadbare coat tighter around his shoulders. It didn't keep out much of the February chill. He longed for the thick cloak that Nympha-Tonks and Padfo- no, Sirius, had got him the Christmas before last but he refused to bring it on any of these trips, missions, whatever you want to call them. Werewolves didn't have such nice things, could never afford them and even if they briefly could it would soon be sold as soon as money ran out. Heat wasn't as important as food for survival. Also, you never had confidence that your belongings weren't going to be stolen. Especially if you were a drifter, not belonging to any Pack. There wasn't any loyalty, however shallow, in that case. People were just too desperate for that. They needed to eat. Needed to survive. He couldn't have worn it in the muggle world anyway.

But back to why it was the wrong day for him to take a break. It was Valentine's Day. Or, close to it though he suspected that it was the former by all the couples milling about. Any other day of February and the park would have been abandoned, no one liked rambling in the cold, but not today. Today romance ignored physical discomfort as people aspired to have the perfect 'date'.

He eyed the young couple ahead of him. They were dithering, both holding tight to their coats and pressing close together, a picnic basket held between them. Someone had definitely not thought that one through. If it had been him, he would have cast a warming charm around them, or at least on the clothes. Though, he suspected they were muggles so that wasn't exactly an option. Not that a warming charm did anything against this infernal wind chill. Especially when your clothes didn't do much to keep the cold out in the first place.

Nymphadora wasn't exactly a picnic person anyway. He shook his head. Tonks. Her name was Tonks. And it didn't matter what type of date she preferred. She wasn't his. Or did he not remember that? This day wasn't exactly making that easy.

Another couple were strolling across the grass, completely absorbed in each other. So absorbed, in fact, that they collided with a bench. It didn't seem to faze them, if their laughter was indication. The young man easily jumped up and help his girlfriend to her feet. A very familiar action. He sharply looked away.

Only for his eyes to catch another couple. This pair were kissing. Quite passionately under a tree. Remus felt a bit awkward just witnessing it. He never understood how people could so easily do something like that in public. He could never. Not that he had many experiences to test that theory. Tonks was the type of woman who would do something like that. Had done something like that. But hers had been more of a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing. Kind of like her. Nope. Another head shake. He wasn't supposed to be thinking of her.

He spun on his heels and walked in the opposite direction from the kissing couple. It was getting more heated anyhow, if where each of their hands were placed were anything to go by. His time he kept his eyes firmly in the ground. This way he wouldn't mistakenly see any more couples. He was going to leave the park as well. That would help.

Unfortunately, something Remus failed to take into account was if you kept your eyes on the ground instead of up, you couldn't exactly see where you were going. And if you couldn't see where you were going-

"Ouch."

"Hey!"

'Splash'

Brown liquid splashed across the ground on his trouser leg. It was hot.

"Oh, my word, I am so sorry!" Remus apologised.

There was one of those take-away coffee cup things on the ground, its contents everywhere, its owner looking down at it in dismay. It was a man and beside him was who Remus assumed was his girlfriend who wasn't looking too impressed. Remus wouldn't be either, if it were him, it smelled like it had been hot chocolate.

"I am so, so, sorry," Remus repeated.

"It's fine," the man said, not sounding annoyed at all.

"You should look where you're going," the girl snapped.

"Hey, it wasn't on purpose," the man said, pulling at her jacket.

"I'll buy you another," Remus said, rummaging in his pockets and praying he had some muggle currency on him.

The man stopped him, "Nah, it's fine. I was basically done."

"You sure?" It was a lie and Remus knew it.

"Yeah, no hard feelings."

With that, the man clapped him on the shoulders and continued down the path.

"Jenny!" he called to the woman.

She gave him a sneering look up and down before making an annoyed noise and flouncing over to her boyfriend, hooking her elbow with his.

"Honestly, I see why he's alone on Valentine's Day," Remus heard as the two of them walked off.

Remus sighed and looked longingly after them. Couples. A pang shot through his heart. Pairs. Two parts to a whole. No. That was ridiculous. You were whole whether you had a partner or not. You didn't need another person to be complete. He was doing just fine. He was dependant on nobody. It was better this way. For everyone. Yep. Didn't need anyone.

He reached the gates of the park and looked behind him, unable to stop himself from taking everyone in.

Then how come it was so difficult?