27

Lupins' Lake House:

After clearing it with Moody and Dumbledore, Remus and Doe were all set to go to the lake house for the weekend. Doe was extremely excited. An uninterrupted weekend just the two of them sounded perfect. It was exactly what they needed. With all of the stress from work and the Order, the thought of just being with Remus was something Doe would have traded everything for.

So on Friday night, she showed up at the Marauders apartment bag in hand, ready to go. Peter had come to the door and let me in.

" You two must be looking forward to spending time together" he said happily, "what with the war and everything"

Doe nodded, " It's going to be really nice"

" Moony and Doe shacking up for the weekend?" Sirius said leaving his room and throwing on a jacket, " better watch out before you two are married next"

Sirius walked over and gave Doe a quick hug, " I have a date, but you two be careful. I don't fancy coming home to find two of my best friends murdered or something"

" I think we'll try and avoid getting murdered if at all possible" she told him.

Sirius grinned, " Have fun" and with a small pop he disapparated.

Remus came out of his room then, holding a small bag, " You ready?" he asked happily.

Doe nodded, and he took her hand apparating quickly.

Doe didn't know where they were going. Remus held his hands over her eyes and led her forward.

" I can't see a thing" Doe told him.

He held her closer to him, leading her, " Thats the point" he whispered against her neck and kissed her.

" No fair" I pouted.

Remus laughed, " It's just a little further"

They walked forward a few more steps and Remus moved his hands from her eyes,

" Welcome to the Lupin Lake House"

Doe gasped. It was beautiful. It was a wooden house nestled in between a canopy of trees, overlooking a large lake.

" Wow" she said softly.

Remus smiled, " Come on" he said taking her hand and leading her inside.

If at all possible, the inside of the house was even more beautiful than the outside. The living room had a large fireplace and was flanked by large squishy couches.

The kitchen was next to it and it had a little kitchen table, surrounded by armchairs.

The entire house was made of the same worn wood. It was one of the coziest places I had ever been.

" What do you think?" Remus asked coming up behind her.

" It's wonderful" she said still looking around the room in awe. Remus took her bag from her, " I'll bring this to the bedroom"

Doe followed behind him, anxious to see what it looked like. The bedroom was made of brown wooden furniture. In the middle of the room was a large canopy bed with a fluffy white bedspread. It looked like something out of a catalog. Doe sat down on the bed and laid back.

" This is perfect" Doe told Remus, " it's lovely"

Remus sat down next to her, " I'm glad you like it"

Doe leaned over and pulled him on top of her. He laughed, " Now whose enthusiastic?"

She grinned sheepishly, " I could go, if you'd prefer"

Remus rolled his eyes at her and pulled her back into a kiss.

" You know, I could get used to this" Remus called from the bed.

Doe brought in the two cups of hot cocoa she had just made, trying to balance both with one hand, and keep the sheet wrapped around her.

Doe handed him one of the cups and curled back up beside him.

" Me too" she said leaning against him.

He took a sip of the hot chocolate and let her rest her head against his chest.

" I hope we always stay like this" she told him, " this happy and in love"

Remus grabbed her hand, " I certainly plan on it"

" Do you think we will ever end up married one day, Rem?" she asked him.

Remus sighed, " There is nothing I would love more than to be married to you, Doe. But I think that would be profoundly unfair to you, you deserve so much better, someone who doesn't have my condition"

Doe turned around quickly to look at him her eyes wide, " Remus, there is no one better than you"

Remus looked down, avoiding her gaze, " I don't think you fully understand. Being married to me wouldn't be easy. People like me, they tend to be ostracized in society. We're aren't accepted, I wouldn't want to do that to you. You shouldn't have to worry about why people aren't talking to you because of what your husband is, and our future children shouldn't have to be teased for having a werewolf for a father"

Doe grabbed Remus' face by the chin and forced him to look her in the eyes,

" Remus John Lupin" she said pronouncing each one of his names carefully, " I want you to listen to me and listen to me very carefully" she told him.

He looked at her strangely.

" I love you. I always have and I always will. You are the most kind special person I have ever met. This condition? It's nothing more than that, a condition. It does not change how I feel about you whatsoever. You are still the most kind-hearted, brilliant, and unselfish person I have ever met. Our future children would be lucky to have you as a father, and I would be lucky to ever be able to say I was married to you"

Remus looked at her strangely. His expression was soft. A mixture of compassion and sorrow.

He waited a moment and then pulled her towards him, closing the distance between them.

" You're perfect, you know that?" Remus asked stroking the side of her face.

She shook her head, " I'm not"

" Rubbish" Remus said shaking his head.

" Sirius might just chuck himself out a window if another one of us gets married" Remus pointed out.

Doe laughed, " He might actually"

" Actually," Remus said, " You two are such good friends I can see it perfectly, I'll be carrying you home on our wedding night and Sirius will be waiting on the front porch asking 'what took you so long? I was bored'" Remus said with a shake of his head.

" That sounds like something he would do" she agreed.

Remus and Doe sat there talking for the rest of the evening. Lying there wrapped in each other's arms, it was easy to forget everything else.

The next two days at the Lake House were some of the happiest Doe had ever had. They spent most of their days sitting by the lake reading, and their evenings curled up on the couch. It was one of those weekends that Doe knew they were lucky enough to be able to enjoy and that was worth the massive pile of work she would have when she returned.

On their last night there, they were sitting together in one of the large armchairs, reading from the same book when Remus turned to her abruptly, " Can I ask you something?"

She shook her head, " Nope" she joked.

Remus continued looking at her, " I was wondering if maybe you wanted to live together?"

" Me and you?" Doe asked.

Remus nodded, " I think it would be easier, you know. We spend so much time at each other's apartments anyway, and this way you wouldn't have to live alone and I could be there for you. But if you don't want-"

She stopped him, " Remus, yes. Of course"

" Really?" Remus asked.

" There is nothing I would love more" Doe told him.

Remus grinned widely.