Chapter: Of Something Troublesome
Shalan's Say: Sooo… poor ReMuS! I feel awful for him… but sometime here he might get the girl. I hope you like this so far… OF COURSE I HAVEN'T HAD ANY REVIEWS SO I WOULDN'T KNOW!!
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He sighed heavily as he flicked his wand, whipping snow out of his way as he cleared the walkway. He ruffled his brown hair before putting his knit cap back on his head. He shouldn't have been so cruel to her, he shouldn't have avoided her. He was beating himself up over it. As he had been for weeks now.
"REMUS~" his mother sang from the doorway. "Are you almost finished?"
"Yes, sorry…" he apologized. He had been standing out on the front lawn for several minutes now, he half wondered what he was thinking was going to happen? A miraculous change of heart? The one woman on earth that didn't care that he was a werewolf hated him now. He smiled half-heartedly, his mother didn't really care, but she still didn't like him during the cycle.
"Remus, are you alright?" She tilted her head. He shrugged. "They cycle doesn't start again until the end of next week… maybe it's because it's getting close?" She touched his shoulder. "Well go on upstairs and change into something dry." She kissed the side of his head. He nodded and walked up the stairs.
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"Okay, okay, okay…" Sirius licked his lip deliciously as he stared at the chess board. "Shhh…" he hissed at Lily and Mariette. The girls were huddled around the fireplace with James' mother, Dorea. "I can't concentrate with you three over there!" He scowled at them. Charlus chuckled as Sirius went back to what he was doing.
"Sirius, stop being such a grouch!" Dorea laughed as Lily and Mariette painted her fingernails. "You're starting to sound like Charlus."
"I don't sound like that," the eldest Potter complained in return. James snorted into his drink as Sirius finally decided.
"I'm done with this game." He scowled. James laughed out loud, throwing his head back. "Stop laughing! This is dumb," Sirius stood up and stalked out of the room. "Anybody want anything?" He looked over his shoulder at them. His eyes met Mariette's and her eyes softened, her smile flitting across her face.
"Nope, we're alright over here!" Lily said as she looked around them.
"Some more tea, please!" James held up his hand distractedly as his father took over for Sirius, slowly pushing him back.
Sirius nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, sighing heavily. For some reason, despite the fact that his girlfriend and best friend were there he couldn't seem to shake a deep worry in his chest. He ran a hand through his thick black hair with another sigh.
"Ce qui vous tracasse?" He started as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind. He smiled, lacing his fingers through hers as she pushed her head beneath his arm with a smile.
"I'm afraid I don't speak that language," he chuckled as he tightened his arm around her head.
"Siri-SIRIUS!" She yelped as she attempted to extricate her head from his grip. He laughed as she struggled to free herself.
"I've got you now," he flicked his wand at the tea set and walked out, the tea set following as he dragged her, screaming and laughing, by her head into the den.
"SIRIUS! STOP IT!" She shrieked, laughing so hard her face was scarlet and tears were rolling down her face. Sirius merely smiled serenely as he lowered the tea set on the table next to a bemused Charlus and James.
"She put her head there…" Sirius shrugged as she continued to struggle against him.
"SI-RI-US!" He let her go and she dropped onto her rear on the plush carpet. "HEY!" She yelped as he dropped down next to her. "What was that all about?"
"Like I said, you put your head there," he smiled over at her, but his silver eyes lingered on her face. She seemed to notice his gaze and she returned it. She tilted her head as he looked away from her, looking at the fireplace.
"So, James, you all are going to Lily's parent's house tomorrow right?" Charlus asked and James nodded, pursing his lips. "Are you Apparating?"
"Probably…" James pursed his lips. His hazel eyes fell on his best friend for a moment, worry clearly written across his face. Lily noted this, catching his eye for a moment. They were both worried.
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She paced the room impatiently, her hands folded behind her back as she chewed her bottom lip. Sirius had been acting rather odd lately and she couldn't help but wonder why. Lily flicked her long red hair over her shoulder, pursing her lips. James hadn't told her a single thing, besides the fact that Sirius was bothered. She scoffed.
"I'm his girlfriend now supposedly aren't I?" She fumed as she threw herself down on the bed. "So then why can't I be in on it?" She frowned.
"Lily?" She jumped up as she heard a man's voice in the room. "Sorry did I startle you?" Sirius smiled. His eyes were sad, worried, heavy as he closed the door behind him.
"It's okay Sirius, what's going on?" She furrowed her brows. "It's awfully late for you to just be barging in here without knocking."
"I did knock, twice, and you didn't answer," he gave another weak smile. She flushed.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." She looked at the floor for a moment before smiling up at him. "Care to have a seat?" She motioned to the floor as she dropped down.
"Sure why not…" he sighed heavily, flopping onto his back. She snorted as he situated himself, spread eagle on the rug. "Lily Evans, I need your help."
"My help?" She blinked curiously. "What do you need my help for?"
"Because I have a problem that James can't solve… and you're smarter than he is…" Sirius seemed to ponder his statement for a moment, "don't repeat that, he'd set me on fire." Lily laughed.
"Okay, what is it?" Her green eyes sparkled as he tangled a hand in his hair.
"So say you had a friend, right?"
"Yea," she furrowed her brows, this was going to be one of those hypothetical situations that actually existed.
"And you really liked this friend, you liked them a lot. But it feels like they're hiding something from you. You just found out that their parents are something that you don't like and their parents are trying to get them to do the same thing." He paused, looking thoughtful. "What would you do?"
"How serious is the thing you don't like in this situation?" Lily tilted her head.
"Consider it murder."
"Well then I would march right up to them and tell them that they shouldn't ruin their life by following their parents!" Lily said forcefully.
"What if it's not that simple?" Sirius muttered, looking down at his hands.
"Does this have anything to do with Mariette?" Lily put her hand on his gently. "If it does you can talk to me directly about it."
"You know about-"
"She told me about it our fifth year," she sighed softly. "I couldn't believe it, that someone with such a beautiful personality came out of a home like that."
"My family hates Muggleborns." Sirius offered, as if to give another example. "But I don't know why she is so torn! I mean she has you for a best friend!" He stood up, furious. "Her ties to family have nothing to do with her friends, she should just give up on being a Death Eater! She knows where that'll lead her!"
"Sirius, her ties to her family are different than yours, she actually cares about them, even if they are Death Eaters." The redhead attempted to explain to him. "You never cared about your family, hers is very important to her."
"Now that she knows what they're up to they should be less important," Sirius said impudently.
"Sirius," Lily sighed in return. "Maybe you can thinking that way but she can't… it's her family…" she trailed off into silence.
"Can't I be enough?" He said suddenly. Lily stared at him blankly. "Can't I be enough? Do you think that I could be enough?"
"Wha-what do you mean?" She blinked.
"I mean what if I ask her if she'd stay with me after Hogwarts? I have plenty of money, I can get an apartment or a house and she could stay with me…" Lily continued to stare at him slack jawed.
"Si-Sirius you know what you're saying right? Are you drunk?"
"Drunk? What? No! I was just thinking that maybe…"
"Are you in love with Mariette? I only ask because you've only known her since the beginning of the year…"
"Is the time a problem with you women?" He growled.
"No! I was just thinking that I've never seen you like this before…" Lily smiled. "It's nice."
"It's… nice?" He lifted an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I mean usually you get all worked up over some new joke or something… but now you've starting thinking about more adult things… it's nice to see you worrying about other things than just how you're going to get your next detention…" She leaned back against her bed.
"Do you think…" he stalled. "Do you think she…"
"Is falling for you?" She lifted her eyebrows. "Yes. Hard. You better not break her heart Sirius Black or I'll make sure that you never walk straight again." She waved her wand at him threateningly.
"You really think so?" Sirius seemed to never have considered that she was feeling the same way. "So you think if I offered her to-"
"I think if you asked her to do just about anything she'd say yes, Sirius."
"Okay… if you're wrong I'm going to rub it in until the day you die!" Sirius laughed and she smiled.
"Don't worry about it, if she falls as hard as I think she is… you'll have no trouble convincing her that you are the better choice." Lily gasped as he drew her to her feet, then laughed as they cavorted around the room.
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She pursed her lips, closing her eyes tightly. Her long, strawberry blonde hair was straight for once, instead of being neatly curled. She turned her head as her owl hooted from next to her. The Pygmy Owl was just smaller than her fist, but it was certainly a fast little owl.
"Stella… I'm at a loss…" Alina stroked the bird as it hopped onto her finger. "Eh?" She looked up as something tapped at her window. A beautiful Sooty Owl rapped against the glass, a piece of parchment on its leg. She sat up and opened the window, taking the letter just before the owl flapped off to Stella's cage to get something to drink.
Alina
I apologize for avoiding you. If you still have feelings for me would you be willing to see me again? I've been thinking about you all winter and I would like to see you before we go back to Hogwarts.
Please reply, either way.
Remus
She reread the letter several times, blinking blankly at the words for what seemed like hours. Then, as if electrocuted, she jumped across the room towards her notepaper. It didn't take her long to scribble her reply and attach it with fumbling fingers to the owl's ankle.
"Okay, go, go!" She opened the window then slammed it shut behind the owl sprinting down the stairs two at a time. "MUMMY! DAD!" She stumbled into the room. "A FRIEND IS COMING 'ROUND TOMORROW!" She skidded to a stop as her parents looked up from what they were doing. Her mother was folded up on the ground before the fireplace, reading the newspaper. Her father was looking back and forth between a sheaf of parchment back to a clean roll on his lap.
"Who?" Her mother tilted her head.
"He's a friend from school, his name's Remus Lupin." She whirled in a circle with a bit of a giggle. Her father narrowed his eyes.
"Is he a good boy?" Kenneth Caron worked as an Obliviator in the Ministry of Magic, he was generally fairly jovial but this evening he seemed more reserved than normal.
"I think so, you trust me don't you Daddy?" She asked slyly. Her mother smiled brightly as she looked at her husband.
"Oh, we're going to meet him, so why is it a problem?" Dia Caron was the spitting image of her daughter. If one didn't know they were mother and daughter they could pass as sisters.
"I suppose you're right," her father shrugged and went back to what he was doing. "Alright then, is he coming over for supper?"
"Yes, we're going to spend the day together and then hopefully he will come to dinner…" Alina clasped her hands together. His letter had said nothing of the sort, but she was still hopeful.
"Alright, just as long as we get to meet him, is he a Gryffindor?" Her father looked hopeful.
"Yes, sorry Dad," she laughed with her mother as he frowned. "Just because you were a Ravenclaw doesn't mean that he's a bad kid."
"Fine, you're right…" he went back to what he was doing, somewhat miffed.
"Alina! Let's pick out your clothes!" Her mother was on her feet in a second, leaping towards her.
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As he Apparated, appearing with a jolt next to his friends, he couldn't help but wonder if she got his letter. James, Sirius, Lily and Mariette had appeared at his door earlier that morning to drag him out of bed to go with them to Lily's house.
"Something bothering you, Moony?" Sirius glanced over at him as Mariette glanced around her as they walked out of the park. Lily was breathless with excitement to see her parents again but her best friend was breathless with excitement to see the inside of her house.
"Nah, huh?" He lifted his arm into the air as his owl fluttered down from the sky. "You were on your way home?" He tilted his head, stroking the owl's feathers.
"I'm not sure that Muggles are used to seeing owls flapping all over the place, Remus." James laughed over his shoulder. Remus shrugged and pulled the letter off. His heart caught in his throat as he remembered just exactly where his owl had come from.
"He's lost it, look at that wild look in his eyes," Sirius laughed, lacing his fingers through Mariette's. Remus gently opened the little envelope and unfolded the letter, his blood pounding in his ears.
Remus
I would love to see you before school starts. How about tomorrow? We can spend time in London and do some last minute shopping if we need to, and my parents would like to invite you for dinner. Meet me at Piccadilly Circus stop on the Underground at half past 2? I'll be waiting on
Alina
"I'm going on a date tomorrow…" he said to them. Then he did a double take. The date. January third. He stared blankly at his watch. "I'M GOING ON A DATE TODAY!" He yelped.
"What? With WHO?" Lily snatched the letter out of his hand. "With Alina? That's amazing Remus! Congratulations!"
"What-What do I do?" He had suddenly lost his composure.
"What do you mean what do you do? You go!" Sirius said pointedly. "When are you supposed to meet her?"
"Half past two." Remus checked the letter again.
"Okay, we're a bit early anyways. Let's go and get Remus ready," James' smile widened maliciously. "For his date."
"I've never seen your house either Remus," Lily smiled brightly and Mariette nodded vigorously.
"Oh, well it's nothing… I mean it's okay… but you…" his friends were staring at him so earnestly that he threw up his hands in defeat.
"YEAH!" James punched the air and Sirius chuckled.
"We're going to Remus's house, we're going to Remus's house~" was the last thing Remus heard before they Disapparated.
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Remus sighed as he opened the front door, well knowing that his parents were going to be curious. "Mum, Dad I'm home." He said, rather noncommittally as he knocked snow off his boots. "I'm not going to be home for dinner, Mu-" he looked up to find both of his parents peering around their respective walls. His mother's eyes were blinking at him from around the kitchen door and his father's face was gazing at him curiously from the den.
"Remus? Who have you go with you?" His mother asked, her eyes surprised. James and Sirius exchanged glances with the girls. He had never told his parents about them?
"Mum, Dad, this here is James Potter," he motioned towards James, who smiled charmingly. "This is Sirius Black," Sirius gave a short wave, "Mariette Sabine," Mariette stepped forward.
"Enchantee madame," Mariette curtsied.
"And this is Lily Evans," she curtsied to her as well, not nearly as forward as her best friend. The four newcomers watched as his parents faces went from looking surprised to down right shocked as he finally introduced Lily. "They know what I am." He swallowed lightly.
"Yup! We know all about his furry little problem," James wrapped his arm around Remu's shoulders, ruffling his hair. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Lupin." He took her hand and shook it with a brilliant smile. His mother's face suddenly lit up and she came out from behind the kitchen wall. She smiled brightly.
"It's so nice to meet you all," her eyes glistened, "It's so nice of you to come over, Remus! You could have warned us!" Remus looked down at the ground. "The house isn't clean I don't have anything ready, your room is most certainly not clean." She lifted her eyebrows at him. "Well you all make yourself at home! It's so lovely to see that Remus has friends from school, and despite his-"
"Problem," Sirius coughed.
"Despite his problem," Remu's mother chuckled. "So you both are from the Black and Potter families?" She began speaking to James and Sirius, Remus disappeared up the steps, Mariette and Lily at his heels.
It was nearly half an hour later when Remus emerged from his bathroom, clean shaven and smelling deliciously like soap and sandalwood. Lily and Mariette were folded up on the floor, which was now devoid of all clothes and books. Sirius and James were playing with the cat that his mother always had around the house.
"Okay… dress me then," Remus said grumpily.
"Why do you look so angry?" James laughed as Remus disappeared into the bathroom again with his bundle of clothes.
"I'm not angry, I just don't know why you four had to come with me," Remus replied from within the lavatory.
"Because, we wanted to see you off Wemus." Sirius chuckled.
"I think I'll remember to tear you to shreds come full moon," the brunette grumbled in reply.
"Come now Remus we're only teasing!" Lily smiled as he walked out. The deep green cable knit sweater he now wore contrasted nicely with the brown and gold in his hair. The white collar of his button down shirt was exposed as he looked at himself in the mirror. He fixed the pressed collar for a moment, fussing until Mariette stopped him.
"You look great Remus. She'll love it no matter what you're wearing or she's not worth it," the werewolf nodded, swallowing hard as he slipped his feet into a pair of brown loafers.
"Th-thank you Mariette," he smiled weakly as she stepped away from him. He had never felt any more nervous in his entire life.
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So… you can like… read and review… for once… MAYBE? I don't know I've updated twice in the past couple of days, three times now… I'm going to stop here soon if I don't get more reviews… I haven't gotten a single once since I updated chapter 6.
Consider this the end until I get some reviews.
Shalan.
