In the Present
A HariPo fanfic
by mew-tsubaki
Note: I haven't finished To the Future and already I'm starting its second companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!
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The First Harvest (& the Twelfth Wax)
Friday morning was a tired one for Remus. He was beginning to think he gave too many quizzes and tests, for he had stayed up most of last night grading them. Worst of all, it was tedious, nearly mindless work.
He placed a bit of hotcake in his mouth and chewed, but he slowed when he felt like eyes were on him again, much like earlier in the week. Remus looked up in time to see Sirius leave the Great Hall with Neville behind him.
His stomach sank. Sirius wouldn't tell on him, would he? Yes, Sirius was his best friend –he, Sirius, and James had been like brothers –but Sirius also had a strong sense of right and wrong, and Remus hoped he was maybe just talking with Neville about anything but Luna. He prayed it was anything but Luna.
Remus's appetite left him, and he excused himself from the faculty table. It could've been Neville saying something to Sirius, he told himself. He froze outside his office, rooted to the spot by one fear:
It could've been Neville saying something to Sirius about Luna at the party because he, too, noticed.
His shoulders slumped a bit as he crashed on his bed through the door behind his desk. It was looking to be a tired day.
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"Where are you going today?" Remus asked Sirius the following weekend.
"It happens to be Valentine's Day, Mooney," Sirius pointed out, fixing his hair. "And you might know that if you had come to yesterday's Quidditch game instead of keeping your nose in a book. Gryffindor kicked Slytherin's arse, you should be glad to know. Our very own Ginny Weasley's back on the team as Chaser."
"First, my idea of a good time greatly differs from yours, and I choose to read instead of wasting my time watching sports. Second, hooray for Gryffindor –no, I really mean that; I was a Gryffindor, too, you git. Third, I'm sure Minerva must be upset that Ginny isn't captain, but it's good Ginny's back on the team. And fourth," he said, taking a breath, "'Our very own Ginny Weasley's back on the team as Chaser.'" He found the book on Sirius's shelf he was looking for. "There it is! You're not borrowing my books ever again, you dolt. Anyway…" He faced Sirius. "'Our very own Ginny'," he repeated. He raised his eyebrows. "'Our very own Ginny'?"
Sirius rolled his eyes, but turned away from Remus, rummaging through one of his desk's drawers. "What? She may have wanted me dead before this school year, but she's definitely cooled down some. And I don't hate her; I never disliked her either. Besides, I played Chaser once, remember? So she's 'our very own Ginny'." He found whatever he had been searching for and pocketed it. "Okay, I'm ready."
Remus scrutinized him. "Jeans and a brown jacket. Looks like a real date," he joked, snickering.
"Yeah, yeah. Bugger off, you bookworm." Sirius left his office, muttering to himself about hurrying. "Later, Mooney."
The werewolf nodded and left his friend's office, pulling the door closed behind him. He returned to his room and replaced the borrowed book with his other tomes, and then he felt pulled to the window. He looked outside. Valentine's Day only made him more nervous and giddy and excited about what he knew he would soon do.
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Oh, nargle-dicks, Luna cursed to herself that day. Sure, her articles were fine. Sure, her dad, Xenophilius, was back from Croatia on his Quibbler-related trip. But today was supposed to be the most romantic day of the year, though of course the Lovegood had her doubts. After all, Saint Valentine was at the heart of a conspiracy, didn't you know?
She braided and unbraided her long blonde hair several times, wishing something could be done about the situation. But until she was bold enough to tell Remus how she felt and also gently end it with Neville, no day was going to be at its most romantic.
I can't go to Hogwarts today, she told herself as she flopped on her bed, arm crossed, wrists lying on her forehead. She stared at the ceiling. As much as I would like to see Remus even in passing, even from afar, I don't want to see Neville on a day like this. After what happened on Christmas, I know this would send Neville the wrong message. Although…
The witch turned on her side, a sudden chill causing her to bring up a blanket to her chin. I did tell him that I don't want to kiss him. It's a hard message to misinterpret. … But I don't want to risk him thinking I've come to make-up, she finally decided, and with that stand, she drifted off for a tiny catnap.
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Remus had fallen asleep, as well. He woke up later, with a jolt when his book fell off his chest and hit the floor with a very loud, resounding thud.
What time is it…? He looked at his watch and saw it was broken. "Oh, shit…"
He looked out the window and guessed it was about lunch time. In response, his stomach growled, confirming his suspicions. The teacher left his room as headed to the Great Hall for a brief lunch when he thought he saw Sirius run past him. Remus whirled around, but all he saw were the tails of a brown jacket round the corner.
Remus rubbed his eyes, and the corridor looked a bit sharper. It must've been a student, then…
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The snow was almost completely gone by the middle of February's last week, and Fate had the good nature to give everyone a release with a beautiful, dry Saturday. Even the ground was dry again.
Unfortunately, a lot of the kids were out when Luna found Remus and beckoned to him for one of their walks. He slipped out of his office and joined her in the corridor. "Are you sure today's a good day for us to be out?"
"Are you jesting?" she chuckled. "It's beautiful outside, Remus. It's actually quite warm outside today, though it's almost March."
"Ugh." He squinted his eyes shut and slapped his forehead. "My birthday's coming up…"
"Are you angling for a birthday present from me?"
He blushed and shook his head vigorously. "No, no!! I just… I feel old."
"Well, you are."
Remus frowned at her. "You're so helpful."
Luna smiled. "I was only joking. Lighten up," she managed, for inside she felt the butterflies in her stomach try to fly into her throat. Today's the day. "Why don't we return to the forest?"
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"Merlin. How many times have you dragged me in here now?" Remus asked her once they were under the cover of the forest's trees. He fanned himself. It was quite warm, but it was humid on top of that, and his shirt began sticking to him.
Luna didn't answer. Remus turned around –and did a complete circle; Luna wasn't anywhere in sight. His heart rate sped up a bit, but he did not fly into a panic. He knew she could take care of herself.
But in a situation like this? The wizard retraced his steps at a brusque pace, but he couldn't take the same path they had come on. He couldn't find it. Okay… He breathed hard, the humidity getting to him. Damn it, this stupid humidity's creating a haze, he grumbled, and he undid a little more than half of his shirt's buttons. The action gave him little relief, but he could definitely feel a slight shift in the wind, one that blew across the old scars on his chest and abdomen. Feeling a bit better, he kept at his same pace, but he soon knew he was just getting deeper and deeper into the Forbidden Forest. And I'm becoming more lost and bewildered.
He was nearing the kappa pond when he crashed into his beloved oddball. She teetered backwards, but he caught her arms and kept her upright.
"What happened to you?! You disappeared!!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, that blank, mysterious, Luna expression on her face. "I got distracted. You see, I thought I saw something like a wrackspurt."
"I-" He paused. "I thought you said you couldn't see them without Spectrespecs."
"Which was my reason for going and investigating," she answered. "But I didn't find anything. I was caught off-guard," Luna added in a tiny voice after an odd beat.
"By what?" Remus prodded. His stomach clenched when she averted her gaze.
"…Centaurs."
His heart jumped into his throat. "Centaurs?!" the wizard hissed. "This is exactly what I told you about, Luna!! Did they hurt you? Did they see you?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I left before they noticed me. I thought coming back here might be a good choice, since I was sure you'd get lost." Luna smiled up at him, but –for once –he saw a crack in her façade.
Remus glared at her before pulling her into his arms. "Do you think I'm mental? I can see you're shaking."
Luna was quiet, and then: "Remus, I-"
He shook his head and wrapped his arms more tightly around her. "Luna, I've got to tell you. I'm not worried just because you're another person in my life who I care about." He paused, gathering up his strength and nerves. "Luna…you're the one I care about the most. I put your life ahead of everyone's, including mine." He released her enough so he could tilt her head up and look her in the eye. "I'm in love with you, Lune."
The witch's eyes widened, but they were unreadable. It was her gripping the flaps of his shirt that egged him on.
He kissed her this time, something he had wanted to do since the first moment he had accepted his feelings for her. Merlin, it unleashed something in him. Finally, something had gone right. Finally, he had done what he wanted. Finally, the stress vanished from his mind, if but for one small eternity.
Remus held her face –no, cradled it in his hands as he kissed her more and more, and she just held onto him, kissing him back. Then he felt something wet on his face, and he pulled away to see her crying.
"Lune, I'm sorry, I-"
She shook her head, and a smile touched her lips. "No, I'm not. I just-" Her face crumpled some. "I was scared. I can't always take care of myself out here or anywhere else in the world, and Neville doesn't understand that. So why do you?" Her eyes had never been bluer. "Why do you understand me?"
He gave her a small, sweet smile. "Like I said. I'm in love with you, Luna. And I won't let anything get to you again. No matter what, I am here for you." And Remus hugged her to him once again, feeling her embrace him, as well. No matter what, he told himself. Even if I never know how you feel about me. Even if there's nothing there that you feel for me like what I feel for you.
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Kinda short, after the last few chappies, but I really liked this. Unfortunately, I couldn't do with this chapter what I wanted because I forgot about the timeline I had already established in To the Future. Damn me…
Anyway, please REVIEW!!!
-mew-tsubaki
Another P.S. –The curse word nargle-dicks is mine, so I copyright it. No, really. I know I sound ridiculous, but it's funny, and I really wanted to share it with you guys (that and it seems to be a very Luna-appropriate swear, no?)
