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 Second Harvest (& the Thirteenth Wax)
The rain came then, and Luna's tears washed down her face along with the raindrops. She led Remus out to the edge of the forest and stopped. She let go of his hand, though she hated to do so.
"You should go inside and dry off," Remus scolded. "I told you I'd protect you. From everything. Including yourself, since you'll probably get distracted again and catch a cold."
She laughed. "I'll dry off," Luna said, "but I have places to be, things to get done. By now, though, you should know that colds aren't caused by cold water, Remus. They're caused by tiny little creatures called Mucus Mongers."
He rolled his eyes at her correction. "Of course, love." He bent down and kissed her lips once more. "Stay out of trouble, Lune." He looked her in the eye until she nodded.
"I will," she promised, and he turned and went back up to the school after that. Luna wanted to kick herself for not saying anything back to him.
For not telling him that you feel the same way! a nagging voice in her screamed at her. Buffoon!!!!
She agreed with the voice, because she had been all ready to confess her love to him, whether he loved her the same way or not. Well, she had been pretty sure he was in love with her, just like he said, but it was easier now knowing that they felt they same way. Ooh. Luna winced. And now it must be harder on him because he laid all his cards out on the table and I didn't really respond.
Well, you snogged him for quite a bit, didn't you? that voice teased.
Luna reddened, but only by the desire for more of that. She wished she could just steal Remus away from the school and have one whole day with him, but she knew he had things to do, students to teach –broken families to raise, she thought glumly, knowing how unhappy he was at home and remembering how little Tonks had fought for his attention at the Weasleys' Christmas Eve party.
She tugged at her sweater with both hands, stretching it to wring it out. Luna looked up at the sound of footsteps –and her insides turned to ice.
Neville stared at her with a defeated expression. He looked at the ground behind him, and she followed his gaze. Remus was disappearing over the hill.
Suddenly, she was very glad to be drenched in the rain.
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Luna didn't wait for Neville to say anything or approach her. She knew he wouldn't. Instantly, she quelled her raging emotions –both the good and the bad –and she went back into the forest. When she was deep in enough, she turned on the spot and Disapparated. Her home popped into her vision then, and she entered the house and went straight to her room. Once there, she sat down on the end of her bed and held herself.
Her emotions raged again. Why were things rollercoastering?! She was happily flirting with and kissing Remus, and then Neville was forcing himself on her. She had her courage gathered and Remus tells her he loves her, giving her the happiest moment in her life, and then Neville drops into the picture and doesn't even get mad. He just stands there, looking as though it's his fault, not hers or Remus', who was just disappearing from sight. The conflict gave her a migraine and she wondered if things were so simple anymore.
Why should I be worried that Neville didn't want to yell at me? But the answer hit her, and she grew more unsure about the simplicity of the situation. She was confused about her feelings for Neville and now…now she was almost glad she hadn't said anything to Remus. She didn't know if what she said would be from the heart, or if it would be the right thing at all.
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March's early humidity finally faded into on-again/off-again rain, drizzles, and showers. Remus breathed easy once his birthday night ended, since Tonks had sent him a letter about how much bigger she had grown in three more months. She also commented about how often she felt the baby move, and how happy she was to feel that.
Remus liked his gift from Sirius better.
He actually had been on his way to see his best mate when he remembered he had last seen Sirius conversing with Neville. Remus frowned; maybe it would be wiser to catch Padfoot later…
"Hmm…," he heard ahead of him, and Sirius turned in front of Remus.
Oh, great. Perfect timing, Fate. He wanted to roll his eyes. "I like the watch, by the way," he said, holding up his wrist."
Sirius half-grinned. "Sorry… I know it's not much, but I noticed the old one had broken. This one's alarm will scream you awake if need be, y'know."
"Yes, I checked the settings." Remus couldn't think of anything else to say, for the Luna situation came to mind. There's really no 'situation' anymore; I just can't get her off my mind. "I, er, saw you talk with Neville not that long ago," he casually started.
"I'm not going to tell you what we talked about, if that's what you're after, Remus," Sirius retorted.
"But it had to have been about–" He struggled with the right words. "About the…situation."
"Perhaps 'affair' or 'love-triangle' would work best in this case," Sirius said with a grimace. "But I still won't tell you what we talked about. Don't worry; I didn't spill your life story."
Remus found himself growing angry. "If it wasn't about that, then why all the moaning about keeping quiet?"
"And since when did you become a nosy teenage girl?!"
"Maybe the moment you hit your noggin' and became as secretive as Snape!!"
"Are you calling me a snake?!"
"No, I'm calling you a greasy black bat!!"
They glared at each other, just standing there, huffing and panting. How easy it was to revert to their teenage past-selves.
"Just give me an inkling," Remus demanded, exhausted from the argument.
"No!" Sirius told him. "And don't even think of trying to pull the 'big eyes' act on me. You know I was the only one who could ever do it, and it only worked on you and James anyway."
Remus softened at the mention of their other best friend. He didn't say anything for a while.
"Dog got your tongue?" his best mate prodded after a moment.
"No!!" He sighed, wishing he could just get some straight answers for once. "Just tell me if it had anything to do with Luna."
"I said, 'no'!" And with that, Sirius sauntered off, quite pissed, if one might add.
Remus glared at Sirius's back. Goddammitt, he curse, and he stomped off, too. But he was not going to give up that easily anymore.
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The rest of March resulted in Remus hounding Sirius for answers. It was wearing both of their nerves thin, but neither would give up. It got to the point where Sirius was avoiding Remus, but the castle was only so big. And they both had had a hand in creating the Marauders' Map, so there really was no place to escape to, since they knew about all the secret passages.
As April dwindled in days and then May happened upon them, this heckling was becoming a very big distraction in both of their lives. So big a distraction, in fact, that one bad event one night became two bad events.
……
What? Remus was distracted.
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One evening in May, Remus was on his way downstairs to dinner. His skin crawled, and he wished he were far, far away. But that feeling always came to him when it was a full moon.
He was just outside the Great Hall when Sirius whizzed past him. Remus darted out and caught the black-haired wizard's arm. "Where are you going? It's supper."
Sirius had a frown etched on his face. "I had to eat early. I've got detention with two of my students."
"You? Gave detention?" Remus was positively shocked.
"Ginny and one of her friends are in my classroom, so if you'll excuse me," Sirius stated, and he shook Remus off.
Ginny?! Remus thought, but he couldn't ask any more for Padfoot had already sauntered off. He looked a little too angry for just detention with Ginny and her friend…
He entered the Great Hall and sat at the staff table, enjoying the delicious meal as always. He was done in fairly short order, and it occurred to him that maybe –though he acknowledged this was a slightly mean thought –Sirius would crack under all the stress tonight.
Remus left the Great Hall in a hurry when it hit him. The pain came crashing over him in waves, and he had to actually stop and grip the wall for support. Shit, he thought as his breath grew more and more jagged and hoarse.
I forgot to take the wolfsbane potion before supper.
He tried to hobble back to his room, but the change tonight was nastier than usual, and he knew he wouldn't make it. Taking the potion now wouldn't make a difference.
The wizard moved as quickly as he could in this state, and he meant to head straight to the Whomping Willow. He wished he could've taken that path and gone to the Shrieking Shack, like he used to when he had attended Hogwarts not as a teacher but as a student, but that could not happen tonight.
The change came too quickly, and all he could do was run into the Forbidden Forest. Before he knew it, he was tearing his clothes off as he ran with inhuman speed. Deep in the forest, almost on the other edge of it, at the base of the mountains, he stopped, but the beast had now taken over. Right then, a few clouds parted, enough to see the moon. The lurid, full moon.
His howl echoed at the foot of the mountains, but it was not the only time he would cry that night.
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Short, but at least it has a cliffhanger! …Please don't kill me. But PLEASE REVIEW!!! Last I checked, this story had only two reviews, and I really want to hear your thoughts –I know people are reading this story, 'cause it's been favorited and alerted a nice amount.
This next chapter will be heavy, but good, so please look forward to it. AND REVIEW! (And BTW: this right now coincides with To the Future chapters 17, 18, and 19, FYI)
Thank you!!!!
-mew-tsubaki
P.S. –Three more chapters dedicated to: ashleyahh and TranslucentDarkness.
