A/N: This was a bit of a struggle but I managed. The inspiration came from the lines "Love forever, love is freely. Turned forever, you and me". I interpreted this as going against what is expected of you and using free will. I would like to thank my alpha/beta team: bondgirltrb and VanillaAshes for all of their help with this. All rights to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling. With that said, enjoy the story.

QLFC Season 11 Round 6

Task: Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz

Prompts: 6. (colour) lemon lime, 7. (action) tapping a foot impatiently, 8. (pairing) Remus Lupin/Narcissa Malfoy

Rating: K+

Warning: Marauders AU

Word Count: 1024

Narcissa glared intensely at the door as she stood by the Grand Staircase at Hogwarts. She crossed her arms irately, which, had her mother seen her right then would have scolded her for it was very unladylike, but Narcissa didn't care. She was tapping a foot impatiently as she waited for Lucius, who had told her to meet him there at seven o'clock that evening. The problem was it was now half past seven and he was nowhere to be seen.

She was tapping a foot impatiently as another minute ticked along, 7:31pm. Her arms dropped in defeat.

'I should have known,' she thought; 'all he cares about is himself.' They were in a marriage contract, which had been agreed by their parents as pureblood families within the sacred twenty-eight. She had tried over the years to focus on his good qualities, however he seemed to be lacking any of those. Besides, she fancied someone else, a particularly quiet Gryffindor who seemed to vanish on some nights. For instance, tonight, Remus Lupin was nowhere to be seen.

She took a deep, sharp breath. She wasn't going to let that boy take up any more of her time. Her night could be salvaged. After going to the Slytherin dormitory to grab her jacket, she wandered out into the school grounds.

Passing through the grand oak double doors, she descended the steps, across the courtyard and along the path to the grounds. She found herself wandering along toward the Whomping Willow. As she got closer to the reputable sentient tree, she noticed that it seemed almost oddly still, paralysed in place.

She had never seen the tree so silent before.

Casting Lumos, she found an entrance to a tunnel beneath the tree and her interest was piqued. She had heard rumours in passing of the Whomping Willow being the entrance into Hogsmeade if you knew where to look. Slowly, she stepped forward, deciding she had nothing to lose and that she could do with a bit of an adventure, she stooped and followed the tunnel beneath the sturdy Whomping Willow until she came to a door that seemed to be reinforced.

Narcissa pushed against it, but it wouldn't budge. Using her wand, she cast Alohomora and the lock clicked loose. Going inside, she found herself in the dimly lit space of the Shrieking Shack. Yet for a place that should have been abandoned, the fact that it seemed well kept with furniture placed here and there, the only tell-tale signs of age were the peeling and faded lemon lime wallpaper that was just visible.

"Is anyone here?" she called out.

A growl was her answer. What had once been curled up by the warmth of the fireplace had got up on all fours, a sandy brown wolf, baring its canines which dripped with saliva. Its form was lean yet, thin. On one of the chairs, a wingback, she made out a pile of clothes and a blanket, along with food on a table.

This was no ordinary wolf, that much she knew, but a werewolf. Looking at its eyes, they were the perfect shade of hazel with a ring of amber around them. She knew that she should be scared and run, it would be the safe and logical option, but she couldn't, the eyes of a quiet but gentle Gryffindor, the one she'd steal glances of now and then because she had a crush on him – Remus.

Casting a bit more light in the room, she tucked her wand away and put out her hands, palms facing up in a placating gesture.

"Remus?"

At hearing the name, the wolf stopped growling momentarily but came closer to sniff her hands. After a few moments, it stepped back slightly, almost as though it was weighing something up before head-butting her hands as though in answer.

"Remus, its Narcissa. I'm sorry I intruded, but I don't want to leave you alone like this. I'm not afraid of you, nor will I harm you. I can promise you that."

Remus' ears twitched, taking in her words before settling down beside her on the sofa. They stayed together that evening until they had both fallen asleep.

The next morning, she stirred to find Remus in human form and clothed, watching over her.

"Good morning," she said, noting the blanket that he must have pulled over her.

"Good morning," he replied tentatively before handing her a piece of Honeydukes chocolate when she sat up with her back against the arm of the sofa, cushioned by a pillow.

She took it gratefully, popping it into her mouth, enjoying the rich creaminess of the sweet treat. In the morning light from the windows, the lemon lime wallpaper looked almost like the colour of gunge.

"Moony… the wolf has never calmed like that before, thank you," Remus said, looking at her.

Narcissa smiled softly and reached out to touch his cheek. "You're not a monster; even if you think you are, you're wrong."

They held each other's gaze for a few moments before Narcissa leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, if she was being honest with herself, she had been wanting to do that for quite some time.

Remus kissed her back, his hands going into her hair tenderly until he broke away, uncertainty flashing in his hazel eyes.

"You're kissing me, and yet… what about Lucius?"

"I have no interest in him; it's time that I go against what my family wants for me and decide what I want, the way Andromeda did. If my parents don't like it, that's their problem, not mine. I've always fancied you, Remus."

"I thought you were out of my league," he admitted.

"I'm not," she said. "Somehow maybe fate brought me to you last night."

"Maybe."

Just as they were about to kiss again, a voice broke them apart, their eyes widening. "What are you doing here?"

Narcissa couldn't help but glare at the shocked look on her cousin Sirius' face. Behind him stood James and Peter.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said, crossing her arms once more.

If you enjoyed reading this, feel free to leave a review with your thoughts.

Until next time,

Grace x