Remus was confused. And this was not because his friends had decided that playing Strip Quidditch on a December evening was a good idea, as that was a different story altogether. It was because he had finally met a girl he liked. Someone he liked everything about. From her beautiful cheek-length hair to her bright onyx eyes. How she always curled up with a book in the library, how her cheeks turned pink in the cold…
But the problem was “ how to ask her out? Sure, they had been ‘hanging’ around the Astronomy Tower for a while, but an official date…
“Oi, Moony,” called Sirius as he finally gave into the cold and threw his robes on. “What’s up with you, mate? You look pretty deep in thought - more so than usual, anyway.”
Remus glared at him as his other two friends gave up the fight against the cold as well. “It’s nothing, really.” Then he sighed. “You know all those nights that you lot couldn’t find me? Well, I’ve been sneaking up to the Astronomy Tower with Michelle Meyer.”
The catcalls that this announcement received were deafening, causing Remus to blush at the thought of his friends' rampant imaginations.
“Was it just snogging, or more?” James said, or, more appropriately, leered.
Remus groaned inwardly and started a very quick internal debate as to what he should say in reply.
“I refuse to dignify that question with a response,” he said at last.
More whoops and hoots followed.
Remus could see that this conversation was not going to go anywhere unless he brought it back to the point.
“Thing is,” he said loudly, and the rest of the Marauders quieted down to listen, “I really like her, and I wouldn’t mind taking things further, but I have no idea how to.”
“Well, isn’t that obvious?” James pronounced with the expression of an expert on all matters of the heart and thereabouts.
“Ooh, do tell, Prongs.” Sirius turned his grinning face to James, subjecting him to a piercing stare. “Making progress with Evans, then, are you?”
“Well, actually…”
The confidence James was projecting just a moment ago deflated suddenly, enough so to make Remus feel relieved… for a moment only, as the next second, the attention of all three was back with him.
“Now, since Prongs is, obviously, no help here, let me get some things straight for you, mate,” Sirius continued.
After a very disturbing ten minutes with Sirius whispering in his ear, Remus was certain he was no closer to an answer.
“And after that, she’ll do anything you want!” Sirius leaned back with a satisfied smile. Remus shook his head.
If he could just put his clothes back on and go somewhere quiet to think, he might be able to come up with something. After all, how many more times could he offer to help Michelle with her Astronomy lessons?
Absently, he made his way to the library where he knew he would get some peace from the other three.
His head still spinning from his and Sirius' talk, Remus made his way to a secluded corner of the library to reflect on what to do. How could you know someone so well, yet were unable to see where your relationship stood?
He pulled out his homework to get it out of the way and was halfway through the Potions essay when the object of his affection plopped herself down at his table.
“Michelle!” His voice nearly cracked, and he swallowed nervously.
“So, I was wondering if we’re going up to the Tower tonight,” she said sultrily.
“Yes, we are,” Remus found himself saying. “Eleven o’ clock, as usual?”
“You got it,” Michelle said, grinning, and Remus smiled back. She peered at the essay which Remus had abandoned. “I haven’t started on my Potions essay yet,” she said, making a face.
“You’ll get to it soon enough,” he said, knowing how much of a procrastinator Michelle was.
“Oh, I will - it’s due the day after tomorrow,” she said darkly, and he laughed. She laughed, too, a merry laugh that sounded unrestrained in the quietness of the library. He liked her laugh - but then again, he liked almost everything about her.
He glanced over Michelle’s shoulder and saw movement behind a bookshelf. Sirius, realizing he had been spotted, peeked out, grinned suggestively, and twirled his fingers in a ‘go on’ gesture. Remus swallowed, not able to even imagine what might happen if he took Sirius’ advice. He was not sure Michelle would ‘do anything you want’, as per the great sage and eminent adviser Sirius Black.
“Earth to Remus?” Michelle waved her hand in front of him. His eyes snapped back to her, his mind still full of Sirius’ disturbing ideas.
“U-uh, yes, um, tomorrow,” he stammered. “Gotta go!”
Remus scrambled out of the library with Michelle's questioning stare burning into the back of his head. A hot blush was creeping up his neck into his face as the doors swung shut after him.
He had barely made it down a few corridors when he heard running feet behind him. Remus winced as Sirius whacked his hand over his head furiously and then planted himself in front of him, his eyes narrowed.
"You nearly had it!" argued Sirius, and Remus ducked his head in embarrassment. “What were you thinking?”
“I’m not too keen on having my face slapped,” he retorted.
“Face slapped?” Sirius repeated incredulously. “I've told you, Moony, it's foolproof! I use it all the time, and it's never once failed me.”
“Yeah, well… I don’t think I can do that, and I'm not sure that Michelle would respond so positively to it, either,” Remus replied defensively as he tried to push past Sirius. He was worried that Michelle might follow him out of the library and overhear them.
“Of course she would,” Sirius stated in a bored tone whilst standing his ground, preventing Remus from moving. “You really are making this much harder than it has to be, you know.”
Remus stood still for a moment, an internal argument volleying in his head. It was not usually prudent to take Sirius’ advice; however, he had had more proper girlfriends than Remus had... In truth, Remus could not understand why he was having such a hard time with this; he had asked girls out before, after all.
When Remus began to rub his chin thoughtfully, Sirius knew he was coming around. Remus looked up and found Sirius grinning at him.
“All right,” Remus sighed, “but I’m not doing that thing! I’ll come up with something else... I hope.”
Sirius slapped him on the back. “Very sensible, Moony.”
Coming up with something proved itself to be easier said than done. Only last month, James, in a fit of passion, had shouted his love for Lily Evans to the whole Quidditch pitch, claiming to have caught the Snitch “ and won the game against the Ravenclaws “ for her. This had earned him quite a nasty hex from the redhead.
This discouraged Remus a lot. It ruled out the possibility of just gritting his teeth and saying it out. He did not particularly want to be hung by his toes, dangling over the Astronomy Tower. Even though Michelle did not seem the type, you never knew, Sirius had warned.
*
And so it was that he sent an owl to ‘Wizard’s Shop - Muggle Things’, requesting for a copy of some Jane Austen romances: his Muggle Studies class had recommended Jane Austen as a great Muggle romance writer.
He also rather surprised Madam Pince by asking for a romance novel, instead of his usual reference books.
Gathering all his resources, also known as the books, he sat on his bed in the dormitory and started to read.
“Moony, what exactly are you doing?”
“Don’t laugh… but I’m researching on how to… you know, ask Michelle out on a date!”
“Typical, Moony.”
Of course it was typical of him to rely on books. But the aforementioned ‘resources’ turned out to be very useful.
“How about I do a Fitzwilliam Darcy on her?” He asked his friends eagerly. The angsty hero of Pride and Prejudice appealed to him.
Sirius groaned while James rolled his eyes. “That man is an ERA old, Remus. His techniques are…well, not to be trusted.”
“How about Wickham?”
“The one who told Lizzie all those stories about his past? Sounds like a good option,” Peter said sarcastically.
What Peter did not know, was that Remus had taken him seriously.
A girl should appreciate honesty, right? Remus could distinctly remember reading it somewhere, or possibly overhearing.
I wish I’d taken notes or something… he thought, but then remembered that he was sharing a room with James, Sirius and Peter. The very image of them finding anything like that was enough to send shudders down his spine. Forcibly, he tore his thoughts away from the ghastly picture and to the situation at hand.
A girl should appreciate honesty, because honesty means trust, and trust, in turn, is a sign of closeness. If Michelle wanted to get any closer to him, of course…
Well, he decided, he would have to tell her eventually if he was serious about this at all. Might as well get it over with sooner rather than later. If he was really in love with her, and she rejected him.... Definitely better to get it over with now.
Of course, if she did reject him, something would have to be done about her telling the whole school that he was a werewolf. Remus made the mistake of voicing this fear to his friends.
“Don’t worry about a thing, mate,” James said. “You just tell us, and we’ll see to it.”
Remus gulped. He would have to do it.
“You’ll be fine.” Peter said watching him, “I don’t see what you’re so nervous about. James and Sirius have done it.”
At that, Sirius waved his wand and did a non-verbal silencing charm on Peter.
Remus nodded and started to open and close his mouth silently. He got up and walked down the dormitory stairs soundlessly, like a zombie.
“Remus? Remus,” James called, watching Remus. “What are you doing?”
Remus continued walking down the stairs. He had to do it.
“I have to do it,” he whispered to himself. “I have to.”
*
Remus was deep in thought, running over his speech in his head, when Michelle’s voice caught his attention. Cautiously, he peered around the corner and saw her standing there talking to Cullen, the perfect Ravenclaw Prefect.
She tossed her head back in exuberant laughter, a laugh Remus had come to think of as his. A strange feeling began bubbling in his chest as he watched the tall, auburn-haired boy smiling at Michelle.
What if all his waffling had caused him to be too late? It would be just like him to be overly cautious and miss out just when she was in reach.
“Michelle!” he called out. She turned around and motioned for him to come over as she smiled brilliantly.
“Edward, this is Remus,” she introduced them. The two young men nodded curtly at each other.
Remus laid a protective hand on Michelle’s arm. “Everything all right, Michelle?”
“Yeah, I was just talking to Edward.”
“Really, what about, hmmm?” he asked, teeth clenched.
“Oh, nothing interesting!” she answered, giggling. Edward gave her a small, secret smile and Remus felt a growl emanating from him.
“Edward! There you are! I thought you said third floor!” A tall brunette approached them.
“Remus, Michelle, this is my girlfriend, Allie.”
Remus’s jaw unclenched, and it was all he could do not to breathe a deep sigh of relief. Edward Cullen had a girlfriend. One named Allie, not Michelle. And she was a Gryffindor, not Ravenclaw. His field was clear. The coast was bright - or clear, or whatever it was. Michelle was single.
As Edward and Allie waved goodbye to them and walked off, hand in hand, Remus gulped.
Michelle turned to him. “What did you say you want, Remus?”
“Well, Michelle…” Remus’s hands were clammy, but how could he wipe them?
Edward Cullen was not about to ask Michelle out.
He was.
“Well, umm… Michelle, the truth is… I “ I have a surprise for you tonight,” Remus ended lamely. Michelle’s eyes lit up.
“A surprise. Well, that makes the wait all the more better! I love surprises,” she said as she entwined her arms into the crick of Remus’ elbow, placing her head on his shoulder. “Are you sure you want to wait until tonight to give it to me?”
Looking down into her dark eyes as she gave him a mock pout, Remus was not sure of anything except the fact that his heart had just skipped a beat.
“Well, when you put it that way, I suppose…Yes.”
“Oh Remus!” She let her arms fall from around him.
“Michelle?” he inquired.
“Astronomy Tower?” Michelle giggled.
“Eleven o’ clock,” Remus said, relieved.
He walked back to the Gryffindor common room and entered after giving the password, looking around for his fellow Marauders.
“Hey Moony! Over here!” James yelled.
Remus went over and sat on the armchair his friends had reserved him, even going so far as to put a sign on it saying, ‘Remus Lupin’s Chair, Keep Off!’
“I’m meeting her on the Astronomy Tower at eleven,” Remus muttered.
“Want to borrow my Cloak so you can go someplace more romantic?” James said, grinning.
“No, thank you.” Remus thought of his queasy stomach. “I don’t think I can handle anywhere ‘more romantic’ than the Astronomy Tower. Besides,” he added bitterly, “it’s got a great view of the moon.”
“You just be careful, Moony,” James said, raising his eyebrows. “Your furry little problem’s starting to bother you a bit.”
“More than a bit.”
“Maybe you should wait until after the full moon,” Sirius suggested. “Wouldn’t want you to fall off the tower when she slaps you. Then what would we do next week?”
Remus glared at Sirius, and James whacked him across the head sharply. He took a seat in an armchair, James settling on the arm of it beside him.
“What if I mess it up?” Remus said nervously. “You know... kissing her… if it comes to that.”
Sirius collapsed in the armchair opposite them and grinned easily at them, saying, “Oh that's easy, Remus. I've done it loads of times.”
Remus still did not look comforted, and Sirius added, “If she’s bad at kissing, I’d get rid of her.”
His mouth fell open in shock, and Sirius laughed carelessly, “Only joking, Moony!”
“You’d better be,” Remus said. “She was hanging out with that Edward Cullen today. I was about to hex him into next week when his girlfriend, Allie, showed up.”
Sirius grimaced. “Allie? She dumped me for him!”
“Oh, did she, now?” Peter raised his mousy brown eyebrows.
“Yeah. That’s the first time a girl dumped me…” Sirius shook his head. “And she’s so pretty! I guess the Cullens get the best deal…”
James snorted. “He even dated Lily for some time.”
James and Peter laughed and teased Sirius while Remus tried to think of a way to break everything to Michelle.
He stared out of the window at the setting sun. Instinctively he rubbed the tight muscles in his arms. Maybe Sirius was right about waiting. Remus could already feel effects of the impending full moon.
However, if this were really ‘it’ with Michelle, would it not only be fair that she knew everything about him up front so she could make an informed decision? He sighed. Eleven o’clock would come soon enough.
At seven, Remus got up reluctantly and followed James, Sirius and Peter down for dinner. “I need to be at the Astronomy Tower at-”
“Eleven o’ clock, we know,” Sirius said. “Surely you aren’t worrying about that already? There’s plenty of time for you to finish dinner.”
Remus did not finish his dinner. He sat staring at the steak, wondering how to start confessing.
Michelle, it’s the full moon tomorrow, and I will be down at the Shrieking Shack.
No, too wishy-washy.
Michelle, every full moon I turn into a beast. Not a horny one, though, that’s James. Ha! Ha!
Much too direct.
Wait, why am I even thinking of these things? He only wanted to ask her to be his girlfriend, not propose! Perhaps telling her everything would not be the smartest move until he knew how she really felt about him.
If he kept worrying about this, he was going to go mad…
*
It was at ten o’ clock that Remus realized he had a test constituting forty percent of his grade tomorrow. Frantically, he took out his book from his bag and riffled through the pages until he found the chapter that they were to be tested on. It was hard to concentrate at first, but he told himself sterly that eleven was a long time away. Each time a thought strayed near Michelle Zone, his eyes would automatically zoom in on the fine print of his book, and he would mutter the words feverishly. And then he would go back and read those words again, because he had not taken them in the first time round.
Finally he began to focus “ in fact, he was so focused that he did not notice when the clock struck… eleven.
Remus read, and continued reading. Eventually he glanced up at the clock. Horror of horrors, it was almost half past eleven!
“Michelle! She must be waiting up there for me….” Remus muttered, put his book down and went tearing out of the dormitory, hurtling down the stairs, and barreling through the common room, all the while hoping that this would be the night Filch would sleep soundly
He raced up to the Astronomy Tower, and as he burst through the trapdoor, he came face to face with Michelle.
“Michelle! I’m so sorry, I completely forgot!” babbled Remus, trying to save face.
Michelle just stared at him for about five seconds, then slapped him, hard, and dropped through the trapdoor.
Remus put a hand to his cheek, rubbing it. The cold surface of his hand soothed the stinging. Well, he thought, in a daze. That hurt a lot more than it looked. After a moment, he came back to his senses and dropped down the trapdoor after her. “Michelle, wait! It’s not- what you think,” he finished lamely, seeing no trace of her in the hallway. “It’s not that I was standing you up,” he said to himself as he started down the tower, dragging his feet. “I just remembered I had a test, and I had to pass the time somehow because I was so bloody nervous about coming up here in the first place.”
Remus slumped against the wall dejectedly as happy couples shot him odd looks as they went past. Remus watched as Edward and Allie came in. They looked deliriously happy. Edward pinned her up against the wall and kissed her deeply, while Allie moaned contently into the kiss and giggled as he pulled her closer. Edward glanced at Remus and murmured into Allie’s ear, “Go upstairs and wait for me? I’ll only be gone for a second.”
She sashayed up the stairs happily as Edward sat down next to Remus and asked, “Girl troubles?”
Remus was too dejected to even pretend otherwise.
"I thought so,” said Edward. “And let me guess, your mates have been trying to help you out?”
Remus nodded.
“Well, where do you get of taking advice from Potter, who couldn’t bag his chick for years and Black, who lost his to me? Or perhaps you were relying on Pettigrew’s vast experience?”
A helpless shrug.
“All right mate, listen up. Michelle’s dormitory is on the second floor and I can wager no one else will be there around midnight. If an outsider somehow got into the Tower and slipped out later…”
Remus walked slowly back to the common room mulling over what Cullen had told him. It was a pretty brilliant idea compared to the advice he had gotten from his friends. The question was should he listen to him? Yes.
Now, he had to decide what he was going to say to Michelle to make amends. He had told her earlier that he had a surprise for her and felt that it would be best not to show up empty handed. With that thought in mind he went up to his dorm in search of a certain book.
Remus paced the second floor corridor, waiting for Edward's signal. He looked up as he saw three flashes of light. He walked up to the door. As he reached out his hand, his head snapped around, ears pricked. If his hearing had not failed him, he had heard some whispers.
“Crouch down, Sirius, he'll see your feet,” a first voice whispered.
“He'll hear you if you don't shut your mouth!” a second, deeper voice snapped back.
“Quiet! Both of you!” a third voice cut across the other two. “You're lucky if he hasn't seen and heard you two yet.”
“You guys must be unlucky,” Remus said, looking at the place where he knew the other Marauders were hiding.
Someone under the Cloak sighed mournfully, and Remus saw three pairs of feet beginning to emerge. “No, don't! Get out of here! Go! She's going-” Remus' sensitive ears heard approaching footsteps that he identified as Michelle's, so he shoved the Marauders around the corner with strict instructions. “Do not interfere with this. You have all done enough harm already.”
“Hi, Michelle.”
She snorted and started to shove past him.
“I promised you a surprise, remember?”
She put her hands on her hips and looked at him annoyed, but expectant. “What?”
Suddenly a loud sneeze was heard from around the corner.
Michelle huffed at the empty space. “Let me guess, your mates? I don’t even want to know how you lot got up here.” She turned back to Remus. “Look, Remus, I don’t know what to think anymore. I thought things were going nicely, but... well... And then you didn’t even show up tonight...”
Remus knew he had to do something fast, he just preferred not to have to do it in front of the Marauders. He shifted awkwardly. “Can we talk about this somewhere else?”
Michelle opened the dormitory door. “Are you just trying to get into my room?”
“Umm... no?” Remus replied uncertainly with a lopsided grin before clearing his throat. “Michelle, listen I- I really like you, and I was hoping to be able to get to know you better but then I went listening to my mates,” explained Remus as he punched at midair and connected with something, “and everything got so confusing and mess-”
“Remus Lupin, are you trying to ask me out on a proper date or not?”
He smiled shyly as she looked on in amusement. “Yes. That's what I've been trying to do all day!”
Michelle fell into his arms, softly kissing him.
There were a couple of wolf whistles that were undoubtedly from the Marauders. Remus pulled away from Michelle long enough to yell, “Shut up,” pull Michelle into her thankfully empty dormitory, and kick the door shut.
“Excellent reflexes,” Michelle said, giggling before pulling him down for another kiss. After a few moments of bliss, she resurfaced. Remus reluctantly opened his eyes. “So where’s my surprise?” she asked.
All Remus had brought with him was a collection of Jane Austen romances that he had ordered earlier, and he had probably dropped it on the landing when Michelle had kissed him.
“Um…” began Remus, trying desperately to unscramble his mind and remember what he was supposed to say now, or indeed where or even who he was. Blinking, he shook his head slightly, like a dog trying to free its ears of water. “I, uh…”
“Remus?” Michelle tapped him lightly on the nose. “Wake up. The surprise?”
“Oh, right, yeah.” Michelle wrapped her arms around his neck and he temporarily lost track of what he was saying again. “It was a, um… book. Some books.”
“Some books?” Michelle repeated, looking a little crestfallen.
“No! I mean, yes, but not just books.” He shifted uncomfortably, looking anywhere but at Michelle.
“I need to tell you something…’’ he murmured.
“What?” replied Michelle, looking faintly worried.
“Um, well, I don’t know how to put this…but…” he stuttered.
“Get on with it, you wolf!” shouted three muffled voices simultaneously. Apparently the Marauders had decided to eavesdrop through the closed door.
“Thanks, guys!” Remus yelled back.
“You wanted to tell me you’re a werewolf?” Michelle asked, smiling gently.
“What… How…But…How did you know?” he demanded.
“You don’t think I didn’t notice your ‘disappearances’ at the same time each month?” Michelle laughed.
“Um, to be honest, I didn’t think…” he muttered.
“Well obviously! Now come here and give me a kiss,” she said softly.
This seemed impossible. All of it. The fact that Michelle was still here even after his confession “ if it could be called one at all. The fact that she had just kissed him “ several times, actually.
There was snickering around the corner, and another impossible fact dawned on Remus - that he had unintentionally allowed the three Marauders to exchange comments all this time, and in close vicinity. Clearly, the idea of privacy eluded them.
“Michelle, would you mind if I cast Muffliato their way?” Remus asked, blushing crimson the next moment. Good heavens, what an idiot he was… she would take it all wrong…
Fortunately, Michelle knew Remus better than he realized. She giggled under her breath, but nodded. Waving his wand rather vaguely, Remus managed to set fire to the edge of her robes. Gasping he sent a jet of water towards her, but missed by about a foot and hit her in the face.
Remus could hardly breathe, watching her face anxiously to see if his latest piece of clumsiness had sent her running in the opposite direction. He could hear the Marauders snickering somewhere behind the door, but he did not care about them at that precise moment. Was she angry or not?
Michelle gasped and wiped water out of her eyes.
Remus hovered around her, trying to help and asking anxiously, “Are you okay?”
Then he realized she was laughing, not gasping.
“Oh, my,” she giggled, “Remus, you didn't have to start acting like an idiot around me. It was just a kiss; you don't have to lose your mind. Do I have to do everything myself? Muffliato.”
She put her arms around his neck and kissed him again. “Is it true? All the things we saw in that hologram about werewolves?”
He pulled away and asked, “Are you afraid of me?”
Michelle tilted her head to the side and kissed his collarbone.
“Should I be afraid of you, Remus?” she whispered, although there was no need to. “Would you...would you ever hurt me?”
Remus froze and held Michelle away from him to look her directly in her eyes. There was silence for a few moments, and Michelle waited patiently.
“No!” Remus breathed. “I would never let you get close to me like that! I wouldn't risk it.”
She brushed her lips across his cheek and sighed, “Then I'm not afraid at all, Remus.”
Remus smiled down at Michelle and stroked her bright, silky hair.
“What are you two doing?” a girl’s voice said behind them, giggling. So there had been someone in this dormitory all along, probably hiding under the quilts.
Remus swore, and, grabbing Michelle’s hand, made for the door. It burst open and the Marauders came tumbling in. Obviously, the Muffliato had not robbed them of their hopes of overhearing their fellow Marauder and his companion.
Michelle yanked Remus and ran away from the other Marauders and her roommate.
After a short amount of jogging, they came to a tapestry that Remus lifted out of the way to show a secret passage. He helped Michelle in and then climbed in after her.
“We're finally alone, ” Remus said, grinning down at her.
Michelle shifted closer to him. Soon, a full snogging session was underway.
“Michelle…” muttered Remus, trying to disengage his lips from other matters to speak.
“Hmm,” she mumbled in response, eyes half closed and mind clearly unfocused.
“This… isn’t right. I mean, I’m a - a monster and you, well you deserve someone a lot better than me,” sighed Remus resignedly. Though it was killing him, he could not deny his nature.
“Shouldn’t I be the judge of that?” she snapped, her eyes now focused and flashing. “Or do I get a say at all in this?”
“But “ "
“But nothing. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Remus tried to interrupt, but Michelle cut him off before he got the chance.
“Remus, I know that you probably don't believe me when I say that but it's true. You are the best thing that has happened to me. I have loved the time that we have spent together, and I want to have the chance to get to know you even better. You are not a monster” - Michelle's face scrunched up in disgust as she said the word “ “and I don't ever want to hear you say that about yourself ever again. Now can we please stop this ridiculous conversation?”
Remus felt the struggle within him turn unbearable. The happiness at hearing Michelle’s words, and yet the stab of fear “ because no matter what she said, he was a monster, every month at full moon, and there was nothing he could do about it. Anyone who got close to him could get hurt, and he would not be able to live with that kind of guilt.
Yet some part of his mind shushed this fear into silence, lulling him into the calm of the here and now. He would think about it later… here and now was much more precious…
“Do you know what I’m thinking?” Michelle said after five minutes, during which they were busy doing, well, something else.
“No, do tell,” Remus said, inhaling the sweet scent that came from her.
“I’m thinking that tonight calls for a celebration,” she said, and in the dimness of the secret passageway Remus could only just make out her grin.
“What kind of celebration?” he asked, knowing the wild ideas Michelle got into her head sometimes.
“Does this passageway lead anywhere?” she said.
“No… but I know some others that do lead somewhere,” Remus said, knowing exactly what she had in mind.
Remus and Michelle slipped from behind the tapestry, hand in hand, to make their way to their unspoken destination.
As he pulled her closer, Remus was still somewhat surprised with Michelle's apparent ease towards the fact that he was a werewolf. The simple fact should terrify her, make her recoil from him. Still, there she was, edging in closer to him, making him weak with the closeness and warmth he felt.
“Are you still sure that you're not scared by my being a werewolf?” he asked, wanting to be sure.
Michelle put on a fake petrified look. “Of course I am! You're so... terrifying!”
She started giggling madly, and Remus started to feel more and more relieved.
*
“So… how did it go, mate?” Sirius thumped Remus on his back. The four Marauders were sitting on their beds in the dormitory, and all the lights were off - all the other students were sleeping at this late hour.
Remus rolled his eyes. “Padfoot, do you honestly expect me to believe that you all were not stalking me when I was with Michelle?”
“No, of course not, Moony! We’d never… intrude on your privacy! Oh, and from what I saw, you’re a great kisser!” James laughed. Sirius and Peter ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ theatrically.
“So… I guess we’d better call it a night then, got Potions tomorrow morning…” Remus fell on to the bed.
Remus stared up at the red and gold canopy over his bed with a dazed expression on his face. The day had certainly been eventful, and his body still seemed to be buzzing from his rendezvous with Michelle. A satisfied grin spread slowly across his face as he recalled all the evening's details. He was snapped out of his thoughts when a well-aimed pillow flew across the room and smacked his face. Feeling slightly annoyed, Remus sat back up again and became aware of his friends chuckling at him.
“If you're quite done with your daydreams, I asked if you made any plans to see her again,” Sirius said with a smirk.
Remus was glad that the dark hid his blush. Suddenly he found that even though Michelle was nowhere near him now, he still seemed to be having coherency problems.
“I, um, yeah. Yeah, I am going to see her again.”
“Details, Moony, details. When? Where? How?”
“I don’t know, we didn’t really arrange anything specific.”
“So you’re not really seeing her again.”
“Yes I am.” Remus was getting somewhat lost and confused in this conversation. He chose to put this down to the fact that it was late at night and he was tired. “Sirius, I was planning to sleep tonight, you know.”
“Well, we guessed that,” Sirius said, his smirk audible even in the dark, “since you bothered to come back to the dormitory.”
“Good night, guys,” Remus said, sliding the hangings of the four-poster shut and turning his back on them for good measure. He rolled his eyes at the outburst of laughter from beyond the curtain. Normally, he would be able to joke back with them, but tonight had flustered him too badly to be able to deal with his friends. He would be all right after a night’s rest and be better armed against them in the morning.
Although Remus was finding it very difficult to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, Michelle would pop into his mind. The thoughts about where they went and what they had been doing were enough to make any boy stay up all night long, let alone an inexperienced young man like himself.
Remus soon found out that the only way he could get any sleep was by thinking about Michelle. It might seem strange that if he wanted to take his mind off of her, then he was to concentrate solely on her.
As he felt himself slowly slipping into unconsciousness, he dimly recalled Sirius’ question: whether he had made plans to see her. They probably had, just that he had forgotten. And, he thought, a sleepy smile inching across his lips, even if we hadn’t, there’s always tomorrow.
Oh, the possibilities…!
Marauder Affairs - The Lupin Files by MissyQuill
Story Notes:
The authors who were involved in this round robin are Sammy, Stacy, Mavis, El, Michelle, Allie, Elaina, Nicole, Ruth, Arya, Sainyn, Lucia, Katherine, Bethan, Meda, Marty and Alyssa.
Chapter Notes: A huge thanks to the entire class of summer '08 for making this class amazing! You guys have made your Prof and House Elf/Dark Lady very proud.:)
A seperate shout out to Mavis for putting the whole thing together and betaing it.