V.
"Term starts again tomorrow," Remus protested as she lead him through the castle toward the Entrance Hall. "Don't you have a lot of work to be getting on with or is it just my classes?"
"I finished yesterday. Besides, this is preparation for one of my classes." Charity couldn't help but smile broadly as they stepped out into the cold, snowy world: the grounds were sparkling in the morning sun, a winter wonderland that almost took her breath away in spite of how chilly it was. She wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck and adjusted her knit hat; she didn't anticipate staying out long, but she wanted to enjoy it while she did.
"Don't tell me we're going sledding," he groaned. "I heard you took your third-years sledding last year."
She gave him a surprised look. "How did you hear about that?" she asked.
"Hagrid mentioned it." Remus coughed. "He thought I might need some tips if you decided to try and take me sledding."
She giggled. "So he knows about us, then?"
"Sometimes Hagrid can be unusually perceptive," Remus murmured.
"Did he see me leaving your rooms?" Charity asked. "And here I thought I was being careful sneaking out."
"No, he did not see you sneaking out so you're doing fine at sneaking," Remus said, shaking his head with a smile. "Actually, he asked me if I had ever thought about having a date with you, and I told him we already had. I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not," she said, taking his hand as they came closer to the lake. She didn't want him to run when he found out what she really had planned. "He's a good man."
"You have no idea," Remus murmured, and once again Charity could tell he was thinking about his past, about a life she still knew so little about even after so many weeks of laughing and talking and getting to know one another late into the night. She wondered if he would ever tell her everything--how he had become a werewolf, what he did during the war, that dark night twelve years ago when his best friends had been murdered. She was willing to wait, but she worried about him whenever he seemed to slip into the past.
Squeezing his hand, Charity stopped at the edge of the lake. It was, of course, frozen solid, as the winter chill had set in hard this year. She waved her wand and cleared an area of snow, then murmured a charm under her breath. Remus gave her a questioning look.
"Unbreakable Charm," she said. "Just in case."
"Just in case of what?" he asked, but there was a small smile tugging at the sides of his mouth, as if he were beginning to suspect something.
"Just in case there's a thin spot," she replied. "In the ice."
"Because we're…" He trailed off, as if asking a question.
"We're going ice skating," she announced, pulling out two pairs of ice skates from the bag she had carried out with her. Remus merely raised an eyebrow; she was starting to love that understated reaction from him.
"Aren't we a bit old for ice skating on the Hogwarts lake?" he asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.
"I'm not," she shot back, hoping to challenge him. When he didn't react, she leaned forward to kiss him quickly. "And neither are you, even if you think you are."
"And what about the students seeing us?" he asked.
"They won't be back until much later," she reminded him. "And it's too early for the ones who stayed. Come on, Remus--stop stalling. It'll be fun."
"If you say so," he murmured, but he did sit down on the blanket she laid out a bit back from the shoreline, and he began pulling on the skates she handed him.
"I know so," she said. "I used to come out here and skate every year when I was a student. I'm teaching my third-years this year since they are all expecting me to take them sledding. I want to surprise them."
"Next year you could try skiing," Remus suggested flippantly. He had done up his skates perfectly.
"I might," she replied with a laugh. "Have to keep them guessing!"
Finishing her own laces, Charity stood and hobbled her way through the snow toward the lake. Stepping onto the ice, she effortlessly glided away, quickly remembering the delicate balance of speed and equilibrium it took to skate on a thinly sharpened piece of metal over a frozen surface. She had loved it since the first time she had tried it as a child, and had introduced her friends to it at Hogwarts; now she was going to introduce Remus to the fine art of ice skating, and then her third-years.
Skating back to the edge of the lake, she watched as Remus gingerly stood and glanced down at the skates with skepticism. She held out her hand as he hobbled toward the ice, then held it firmly as he stepped onto the slippery surface. She halfway expected him to fall straight off, but he kept his balance remarkably well.
"First thing you want to do is relax and try to keep your ankles from turning in," she told him, skating backward and gently leading him forward. He was watching her face with a small smile, whereas most beginners tended to watch their feet. His ankles were fine: he wasn't wobbling one bit. She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he had done this before.
"Then you want to push to the side, one foot at a time," she said. "Here, watch." She left him standing on the ice and glided away, speeding up to do a few quick turns before coming back to him with an elegant t-stop. He had an amused look at his face. "What's so funny?" she demanded.
"You look as giddy as a school girl," he replied. "Twirling around out there."
She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "And what's wrong with that? I happen to like ice skating. Are you ready to try?" She took his hands, ready to guide him out farther.
He still had that funny look on his face as he leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you enjoy it so much," he murmured, dropping her hands, "because I do too." And with that he stepped away, soaring perfectly across the ice without the slightest bit of hesitation. He even did a turn and waved at her as he glided backwards around the lake.
He had obviously been ice skating before.
With a laugh, Charity hurried off to join him. She caught his hand, and they skated in circles around the ice, every so often moving into a graceful dance move as if they had been skating together for years. It was glorious, having someone to skate with; last year she had come by herself and it had been a bit lonely, to be honest. She had anticipated Remus grumbling about coming out with her and had expected their time on the ice to be quite short, yet she felt that right then she could stay out for hours, never tiring, never growing cold.
It was perfect.
She idly wondered what else she still didn't know about him, but she decided that if it was something like this, that was all right. When he was ready to share the darker parts of his history, she would be there for him; for now, she was just glad to have discovered this wonderful secret.
Soon, however, the sun moved behind some clouds and the wind picked up, and between the increasing cold and the dull ache in her legs, Charity found herself ready to head inside to warm up. Remus agreed, spun her one last time, and together they glided back to their blanket on the snowy shore and began to undo their skates.
"Well, that was a pleasant surprise," Charity said, pulling her boots back on for the trek back to the castle. "Where did you learn to skate?"
"Oh, I picked it up over the years," he replied. There was a mysterious and lofty tone to his voice, but Charity could see the smile crinkling the skin around his eyes.
"You did not. Seriously--when did you learn how to skate like that?"
"Here at Hogwarts," he laughed. "My fifth year." He sort of smiled to himself, and Charity narrowed her eyes.
"I know that look. You're remembering a girl, aren't you?" He gave her a surprised look, and she crossed her hands over her chest, playfully challenging him. "Who was she, then?"
He shook his head and leaned over to kiss her. "It wasn't like that at all. It was Lily Evans, that's it."
"I thought she dated James Potter at school," Charity remarked. Remus nodded.
"She did, but not until seventh year. Lily and I were prefects together and became quite close friends. She had other interests, though, and I knew James always had feelings for her, so it was nothing more." Remus gazed out across the ice with a fond look on his face. "But one day she asked me to join her skating, and it turned out I was actually rather good at it, so it became something for us to do for fun, when O.W.Ls or N.E.W.T.s became a bit too much."
"I'm surprised I never saw you out here," Charity said, trying to remember if perhaps she had. Remus shrugged.
"We didn't skate all that often at first. Sixth year we came out a bit more, as it was a tough year. And then seventh year James asked me to teach him, in secret at night, so he could impress her." Remus shook his head at the memory. "And he impressed her, all right--he fell on their first pass and broke his wrist. He said I should keep skating with her after that, and he'd have hot chocolate ready for us when we came in."
"Did you?" Charity asked softly. "Keep skating with her?" Remus nodded.
"Every winter, until…" He trailed off and gave her a sad smile. "Well, until we couldn't skate anymore. I went out once by myself, that first year they were gone, but it wasn't the same."
"I'm glad you came out with me," Charity said, helping him stand. She stuffed the blanket and skates into her bag. "I'm sorry if it brought back difficult memories."
Remus wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead, her nose, and finally her lips. "I'm so glad you thought of this. They may be difficult memories, but they are also good ones. And now I have new memories."
Taking his hand, Charity began walking back toward the castle. "I'm glad I can be part of your new memories," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. They were silent for a moment, then Remus spoke unexpectedly.
"I wonder if Harry knows how to skate," he said, almost to himself. "Lily couldn't wait to teach him."
"Maybe you should," Charity replied impulsively. Remus occasionally talked about his friends, but he rarely mentioned Harry. She wondered why, when Harry was so obviously like his father. Perhaps it was too painful a reminder of the best friend he had lost.
Remus looked at her in surprise. "I can't do that!" he exclaimed.
"Why not?" she asked. "Teach him how to skate, as a gift from his mum. I think he'd like that."
He shook his head. "Harry doesn't even know I was close with his mum and dad. I can't just offer to step in as a surrogate parent. Besides, I'm going to be teaching him the Patronus Charm to help against the Dementors. It's more practical anyway."
Charity pulled him to a stop. "He doesn't know?"
"Of course not," Remus replied. "The Patronus Charm is hardly third-year material--"
"No, I mean--he doesn't know about you and his parents?" Remus's face went very still, until he finally shook his head. "So he doesn't know about Sirius Black either then?"
Remus turned away and continued walking. "I haven't told him, no. Why should anyone have to live with such knowledge, yet alone a thirteen-year-old boy?"
"But Remus!" she said, hurrying after him. "Think about how much you could tell him about James and Lily. Think of what that might mean to him."
"I can't. It was a lifetime ago," he mumbled, waving her away. "I have no wish to relive it."
"You just did!" she exclaimed. "Out there by the lake, when you told me about skating with Lily. You should share those stories with Harry."
"I'm not sure it's his business," Remus replied, and Charity could hear the deep sense of loss he must feel creeping into his voice.
"They were his parents," she said, but he cut her off once more.
"And they were my best friends," he said softly, his eyes bright with sadness. "But they are gone. It's time to--" He stopped, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at something behind her.
"What is it?" she demanded, whirling around. When she turned back to him, she was shocked to see his mouth hanging open, his eyes wide. He looked pale, when only moments earlier he had been flushed from skating across the lake. "What's wrong? Remus, are you all right?"
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm fine. I just thought I saw…"
"What? Sirius Black?" Turning around again, Charity scanned the grounds for any sign of the escaped prisoner before stepping back toward Remus, who was gazing into the distance with a troubled look on his face.
"No," he replied, his voice stiff. "Just a big black dog."
Charity thought about making a joke about the Grim, as the third-years in particular seemed to have a fixation with it this year. But the look on Remus's face told her that it was not the right time for light-hearted jokes. Instead, she took his hand and began to lead him back toward the castle.
Yet he was clearly rattled, and she suspected that he was once again stuck in his past, reliving his years at Hogwarts, the memory of a black dog a particularly powerful one. She wondered if he would tell her about it one day, or if she would have to be content once more with the bits and pieces of his story that she was slowly starting to understand.
* * *