Their Seventh Year

Worst.  Hangover.  Ever.  That’s why I didn’t post a new chapter last night, I went out right after work, and apparently felt compelled to remind myself why I can no longer drink like I did in college.  But I couldn’t leave you guys hanging with no new chapter, now could I?

Chapter 32- Secrets Revealed

Remus had looked everywhere for his girlfriend.  Well, if “everywhere” was the Gryffindor common room, but he had expected to find her there.  Lily and Alice were unhelpful, only able to tell him that she had left, but had not revealed a destination.  Then they gave him “the look”.  It was a sort of “we feel kind of bad for you because you have no idea that you’re in trouble but not bad enough to actually clue you in” look.  He’d seen other guys get it; this was his first time being on the receiving end of it himself.  He had, in fact, noted that Flora was being unusually brisk and cool with him.  Not so much that he could say she was mad exactly, but enough to make him aware that there was something not quite right.  He was a reasonable and sensible guy, and so he was going to find her, talk to her, find out what the problem was, fix it (probably involving him apologizing for something), and then all would be well and back to normal.  At least, that was how he planned it.  He forgot to factor in a fairly temperamental girlfriend.

He found her in the library, books open, looking supremely serious, like the perfect student.  This was definitely out-of-character.  Nervously, he sat down.

“What are you doing?”

“Transfiguration.”

Right, well, that’s that.  Should have asked a question that required a longer answer old boy.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

He had heard about this before, when girls insisted they were fine, in that kind of voice, they were anything but fine.

“Of course, I can tell by your monotone voice and angry expression, both clear indicators of how fine you are.”

“Remus, do you want something?”

“I want to know what you’re upset about.”

She sighed, more out of annoyance than anything.  “I don’t know.”

“Ah….okay?”

“Really.  I don’t know.  There’s something Remus, something that you’re keeping from me.”

“What makes you think that?”  If she noticed that he didn’t actually deny it, she gave no sign.

“I just know.  I have a feeling.  Sometimes you start to say something and then you stop yourself, or I ask you what you’re thinking and you tell me something that’s clearly not true.  I…I don’t really know what to think.  Because all I can really figure is that you don’t trust me.”

“That’s not true…”

“Yes, it is.  Maybe you don’t even realize it, but there’s something about you that you’re not telling me, and it’s important.”  She looked him directly in the eye.  “I’m not sure how to deal with it.  But I do know I need to not be around you for awhile.”

He froze.  “You’re breaking up with me?”

“No.”  She said, sounding sure of that at least, and he started breathing again.  He wanted to tell her, just to say it right then.  He pictured saying it- I’m a werewolf.  But then, he made the mistake of picturing her reaction, as he expected it to be.  What if she hated him?  What if she was afraid of him?  And he didn’t say anything.

“Can you just leave me alone for a bit?”

“Yeah.  Yeah I guess.”  I think we’re having that first fight.

======

He found James and Peter in the Great Hall, early for dinner, and so passing the time by catching up on some homework.  Remus tossed down his bag.

“What is up with girls anyway?”

“Mate, if I knew that, I wouldn’t be sitting here working on an essay about vanishing potions, I’d be the richest and most sought-after wizard in the world.”  James replied, with a sympathetic look.  “Problems?”

“Mhm.  What’s Padfoot doing?”

“I don’t know, but I’d be willing to bet someone in Slytherin colors.”  Muttered Peter darkly.

Remus frowned, glad for a moment to think about someone else’s problems.

“Is he still chasing after her?  It’s so odd, I can’t think of anyone who hates dark families and Slytherins more, and he’s chasing the ultimate Death Eater’s sister?”

“Do you suppose he’s just doing his usual thing?  Snogging her until he gets bored?”

“Or more than snogging?”  Peter suggested, perking up in interest.

“He says he’s not.  And, it’s Sirius, I don’t think he’d...er…”

“He’s never had any qualms about kissing and telling before.”  James supplied.

“Exactly.”

“D’you think she’s like… brainwashing him?”

“Don’t be stupid Wormtail, he’s smarter than that.”

“I asked him right when we got back from holiday what he wanted from her.  He said he didn’t know.”

They were all silent for a moment, then Peter spoke with a force that was unusual for him.

“I don’t care what he says, I don’t like her and I don’t trust her.  Malfoy’s sister, it’s only a matter of time before she gets her fangs in him.  That girl is all kinds of wicked.”  Peter stopped talking as James and Remus began to look uncomfortable.  “She’s standing right behind me, isn’t she?”

They both suddenly became very interested in the top of the table.  Peter turned slowly and Arianna Malfoy was indeed standing right behind him.  Rather than looking angry that he had been talking about her, she smiled.  That cold, nasty Slytherin smile.

“Oh you have no idea.”

======

"Your friends think I'm going to seduce you and turn you to the dark side."

It was Sirius's turn to be startled when she spoke behind him as he was sittingon the steps on the evening of the full moon, waiting for James and Peter. He turned in surprise. Never before had she actually voluntarily started a conversation with him. Rather than commenting on that, he raised his eyebrows.

"You were talking to my friends?"

"They were talking about me. I overheard."

"How remarkably tactless of them, though not out of character. Don't worry about it, you're not my type."

"Black, every reasonably attractive and single girl in this school is your type, and I use the term single loosely."

"That's simply untrue Miss Malfoy. I'll have you know there are lots of girls in this school who don't interest me in the slightest."

"The first year ones?"

"Second years too."

"But third years are fair game?"

"Only if they're pretty."

"You're such a gentleman."

Suddenly he felt a foot prod him in the back- James under the invisibility cloak. He stood, planning to give an excuse to get away, but she always had to have the parting shot.

"Tell your littlefriend that if I hear him talking about me again I'll hex him."

"Duly noted."

======

Lily and Alice were sympathetic, but there was really nothing they could do.  If anything was going to get fixed, it was going to have to come from Remus.  Flora had tried, she really had, but she just didn’t understand him.  He could be nice, and funny, and a great boyfriend, but she just knew he had some kind of secret that bothered him more than he wanted to let on, and she hated that he didn’t trust her enough to tell her about it.

And so she was sulking.  There was really no other way to say it, and she was well aware of it.  She figured she was entitled to it.

It was after a great deal of deep sighs and muttering that Lily and Alice lost patience.

“Flor, go talk to him.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Yes you do.  You want to sit here and be pissed, but you also want to make up with him.  If you feel like he’s keeping something from you then maybe he is, you certainly know him better than we do.  But you’re not going to resolve anything sitting around our room sulking.”

“I’m not sulking.”

“Yes you are.”

“Yeah, I am.”

======

She'd always found it amusing that she could go up the boys' staircase but they couldn't go up the girls', but tonight she was glad of it. She'd corner him in their room if she had to. She knocked sharply, and when there was no answer, threw open the door, to find their room dark and empty.

It wasn't that late, nowhere near curfew,but she had seen them come up here, and she hadn't seen them leave. Still, they'd have to be back fairly soon or risk getting in trouble, so fine, she would just wait.

Curfew came, and went, and she began to wonder if they would ever come back…

She slowly became aware of voices.

"So many girls waiting in our room lately, and none of them waiting for me."

She blinked against the bright sunlight that was flooding the room, and then stared at James and Sirius and Peter, all standing in the doorway looking perplexed.

"Good morning Flora." Said James rather formally, and she realized she had fallen asleep waiting for them to get back.

"Do you think this would be a bad time to ask her about the reclining naked?" Sirius remarked in a loud aside to Peter. She ignored him.

"Where's Remus?"

They exchanged a glance that was decidedly nervous, all looked down, shuffled their feet, and refused to meet her eyes.

"Tell me James."

"He's in the hospital wing, but don't worry it's nothing serious." He said quickly.

"Why? Where were you guys? You were gone all night."

"Um, yes, well, it's like....Sirius?"

"Well, it's kind of...hard to explain...you know...”

"Never mind." She pushed past them.

"Flora wait!" James seized her arm. "He'll be back in an hour or so, can't you wait that long to talk to him?"

"Since I've waited all night, no." She jerked her arm out of his hand and stomped down the stairs.

"Does she realize she's going to have to battle Madam Pomfrey?"

"I think she's pissed off enough to win that battle."

======

Madam Pomfrey was not immediately in evidence when she walked into the hospital wing, so no one stopped her.  She found her boyfriend sitting in a bed behind a curtain.  He looked terrible, paler than she had ever seen him, with cuts scattered over his hands and arms and one particularly bad cut over his eye.  Even stranger, he seemed entirely unconcerned by all this, he was reading a book.  She gasped, and his head snapped up.

“What happened?”  She had forgotten she was angry.

“How did you know where I was?”

“James told me, but he didn’t want to give you up, so don’t be mad at him.  He didn’t tell me what happened to you, which is fine because I want to hear what’s going on from you.  I shouldn’t have to learn things about you from your friends.  Where were you last night?”

“I was out with James and Sirius and Peter.”

The voice in his head urged him to tell her, but he still hesitated.

“And they decided to kick your ass?”

“Of course not.”

“Then…?”  She gave him an impatient look and indicated all the cuts and scratches.

“It’s hard to explain…”

“Try me.”

There was no way around it, she was not going to accept any more excuses or lies.

He glanced around to make sure Madam Pomfrey wasn’t going to come back immediately, and sighed.

“Flora, I have a problem.”

She blinked at him.  “Is it…serious?”

He nodded.  “Do you know what last night was?”

Her nose wrinkled in confusion, in a less distracted mood he would have thought it was adorable.  “Saturday?”

He couldn’t resist a slight smile.  “Yes.  But it was also a full moon.”

He could tell she didn’t attach any significance to this.  He couldn’t bring himself to actually say the words, so he tried to hint her along.

“Think about Defense Against the Dark Arts Flora.”

She was frowning at him, obviously not liking this guessing game, but then he saw it all come together in her eyes.  She shook her head slightly, as though to clear it from something.  She looked at him, her eyes wide, not frightened, but curious.

“Remus, you’re not…”

He gave her a short nod., and then knew he had to say it, he had to get it out there between them.  He realized in a moment that he had never actually said the words before.  She took several quick steps back, almost involuntarily, and he winced.  So that was that, she knew and now she was likely going to run away screaming.  Not that he blamed her.

“I’m a werewolf.”

The silence was the loudest thing he had ever heard, it seemed to ring between them.  She stood very very still, watching him with an unreadable expression.  He waited for it to sink in, then she would run away screaming.  She would probably tell people, and he’d have to leave Hogwarts, other parents would certainly object once the word got out.  He’d been stupid really, to think it would work out, he was amazed the secret had been kept this long…

“Well…” she finally began.  He hated this, he almost preferred the running away and screaming rather then the switch to cool, detached politeness followed by a quick exit.  “Is that all?”

He stared at her.  It wasn’t as though she was muggle-born and unaware of the dangers and prejudices, she ought to know what it meant.

“Flora, I don’t think you’re really getting this…”

“What am I not getting?  I know it must be hard for you, I know you’d face a lot of prejudice if people knew, but it doesn’t change how I feel.”

“But-“

“But what?  I don’t care!  Or I do, but only inasmuch as it’s a part of your life.  I wish you’d let me help you rather than keeping a secret.”

He shrugged.  “Well, this is it, no more secrets.”

She smiled and lightly touched the cut above his eye.  “Does that hurt very badly?”

He gave a typically male shrug.  “Not really, Madam Pomfrey can get rid of it all, she just had to go sort out some second year Hufflepuffs who swallowed moonstone.”

“Ah.”  She pushed his hair back off his forehead, and then leaned over and kissed him.  Unfortunately, this was interrupted by Madam Pomfrey’s offended cry.

“Just what is going on in here?”

“Oh, er…”

“Uh…”

“You, young lady, are not supposed to be in here, and you, young man, that doesn’t look like resting to me.  Out!”

“See you later.”  She gave him a final grin as Madam Pomfrey hustled her out.