Blood of the Moon {Remus Lupin}

Chapter 54

:)

Auriga let her butterbeer glass drop with a thud onto the bar top, and pulled herself out of her slouch with her elbows. She flagged Rosmerta down, who came over and sighed as she took away Auriga's glass. "A-another one, please," Auriga managed to say between hiccups.

"I think perhaps not," said a gentle voice from behind her. Auriga was vaguely aware of somebody's hand on her shoulder. Rosmerta nodded and smiled, looking grateful, before serving another customer.

"Go away, Remus," said Auriga with a frown as she tried to get the barmaid's attention again.

"We've been looking for you all day," said Remus, not sitting down and gathering Auriga's cloak from the floor.

"Well..." said Auriga, finally giving up on Rosmerta and getting up. "You didn't look very hard." She stumbled towards the front door and flung it open, stepping through. Remus managed to catch it just before it hit him in the face, still trying to stop Auriga's cloak from dragging on the floor.

"Where-where are you going?" called Remus as he followed her. Auriga had the faint idea that he wasn't struggling to keep up, as she wasn't exactly walking in a straight line.

"Obviously I'm going...somewhere else," said Auriga, and she felt a lopsided smile play on her features. She frowned and patted down her robes, before looking over her shoulder. "Where's my-?" She looked up at Remus and grinned at him holding out her cloak. "Thank you very much, Moooony." She held out her hand expectantly.

Instead of handing her her cloak, Remus took Auriga's hand in his, and disapparated them elsewhere. "Remus!" whined Auriga, as she found herself back at Grimmauld Place.

"Will you be quiet?" hissed Remus, but Auriga could tell he wasn't quite putting his heart into it. He placed an arm around her shoulders and steered her inside, all the time she moaned about wanting to stay outside.

"What if," Auriga began, "I don't drink anything else?"

"You were told to stay here," Remus reminded her.

"Yeah, but..." said Auriga, "How did you find me?" Before Remus could answer, the front door opened again, and Dumbledore walked in, deep in conversation with Shacklebolt and Arthur Weasley. In the same moment, Sirius appeared in the kitchen door, eyebrows raised.

"You found her?" asked Sirius.

"Way to...to..." Auriga started, but found her mind too foggy to finish.

"Point out the obvious?" offered Dumbledore.

"Exactly!" exclaimed Auriga, getting so excited as she pointed at Dumbledore that she both set off the screaming portrait (that Weasley shut up) and began to topple down the stairs that Remus had been guiding her up. He caught her smoothly by placing a firm hand around her waist.

"Maybe get her to sleep, Moony?" suggested Sirius.

"I don't think that's a bad idea," said Mr Weasley unhelpfully.

"Listen," said Auriga, stepping down but not making Remus let go. "I don't need a bunch of men telling me what to do, or-or where to go, or...or..."

"Or?" asked Remus as she finished her yawn.

"Or giving me a bedtime," she said, yawning again. "I'm fine."

"OK," said Remus, now placing his hand on her back and encouraging her upstairs.

"Night," Auriga called, and she was rewarded with an unenthusiastic chorus of goodnight. Even though it was mid-afternoon.

When they arrived outside their bedrooms, having climbed many flights of stairs, Remus finally handed her cloak back. "It's exactly as you left it," he said, avoiding her eyes, "Do you need any help?"

"No," said Auriga.

Remus nodded and began making his way back to the stairs.

"Remus?"

He turned. "Mm?"

"Can you come in anyway?"

Although his face remained emotionless, a faint flicker of something crept into his eyes. "If you want," he said with a kind smile, opening the door for her and allowing her to step inside.

The only thing Auriga could comprehend was that it was dusty, and she was tired. She pulled her robes over her head, hearing Remus take a deep breath, and giggled. "It's nothing you've not seen before," said Auriga. She looked over her shoulder and saw him stood by the door, his eyes screwed shut. She giggled again, before pulling her pyjamas on. Her comfiest, black, cotton ones.

Auriga tried clambering into bed - by which time Remus had his eyes open again - but got tangled in a mess of sheets. "Oh for...for Merlin's...saggy...left-"

"Would you like some help?" Remus offered, stepping forward, having watched her struggle.

"I'm a mess," said Auriga as he straightened out the end. Remus didn't say anything, but Auriga didn't miss the tensing of his arm when his hand brushed against her leg.

"Would you like me to plump your pillows too?" said Remus sarcastically, before moving to do it anyway. Auriga caught a whiff of chocolate and soap as he leaned over her.

"You smell like amortentia," she breathed, her eyes drifting shut, and he froze where he stood.

"And you smell like butterbeer," he said, attempting to keep his face neutral. The pink spots on his cheeks gave him away.

"You're blushing."

"Maybe I am." He bent down and kissed her, more softly and carefully than he had the first time. But instead of carrying on he stopped, apparently at the taste of salt from Auriga's tear. He wiped it away with his thumb, but they came faster than he could stop them, and eventually he gave up and crawled onto the bed with her, wrapping his arms around her.

"You don't understand, Remus," said Auriga between gulps of air.

"I do," he promised, "You-"

"No!" said Auriga. She pulled back her sleeve revealing that ugly, revolting mark that curled and twisted and made her want to wretch. But his reaction surprised her. There was a slight frown on his face, but then he elegantly took her wrist and kissed it, before pressing his hand over the top and covering it completely.

"This isn't you, Auriga," he said, his voice calming and smooth like honey puddling after being drizzled from a spoon. "You didn't choose this. I know you - the real you, and you are one of the strongest, most beautiful people I know." Auriga calmed at his words, and allowed him to run his fingers through her hair as she fell asleep, her head resting on his chest.