View Single Post
Old 08-30-2011, 02:53 PM   #4 (permalink)
LoonyLupin99
Hufflepuff
Dugbog
 
LoonyLupin99's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Michigan, USA
Posts: 97
quill A Bittersweet Love

Lupin.jpg

“Slipped away from your open hands
Into the river;
Saw your face looking back at me;
I saw my past,
And I saw my future.”
-Keane




July 1996

A year had passed since I met Remus Lupin. My poor cousin Sirius Black had been murdered by yet another family member, my sadistic aunt Bellatrix Lestrange. I had fought in that battle, but I couldn’t save him. It really was tragic because he never got the justice he deserved. I still mourned Sirius sometimes when I was alone. Now, my mother and father were the only family on my side. They were always asking the Order how they could be of assistance. And then there was Remus. We’d come to be very fond of each other. I’d say that I was more than just fond of him. Out of anyone else in the Order, he’d become the one I cared about most. I hadn’t planned on falling in love with a werewolf, but… there’s not much you can do when you feel this way. It was terrifying and exciting at the same time.

Today was the day I would pour everything out to Remus. Everyone feels this tension at some point, unsure of what the person you love is going to say. Goodness knows, I’d never really done this before. It had been a humid summer afternoon, but as night fell, the temperature cooled. I invited Remus to my home at the last Order meeting, and I was expecting him any second. Conveniently, the moon wouldn’t be out tonight. He’d have no worries about turning into a wolf before my eyes. I spent most of today pacing my living room in anticipation for his arrival.

Remus knocked on my door a second later. As he came inside, the knots in my stomach grew.

“Why don’t we go outdoors?” I told him. “I have a decent-sized backyard that we can talk in.”

“Sounds like a great suggestion,” Remus answered. Without warning, he slipped his arm around my shoulder. This shouldn’t be too hard, then, I thought to myself happily. A perfect view waited for us outside. The sun was setting, illuminating the sky with gorgeous colors.

“So… How do you think Harry’s holding up with the Muggles?” I asked him.

Remus grimaced. “From what I understand, his aunt and uncle favor their own son considerably more than him. I can’t possibly think Harry’s happy there. But Dumbledore will be taking him to the Burrow any day now. They’re like his second family.”

“I’m glad the Weasleys care about him so much,” I replied in agreement. Here, I saw a great opportunity. “You ought to know that I care about you just as much. But I don’t think of you as my family.”

“You don’t?”

“Not exactly...” I seized the moment and kissed him. To my surprise, he pulled away. Oh no, I did everything all wrong!

“What is it, Remus?”

“You know perfectly well what!” The pain in his voice was almost too much to bear. “Werewolves are considered lower than Muggle-borns in the eyes of Lord Voldemort and his supporters. I’ve always been unemployed, with the exception of the year I taught at Hogwarts. Even that wonderful opportunity was taken from me because of my condition. It also means that I’m horribly poor. You and I have already become targets due to our involvement in the Order. It doesn’t matter that your family’s full of pure-bloods, or that I was human once. Think about what they would do if they found out that I’m undeniably, hopelessly in love with you.”

That confession brought me to tears.

“If they see us as a couple, we might as well sign our death certificates. The problems don’t end there.” He pointed to the scars on his face. “These weren’t intentional. I earned them fighting other animals.”

I had assumed as much. Then, he rolled up one sleeve of his robes. I gasped when I saw the cuts on his forearm. Most of them hadn’t yet become scars. I looked at him for an explanation.

“Yes, Tonks… These were intentional.”

“But… why?” I stuttered. “What happened?”

“You did.”

Both of us were crying now.

“It’s been my way of coping. There’s no real way to describe how much I detest living like a monster, and we’re not supposed to be in love with humans. I couldn’t live with myself if I injured you. You should see me; I’ve got absolutely no control over my actions when I’m in wolf form.”

“Too bad!” I argued. At this point, I was hysterical. I couldn’t let go of him that easily. “I can lock myself inside during the full moon, if that’s what you want. Just please stop hurting yourself.”

Remus shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Tonks; it’s not that simple.” Before I could argue any further, he Disapparated.

“Remus…” For a long time, I kept muttering his name through my tears, even though I knew he was past the point of hearing me. It took everything I had in me to compose myself until I reached my bedroom. I didn’t bother to keep my hair its normal shade of pink. It turned dark brown as I cried myself to sleep.

Last edited by LoonyLupin99; 11-14-2011 at 07:11 PM. Reason: new picture!
LoonyLupin99 is offline