Determination

XI: Exposition

September 1993

James had often told Remus growing up he displayed his emotions like a Wizarding picture, not noticeable at first, but after a harder look and second glance they were easy to read.

And Remus,

Well Remus could swear his heart fell out of his chest the moment he spotted the bright blue hair of the girl with healing hugs.

She was just as he remembered her all those years ago...

Blue hair shining like a beacon of light in an otherwise gloomy world, beaming smile on her face, attitude in place as if nothing ever got to her.

Remus knew better though.

He knew she held secrets close to her heart, never her own though. She was an open book to anyone willing enough to read her, but her pages were only ever about herself. The secrets of others were safe inside a charmed chest located in a room you'd never unlock, mostly because you'd never be able to find it in the first place.

She was the first person he ever willingly divulged his own secret to, to be fair, she'd already known when he told her.

But still the first nonetheless.

He'd heard about the memory loss of course, it was the largest piece of Wizarding gossip after the war was over. Her companies were taken over by someone trusted, and whom shared in her ideologies, until a time she would assume control over them again. Rumors say she'd given up rights to all her properties as well, but Remus couldn't be sure on that one, he hadn't been aware she'd had any besides the one.

He wanted to go up to her.

be engulfed in one of her all consuming hugs again.

he wanted to drown in the sincerity in her eyes.

he wanted her voice to patch up the missing pieces of his Soul...

all three of them.

But as her eyes held no familiarity in them when she glanced at him, he knew he was once again someone forgotten.

He refused to let his heart break again though. She couldn't help that she forgot him, he had a lifetime now to prove himself someone to remember.

He would learn to love and be loved by this version of a girl he once knew, he vowed it to himself.

~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*|*~*~*~*~*~*|*|*

Lupin was excited to teach each of his classes, it was his dreams finally coming to fruition. A steady paycheck, doing something he could feel good about.

He was content.

He had something interesting planned for his third years first lesson.

There was a slight delay in leading his class to their lesson due to peeves, but Remus has learned his fair share of dealing with the mischievous ghost and was able to quickly take care of it so they could be on their way.

As they neared the room, Remus could hear voices coming out of it, voices he knew very well.

"- is dangerous, and you are naive to believe he will not come after you as well."

"Even a brave man isn't foolish enough to to chase the monster he knows.."

"You are not a monster!" Came the hushed reply.

Remus knew the argument well.
He also knew it was not for students ears.  he spoke loudly and quickly hoping to diffuse the situation behind the doors before one of the students could hear what was being said.

"Nearly there class just a little further now!"

He was saddened to learn the memory loss had not expunged the self hatred the girl always felt. It was a feeling the two had shared, and bonded over, as the other vehemently denied it of the other.

Neither of the pair had any choice in what they were, and it was easy to confide in each other of the matter.

Remus opened the door to the room revealing Professors Snape and Night. The students saw the two and only paused a moment before continuing into the classroom.

Remus saw Severus ignore the students very existence as he glared at him.

Remus offered him a mockingly kind smile, he knew the man still hated him.

Seems almost 15 years still didn't change anything there.

In complete opposition to her counter part, Remus saw Mason regard in small, polite hellos to many of the students by name.

Remus barely paid attention to what Severus was saying about the Longbottom boy because Mason interrupted him.

"Pay him no mind Neville. He's a grumpy old git when he doesn't get his beauty sleep, and he's obviously missed a lot of it..."

Remus fought hard to control the laughter bubbling out of his chest.

Severus pointed his cold glare at her.

"You're a demon." He told her

She smirked teasingly back at him
"Just keeping your seat warm, darling."

Severus rolled his eyes at the girl.
"Let's go." He told her

Mason laughed to herself as she waved goodbye to the students.
Remus instinctively reached out to her, but made sure not to touch her. She paused as she looked at him.

Remus couldn't find the words he wanted to say as her gaze locked onto his.

Her eyes narrowed the longer she looked at him.

A small light shone behind her eyes.
"Mooney?" She whispered

His heart skipped a beat at the old familiar nickname.

Mason blinked, and the light disappeared again.
"Sorry" she chuckled lightly "I- I don't know why I called you that."

Remus could feel his heart practically give out when he said

"My friends used to call me that."

Understanding and curiosity shown behind her eyes. Remus knew she had questions for him.

Who was he?
What did he mean?
Did they know each other?

He smiled kindly at the woman.

"Later" he whispered.

Though he wanted nothing more than to tell her all about who she used to be to him, he understood he had to take this slowly.

The woman surprised him though when she brought him in to an all too familiar embrace. Engulfing the tall broken man in a hug that filled him with a comforting warmth.

She smiled at him when she pulled away.

"You looked like you needed a hug."

Remus couldn't help the smile on his face as she walked away. He turned back to his class as the closed trunk rattled at the front of the room.

"Now!" He said as he addressed the third years. "Inside this chest is a boggart, can anyone tell me what a boggart looks like?"

"No one knows"

He smiled at the girl who spoke.

His year was already starting to look up.