Blood of the Moon {Remus Lupin}

Chapter 56

So I'm writing this on my phone, my laptops still broken...
That's how dedicated I am to you lot. Sorry it took so long :)

Song recommendation:
Zombie - The Cranberries

Auriga stared into Harry's eyes intently, looking for any murmur of a lie or joke. But none could be found. Eventually she took a deep breath and looked around the blurring platform to avoid eye contact with anyone. Another deep breath cleared her head, and she knew exactly what needed to be done.

Auriga nodded her head and released Harry's arm, feeling the innumerable pairs of eyes on her. "I'm going to fucking kill her."

Mrs Weasley clamped her hands over her daughter's ears, scowling, while Sirius raised his eyebrows, the twins grinned, and Harry looked baffled. But then his jaw set in determination and he nodded too. "I want to come with you."

Auriga nodded. "Anyone else?"

Before the twins could volunteer as well, Remus jumped forward, snapping out of some sort of trance. "No! No one's going anywhere apart from headquarters."

Auriga had her wand out faster than when her fiancé had almost killed her. "Are you going to stop me?"

Remus frowned once more and didn't answer straight away. Then he swallowed and met her eyes. "Yes."

Auriga heard Granger gasp, and felt a sharp pressure on the back of her neck, before her vision went black. She felt the world whirl a little around her, felt a pair of arms pick her up, and then she was out like a light.

*****

Auriga groaned at the dull ache of her head. There was something cold and damp pressed against it, and a weight pressing down next to her on whatever surface she'd been laid on. "For fuck's sake," she murmured as she twisted uncomfortably.

"When did your language become so rambunctious?" asked an amused Remus Lupin.

Auriga peeled her eyes open and looked up into Remus's eyes, framed by his raised eyebrows. The sunlight that streamed into the room highlighted the little golden flecks in them. "Have you always had those little flecks in your eyes?" she asked, smiling as she did.

"Er..." said Remus, looking more amused by the second.

"No, how did I not notice them before?" she pushed.

There was a snort from elsewhere in the room, and Auriga pushed herself upright, feeling her cheeks burning like fire as the damp cloth fell into her lap. Everything span for a moment, but a firm hand on her shoulder forced her back to reality, and she shot a quick, grateful smile at Remus, before returning to her search for the laughter.

She soon found it coming from the wheezing Nymphadora, who was rocking back and forward next to a teary-eyed Sirius. "Is she concussed?" asked a frowning Mr Weasley from next to them.

"Most likely," said Remus, peering back at Auriga. There were those flecks in his eyes again! How would she ever unsee them?

"Why am I concussed?" asked Auriga, looking to the four faces for some answers.

"Um," began Remus, removing his hand from Auriga's shoulder, "Sirius sort of...knocked you out...because of-"

"You stopped me getting my brother!" said Auriga, standing quickly to her feet and feeling dizzy once more.

"He'll be at your parents house by now," Remus said, his voice soft like linen, "We'll have to plan."

"All the more reason for me to have gone earlier," said Auriga, making her way to the door. "I'm not letting Draco near them - they're psychotic! I'd know!"

"Merlin, Auriga, I can't let you do that!" said Remus, his cool composure dissolving to reveal a disheveled array of desperation.

"You're either part of the problem or part of the solution, Remus!" said Auriga, drawing her wand. She wasn't actually going to use it on him. Maybe she'd squirt water at him... "I have to help my brother. You wouldn't understand, but I know what it's like there. I know what they're capable of. And I know what's too far for Draco, what he won't be able to come back from. And me leaving him any longer than I have to...that's too much for him."

Remus looked oddly resigned, oddly defeated. Auriga's words resonated with him for reasons unknown, and she frowned at him, wondering what manipulative angle he may be coming from. But then she realised that this was Remus, and he wasn't trying to manipulate. If it was Remus being Remus, he was only trying to help. He was always only trying to help.

"Can I talk to you?" asked Auriga. "Alone?" This request had hardly been made before Nymphadora and Sirius had ushered Mr Weasley from the room and shut the door firmly behind them. Auriga and Remus looked at each other, their eyes boring into the others, communicating wordlessly.

"I know exactly what you're feeling, Auriga," Remus said, his voice sounding tired. "When you...when you weren't here, I felt like I'd failed you. And sometimes now, I feel like I left it too long, too late...I feel like I'm never going to get you back." The gold flakes in his eyes were gone now, covered up by stinging tears.

Auriga swallowed and nodded. "You're right," she said, stepping towards him and holding his hands in her own. "You're never going to get me back. Because, in truth," she took a breath, "you never lost me." A tear tracked down his face and Auriga released his hand to wipe it away with her thumb. "I thought about you when I was in Azkaban. You were there with me. And when they tried to change me, they had to take away the part of me that loved you." Auriga wiped away a few more tears, before standing on the tips of her toes and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

"The Azkaban thing?" asked Remus when she stood back on her heels. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

Auriga chuckled and stared at his a moment longer, taking in every detail of his face just because she could. "Come on," she said eventually to her own disappointment, "let's go and find Draco."