Redamancy - R. Lupin

Chapter 5 - Noceur

Noceur - (n.) one who stays up late.

R E M U S

It was the day of Harry's trial and the house was in a tense state of anxiety, some much more than others.

Remus had spent the whole day trying to keep Sirius from loosing it and doing something stupid which was by no means an easy task, especially since he had two reasons for worry.

It had been nearly a month since Evangeline Love had begun living at Twelve Grimmauld Place, and since then, she befriended everyone there, especially Sirius. The pair would often be gone for hours on end, flying around the skies of London and the surrounding areas. Each time they came back, the two wore such bright expressions, Remus couldn't help but wonder if they were doing other things than just flying.

Not that he cared.

Since that first time they came back and Remus had overhead them talking about her being veela, he tried staying clear of her, now understanding why he took such a fancy to her. It was simply because it was magic, nothing more to it.

Yet, he couldn't help but watch from afar, noticing the way her eyes- the color of the Honey Duke's chocolate he always kept on hand- lit up when she laughed at something Sirius said, the way she twirled strands of her hair around her finger when thinking, the way she effortlessly played the most beautiful songs he'd ever heard on the piano in the living room.

Remus noticed a lot of things she did, always reminding himself it was out of curiosity, nothing more.

Yet, he couldn't help but get jealous when she'd talk to Bill, her ex boyfriend, or Sirius, a man far richer and far more attractive than Remus. But again, he chalked it up to his hormones since the full moon was just five days away.

Snapping himself from his thoughts, he listened to Sirius rant about the second of his stressors that day.

"I get why Dumble's sent her on the mission, but what I don't get is why he sent her alone. I know his reasons for doing it, but I've concluded that those reasons are complete and utter rubbish," Sirius huffed, running his hands through his hair before speaking again, this time mocking Dumbledore's voice, "Miss. Love must go alone to assure her maximum security," he scoffed, "maximum security my ass-"

"Padfoot, what would you rather he had done?" Remus interrupted, swirling the fire whiskey in his glass lazily.

"Well, I'm an unregistered animagus, he could've sent me with-"

"You're also a wanted mass murderer-"

"Accused mass murderer, I'm innocent."

Remus let loose a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, "pads, I know you're innocent, but the only people who know that are the Order, so if someone saw you, you'd put both yourself and Evangeline at risk. Not to mention, she had to Apparate to get there and you can't."

Sirius echoed the sigh, dropping down in an arm chair after nearly an hour of angry pacing, throwing his head back, "why do you always have to make sense?"

Evangeline had been sent on a solo mission to spy, in the form of a crow, on a group of supposedly former Death Eaters. Remus did agree it was rather dangerous for her to go alone, especially since she was a healer, not a fighter.

"Why couldn't that no-nose prick stay dead? That way neither Harry nor Angeline would be stressing me out so much," Sirius grumbled, massaging his temple.

Remus blames what he said next on the fire whiskey.

"Why do you care about her?"

Sirius looked up, sitting straighter in the chair, brows raised, "what do you mean?"