Beauty and the Beast (Remus Lupin)

80.

As the days went on, things started to get so much worse. Their was a brief moment of happiness for both Rose and Remus, but now Harry, Ron and Hermione broke into the Ministry.

Hermiones name had been all over the prophet because she had failed to register with the Ministry, and Harry was in the front of every paper as well as posters around Diagon Alley. No one was able to identify Ron or Hermione, just noticed Harry.

Rose walked to the family room and sat down with the prophet. This was now the third time she was reading it, seeing if she had missed anything.

But no matter how long she had read it for or looked at the pictures they caught, it didn't change anything. The three had really broken into the Ministry, and according to the Ministry it was through Polyjuice potion.

Besides that, there were no other signs of them. They had vanished once again.

"Darling, reading it again isn't going to change anything." Remus sat across from her, "I'm sure they're fine. They have Hermione with them."

It was the start of the new cycle for him, he had just came home and looked completly worned out. Like he could sleep for a month straight, but surprisingly enough, he seemed more focused than usual.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Rose asked curiously.

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing. It's just usually you're on edge and moody when it's a new cycle. You seem...happier than usual."

He shrugged with a smile, "I guess there's more to be happy about this time."

Then, there was a knock at the front door. Remus stood up with his wand out, before opening the door he looked out the window. The door opened to show Mr. Weasley standing outside, "I'm Arthur Weasley. I'm married to Molly Prewett. My boggart is You-Know-Who and my patronus is a weasel."

Remus let him inside, "What's going on, Arthur?"

"I ran into a friend at the Ministry, our friend. Anyways, he's warned us that we're all being tracked, they know absolutely everthing about us." Mr. Weasley said.

"Well Tonks had warned me a bit ago about that. Is it really that bad?" Rose asked.

"Very. I did some snooping around myself and they even knew about Remus's absence and how you stayed with us during that time. They've got your pictures, files, and all your facts. They know more about us than we do ourselves."

"Who has these files?" Remus asked.

"Dolores Umbridge. She's got us all under her eye...She also had Mad-Eye's eye on her door."

"What?"

"She had the eye to keep a watch, that's how they found out there was a breech in the Ministry."

"How on earth did she get his eye? That wicked old gargoyle." Rose said.

"We have no idea how she got it." Mr. Weasley shook his head with anger, "but as a precaution, I suggest you two stay put for a while. It's getting more dangerous out there by the second."

"Yeah...alright. Thanks for coming Arthur." Remus walked him out.

Rose sat back in the chair looking down at the digusting picture of Umbridge on the front page of the prophet. She couldn't believe that someone would actually do something so foul, something to wicked. Who would take an eye with such pleasure? Like as if it was nothing but a prize.

Remus leaned against the doorframe and what was once a smile on his face was now gone. In replacement, lines on his forheard formed from rage.

When he and Bill couldn't find Mad-Eye after the attack, they had both been devasted. There was not a single sign as to where he could've possibly went until Mr. Weasley had came to them about Umbridge.

But taking a closer look at her photo, she noticed something strange around her neck. It had reminded Rose about one charms class when Harry was telling them about-

Umbridge had a horcrux. It all made sense now. Harry, Ron and Hermione would never break into the Ministry unless there was a reason, and that locket she was wearing was it. Rose picked up the paper and took a closer look, there was an S on it. Harry had mentioned that they destroyed the ring, notebook, and they needed to find 5 more things.

This was the third thing that had to do with one of the four houses, they got Slytherin down.

Next they would need to find Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor.

"Is everything alright?" Remus asked.

"Yeah..." She put the paper down, "thought I had seen something."

Rose hated having to lie to him, but it was the only way of keeping them both safe.

"Ae you sure?" He examined her, "you always raise your brow when you're curious about something, or when you figure something out."

"Was I raising my brow...?" Rose became aware of her actions now.

"Yep. That's why I asked if you were alright."

Looking back down at the photo, Rose thought to herself about how they could've possibly gotten that locket off. But she remembered reading there were four employees that were attacked. Three for polyjuice and the forth had to have been Umbridge.

"Now you're smiling." Remus pointed out.

Rose was too caught up in her thoughts to even notice something so little she was doing. "I just remembered that there were four employees that were attcked. Three for ployjuice so-"

"The fourth was Umbridge." He finished her thought, "Should've expected that from your smile."

"I swear, I can't do anything while I'm around you."
She joked.

Remus grabbed the paper to finally read it himself before sitting back down.

"I just remembered when I had gotten to Hogwarts, I was so excited. Everything was great, before the whole sorcerers stone ordeal but we were all so excited. Then as the years went on it started getting worse and now everything has changed..." Rose said.

Remus set the paper down, "things can't always stay the same. I don't know why things happen, but they just do."

"I wish I had my own prophecy." She laughed, "then I'd have some sort of an idea for what to expect."

"Didn't you have that with Divination?"

"Nope. I don't want to talk about that class ever again. You even said it was rubbish yourself."

"Well...sort of..."

"What do you know that I don't?"

"What suspects you to think that?"

"I can see your inner aura and you're lying." she smiled, "it's very dark and..."

"See, you don't even know what you're saying!"

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing! I passed the class didn't I?"

Laughing with him had somehow made up for the news they had just received, in fact, it made up for everything previously.

Remus didn't really have to do much to change the mood, it just happened so naturally.

At times like these, she couldn't begin to think about what her life would've been like if she hadn't met him. Of course, a part of her had wished it happened differently.

But it didn't, it happened stranger than most. Even so, she wouldn't trade it for anything.

A/N: wait till y'all read chapter 81 🥴👍