Devotion | Remus Lupin

22. Numb

Since Dumbledore's departure, Poppy could not help but worry about Harry. He was no longer under the protection and supervision of Dumbledore. She could not help but express such worries to Sirius. He was vulnerable. Each time he would tell her that he was safe at Hogwarts and that if something happened, the Order would be there in a flash. She hoped he was right.

As the weeks went by, Poppy remained busy at work. Her life remained fairly boring, until one night.

As she sat on the couch one evening, reading a trashy magazine, the sound of the door startled her. She had not been expecting any guests. Standing up, she took out her wand, pointing it firmly in place in front of her. If any intruders, like Death Eaters, were to come for her, she would be prepared.

"Poppy?" A familiar voice rang, causing her to lower her guard.

She ran into the hallway to be met with a familiar, handsome face. Remus.

Squealing in delight, she jumped into the man's arms.

"Remus!" She yelled happily, planting a big kiss on his lips. "Oh Remus! I missed you so much!"

He kissed her back, long and passionately, holding her closely.

"I missed you too," he answered softly, stroking her hair.

"Sirius!" Poppy yelled out. "You have to come here!"

"What is it, Pop?" Sirius grumbled as he trudged down the stairs. As he reached the bottom, his face lit up. "Moony!"

He walked up to the man, pulling him into a friendly hug. They patted each other on the back happily.

"You've been bloody missed around here, Moony!" Sirius explained, before joking. "I've had to put up with this one moping about the place."

"Ah, don't forget you did some of the moping, Sirius," Poppy joked back, nudging him with her elbow.

"We're glad you're back, mate," Sirius concluded, slapping his hand on Remus's shoulder.

"I'm glad to be back," Remus answered honestly.

Sirius and Poppy ushered Remus into the kitchen, offering him some food and tea. He declined politely. Sirius took this as his cue to bring out the firewhiskey.

"How was it?" Poppy asked, grabbing a glass. "What was it like with the werewolves?"

Remus stopped in thought for a moment, seemingly gathering his thoughts.

"It was a lot," Remus said with a sigh, taking a sip of his drink. "It's been difficult. They could sense that I was one who had lived among humans, or at least attempted to. They had shunned all human life since their transformation. I struggled to convince them."

"And did you?" Sirius asked curiously, taking a seat beside him.

"No," Remus admitted, looking down at the table. "Voldemort has the support of Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf who turned me. These lycanthropes all believe that they would be far better off under the protection of Voldemort. It was hard for them to trust me."

Poppy could not help but notice that Remus seemed disappointed in himself. He could always be quite self-deprecating at times, not truly realising how wonderful and brave he truly was. All that he could see was failure.