selenophobia [r. lupin.]

thirty-two.

"I know I'm young, but if I had to choose her or the sun, I'd be one nocturnal son of a gun."

***R.J.L.***

    "Alright, I'm heading into town," Selena announced, jogging down the stairs while throwing on a cashmere overcoat.  "I'm just going to talk to the bookstore owner about getting my job back, and I'll pick us up some lunch before I head back home, okay?  It shouldn't be too long," she gave me a run-down of her schedule as she neared me.

    I nodded at her words, stirring a spoonful of sugar into her morning tea.  "Sounds good to me, love," I commented as I sealed the lid on her travel cup.  As I turned to hand it to her, I felt my cheeks warm up a bit as I took in her appearance.  "You look beautiful," I stated with a grin.

    She beamed before standing on her toes to kiss me on the cheek.  "Thanks, Rem.  I'll be back soon.  Love you!" she waved goodbye to me before exiting through the front door.

    I peeked through the window, watching as she took a few steps down the road and, once nobody was paying attention, apparated away to the busy streets of Liverpool.

    I picked up my own mug of morning tea, moving to sit at the bartop.  With a flick of my wand towards the stairs, I heard the record player begin to spin.  It sounded fuzzy at first, but soon enough the clear voice of David Bowie's Starman echoed throughout the empty house.  I chuckled quietly into my mug, shaking my head.  I'm glad she knew to put on my favorite record while she was away.

    As I sipped on my tea and tapped my fingers to the beat of his songs, I heard a soft meow and felt a presence beneath my feet.  Looking down, I was surprised to see Bean nuzzling her head against my ankle.  This house is so bloody big, that I feel like I rarely see her anymore.  "Come here, girl," I reached down, wrapping my hands around her body and lifted her into my lap where she instantly curled up and began to purr.  I used my free hand to stroke her fur gently, humming to her quietly as I kept drinking my tea until my mug ran dry.

    Five minutes must have passed, Life on Mars? now bouncing off the walls and into my eardrums whenever I heard a scratching at the back door.  Bean leaped off my lap at the sound, scurrying away and up the stairs where she would feel safer.  I've noticed that at the slightest noises, she was jumpy.  Rising to my feet, I decided to go check it out myself.

    As I opened the back door, I was greeted by a scruffy black dog sitting on the deck.  Its tongue lolled out of its mouth, tail wagging behind its body happily as soon as I came into view.  I huffed, my face soon twisting into a smile as I registered what, or rather who, this animal was.

    "Come in, Padfoot," I stepped to the side, allowing the animal space to trot inside.  After closing the door behind me, I watched as he shifted back into his human form.  "How did you even find me?" I questioned with a laugh, outstretching my arms to my dearest friend.

    He quickly returned my embrace, squeezing me tightly like he always would.  There's nothing better than a Sirius hug.  "I went to your old place first, and when you weren't there, I knew you'd be with Knight.  She also told me about this place when we were kids," he answered.  "It's boring, quiet, and lonely at the house, and after news hit of you two leaving Hogwarts, I had to come to visit," he exhaled as he let go of me.

    I took a good look at him.  He was less ragged--finally got the chance to shower once he went home.  His facial hair was trimmed up, only left with a handlebar mustache and a bit of scruff on the chin rather than a full-face ragged beard.  His shoulder-length hair was properly washed and conditioned and looked as luscious as ever.