Her Single Rose (Remus Lupin)

Thirty-Nine

The night of the full moon came faster than Aries would've thought. Even though she was still off speaking terms with the group, she decided to still help.

By doing so, Aries found a fresh new gash from her left hip to her mid back. She had somehow managed to clean up the shallow wound before the Marauders had come to her for help in the early mornings.

Aries was in the middle of smoothing over her medicine when Remus woke up, whimpering from his unfixed wound.

She watched, making sure the wound healed over once she finished. He whined as the skin overlapped and settled together.

Aries quietly continued to work on him as he watched her, just like he always had.

"You know it's rude to stare." Aries pointed out, not removing her eyes from his scrapes.

"I didn't know it was rude to stare at beautiful things, or people." He said, his voice raspy but not much higher than a whisper.

She continued to work, trying to ignore the fluttering feeling in her core. After Remus had told Aries how he felt and nearly combusted when they attempted to kiss, Sirius had burst into the room with his eyes covered by his hands announcing DADA was about to start and that they should clothe themselves and hurry before they were late.

By the time they had made it to DADA, they were all ten minutes early.

Another sharp silence had taken over, so strong that Remus wasn't even sure what else to say. He had been very desperate to share something intimate with Aries before they were 'brutally cockblocked' in Remus's words.

She had taken a rag and started wiping the dry and fresh blood off his chest, but paused after a moment. There were two things Aries had wanted to talk about with Remus and now she felt was the best time. Neither could run away this time.

"You called me a legilimen a while ago-"

"And I'm so sorry about that." He added quickly.

"You shouldn't be sorry for stating the truth, Remus." She told him, watched as his brows furrowed and he connected the dots slowly.

He opened and shut his mouth seeing as one dot connected to the next. The whole truth coming together in form.

"How long have you known?" He asked. She didn't need to read his mind to know what he was talking about.

"Not long." She shook her head subconsciously. "Maybe a few weeks into this year." She told him.

"You've known that long that I'm a -"

"You finish that sentence, I dare you." She said sternly, giving her a warning expression.

"And you're the fox, the white tipped fox." He said breathlessly. Then his brain became aware. "I could've killed you, Meredith, you can't keep doing this. I won't allow it." He spoke sternly in command.

"That's not your choice to make, Rem." Aries shook her head again as she continued to wipe the blood from his chest.

"How long have you been able to read people's minds?" He asked curiously.

Aries shrugged, "I was born with it. I try not to make a habit of it, sometimes it's accidental. Dumbledores been training me on how to control it" Aries admitted quietly.

Remus thought back to all the times she had spaced out or just blatantly failed to pay attention, the time he noticed Sirius holding Aries hand during Astronomy. He thought it was just a twin sibling thing, but now he realized it was support and comfort.

The more he realized the more he rejected. Aries knew that he was a werewolf all this time and yet still held these romantic feelings for him? Why?

"I wouldn't make a very good boyfriend, or husband, or father."

"Why do you say that?" Aries asked as she rinsed the blood from the rag then went to clean up the other wounds.

"Look at me, I'm a werewolf. Why would I be?" He said closing his eyes for a moment.

"Well I'm just as bad." Aries shrugged. "I might not be a werewolf, but I'm a legilimen, I'm a Slytherin-"

"Which isn't a bad thing-"

"Neither is being something you can't help." Aries finished, stopping her movement completely and looked him dead in the eye.

Remus was silent for a moment, just staring at her in awe. His hand raised, pushing a piece of her hair out of her face and behind her ear.

He couldn't help the flutter in his core when she smiled, looking down at her lap, "do you always look down when you're in the middle of a conversation?" Aries looked back at him only to find him glancing at her lips, finding her heart beating faster.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think you'd make a great boyfriend." She admitted, as she placed the rag back in the warm bowl.

"You would make a great girlfriend." He said quietly, his hand still behind her head.

Another silence remained, one of nervous yet knowing silence. Remus lifted himself off the bed ever so slightly as Aries did the rest, leaning forward just enough to close the space between them.

It felt like fireworks had exploded in her system, like her entire body was a flame, like the entire world became a blur.

His hand finding her neck and hers rested around his jaw. His hand slightly tangling in her hair at the angle as they pulled back ever so slightly to catch a breath.

Once caught the two reconnected their lips, this time hungry, eager for more. The urge to keep the flaming feeling took over as they kissed.

She hummed against his lips before they broke apart again. Both breathing heavily, both smiling goofily and slightly red in the face.

"Well that was..." Aries started breathlessly as she looked at him.

"Incredible? Kissing a Lupin is a perk." He grinned cockily as she rolled her eyes but nodded anyway.

Merlin please don't let her run this time...

"I-..." she sighed sticking her tongue in her cheek. She was ready for this, she wanted this. "How about a date?" She asked him.

"Isn't it the mans job to ask out the girl?" Remus asked knocking his head to one side jokingly.

"Good thing I'm a woman then." She retorted.