Lover // Remus Lupin

Chapter IX

Not everyone gets a happy ending. That's a way of life in general; people do not always get what they want out of life. But these things also aren't written in stone. One path someone follows may not be the one they follow for the rest of their lives. One way of life might take them down the lane of pain, while the other leads to the closest thing to a fairytale that humans can get to. But this poses the question, what is a happy ending?

Similar to the notion of what makes a monster, everyone has their own definition. What someone deems a happy ending, others believe a nightmare. Everything is in the eye of the beholder, and it changes based on life circumstances. What you may have believed to be a dream life at the age of twelve could be the complete opposite of what you want when you turn thirty.

Of course, there's always the stereotypical "happy ending" that we see in fairytales and stories about Princes and Princesses. The guy gets the girl, and they live happily ever after as they ride into the sunset with the sarcastic animal friend they met on the way. But people know as they age that that isn't always the case, seeing as there aren't many talking animals unless you venture into the Wizarding World.

What if someone else interferes with your story and derails the happy ending? Are they known now as the villain? Is what you were heading towards indeed a happy end? The entire notion of happily ever after is something no one knows until they experience it and know for sure that there will be no more interruptions. That notion is virtually impossible because there is no predicting that there won't be any more catastrophes or life-altering events in your life.

So if there are no happy endings, perhaps there are just happy moments.

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Cassie whistled a tune to herself as she rolled the white lace stockings up her legs, flattening the heavy mustard-yellow skirt she wore against her legs, sighing as it comfortably fell under her knees. Tugging on her cream-coloured knit sweater with daisies stitched into it, the brunette was ready to watch the game. She tugged her coat on and stepped into her winter boots, sliding a toque onto her head before slipping from her room in the Slytherin common room. Others around the room buzzed with excitement as the highly anticipated Quidditch game drew closer. Everyone was rooting for Slytherin to knock Gryffindor one more game away from the Quidditch Cup, but Cassie found herself praying for the demise of her own house. It had never done anything for her; why should she support them?

The brunette escaped the stuffy dungeons relatively unscathed, only earning a few quizzical looks from her fellow students. Cassie held her chin up high as she wandered through the halls, heading towards the exit where she was meeting Remus. She had her hands stuffed into her pockets as she approached the boy, smiling at the way he nervously looked around as though he was trying to spot her. Cassie reached her hand up and tapped his shoulder, startling the boy.

"Oh no, I'm sorry!" Cassie laughed, covering her mouth as he whipped around to look at her, "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Don't apologize," Remus chuckled, tucking his hands into his coat pockets, "I was in my own world so, anyone could have done it."

"I see," Cassie nodded, tilting her head to the side as she admired his ruffled hair, "Shall we?"

"Shall we...?" Remus questioned, a confused look adorning his face before it dawned on him, "Right! Quidditch! Yes, we shall."

A bright and cheery chuckle escaped Cassie's lips and extended her hand towards the lycanthrope. He hesitantly entwined his fingers with hers, and both began to head towards the pitch where, no doubt in Cassie's mind, a crowd of hundreds of students gathered to see the most anticipated game of the year. The conversation struck up between the two, stories were shared, and teasing was volleyed back and forth. Cassie felt at ease with her hand tucked into Remus's, his presence close to her.