UNDER THE MOON, Remus Lupin

xlii.

RAIN ON YOUR OWN PARADE

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The next morning after the Valentine's Date, Alice lay fast asleep in Remus' bed. He, however, was not in bed with her. He was up and about, currently brushing his teeth as he recalled yesterday's late-night events. The strange jealousy he felt. It's not something that was particularly overwhelming for him, but it was still an emotion that he was no stranger to. He hadn't had a reason to be jealous. Sage had been aware that Alice was his girlfriend. And he didn't flirt with her. What was he so worried about? Even if Sage was interested in Alice, Alice had been hanging on to Remus the entire night. She didn't want anybody else.

It was a long day, but it was a good day. As soon as school got out, Remus and Alice's moods improved on a large scale.

As mentioned so many dreadful times, once school was over for the summer, it was over for Alice. Unless she decided to go to muggle college or specialty schools of course. But she didn't have any plans to. Her plans were all over the place. Remus might remain a teacher. If so, that meant she wouldn't see him very often unless she made the long trip to Hogwarts every free weekend. If she became a dragonologist and explored her opportunities, Alice wouldn't have much free time. And she definitely wouldn't be anywhere near Hogwarts. The closest she'd be able to apparate to see Remus was Hogsmeade.

"Love, wake up. You've got McGonagall first block, can't be late. She'll rain hellfire on you." Remus gently rubbed Alice's shoulder, trying to wake her up.

Alice whined and turned away from him. "Piss off. I'm too tired, love."

Remus rolled his eyes. "You haven't got much of a choice. If you keep missing school so frequently, they'll be sure to give you a bodyguard of sorts to follow you 'round."

Alice remained still, ignoring him.

He grinned suddenly and leaned over her. His hands ran up and down the side of her waist. Then they got deliberately lower. Remus waited for a response before going past her underwear. Alice slowly flipped over onto her back, opening her eyes for Remus. He raised an eyebrow. "Go on..." Alice looked down at his hand, then back at his eyes.

"Nope! You have classes," he kissed her forehead and got up.

"You are a prat, Remus John Lupin."

"I've heard it all before," he said, sounding defeated. "You can finish what I started if you be a good girl and get up."

"Yes, sir!" Alice hopped off the bed and went straight into the bathroom.

Sometimes Remus was forced to wonder if things would always be perfect. The thoughts that they wouldn't resonated with him unsettlingly. He hated being like this. Such an over-thinker. Alice had done nothing to prove to him that their relationship was rocky, or facing stormy seas. It was actually just as fine as before. She was always there to reassure him, never once getting annoyed.

But then he began to wonder if his requirement for reassurance was secretly annoying her. Maybe she was getting tired of him and that's why she never wanted to wake up. Just to avoid him, or get a decent good night's sleep without his worry worrying her too. Remus was wrong about all of this, of course. He never annoyed Alice. At least not in bad ways. Maybe in class he would annoy her when he literally fingered her, forcing her to be quiet. But that was a good annoyance, very different from a bad annoyance.

His concern about her being annoyed with him kind of hurt. It hurt her, not just him. It felt like he didn't trust her. Truthfully, he trusted her more than anyone else. Remus' mind never let him rest, that was the biggest problem. Around the full moon, it was even worse. He got stressed out, which usually led to him snapping at her, or snapping at himself. The only person he wanted to snap at was Snape because of how nosy he'd grown over the course of the year.