The Marauders: Moony

Remus And The Explanation

Remus and Freya had returned to potions. They hadn't wanted to make a scene. They knew they couldn't be gone for long, but they had decided that they would meet up that evening after dinner to continue their conversation. They would meet at the top of the astronomy tower at eight o'clock.

James, Sirius and Peter were full of questions, but Remus did not want to betray Freya's trust. He had only just gained it, and although he trusted his friends, that was her decision to make, and her secret to share. Remus wasn't even sure yet whether Freya had shared her secret with her own friends. He wondered about her hiding it from her friends the way that he had when he first came to Hogwarts. Had they noticed the pattern? Had they pieced it together yet?

Remus carried a thick blanket under one arm as he made his way towards the kitchens just before eight o'clock. He quietly sneaked into the kitchens and politely asked the house elves for two big mugs of hot chocolate.

They rushed around him, gathering milk, mugs and chocolate to melt, their bobbing heads in line with his knees. He felt like a giant surrounded by the tiny house elves.

Within minutes, he had a steaming mug of hot chocolate in each hand. He thanked them profusely and headed off to meet Freya.

When he arrived at the top of the astronomy tower, she was already there waiting for him. She had on a thick bobble hat and scarf. Remus recognised the hat and scarf from when he had tried to approach her before Christmas as she was enchanting snowflakes. The memory made his heart ache, but he quickly brushed it off and walked towards her, holding out a mug for her to take. Freya thanked him and took a sip.

The pair sat under the stars, and Remus unrolled the blanket. He draped it over Freya's shoulders before sitting down next to her and pulling the corner over his own shoulders too.

They huddled under the large blanket and sipped on their hot chocolates in a comfortable silence. Remus rummaged around in his pockets and found half a bar of chocolate that he had been saving. He offered her some, before breaking a square off for himself and popping it into his mouth.

He was staring up at the stars, savouring the taste and the moment, when she began to explain.

"I've been home schooled my entire life. My parents never wanted to risk it, to risk anyone finding out about what I am. I've always begged them to let me come to Hogwarts, and last Summer they finally caved and said I could come." Freya told him.

"I'd never really made any real friends, never interacted with anyone outside of my family out of fear." She added after a moment of silence.

Remus turned to smile at her, even though it was dark and she probably wouldn't see. He was glad that she finally trusted him enough to tell him her story. Perhaps at some point he would tell her his story too.

"Fear of someone finding out, but more importantly, fear of something going wrong. What if I bit someone? I wouldn't be able to live with myself, forcing this curse onto someone else." She let out a shaky laugh.

This curse.

It didn't have to be a curse if they had each other. Remus had really started to enjoy the full moons spent by her side.

"My mother is an alchemist. As soon as I became a werewolf she perfected the wolfsbane potion, and when I was old enough, she taught me how to make it too. I take it every full moon. That's how I don't get all the side effects." She said, taking his hand, and gently running her fingers over his scars.

"Wolfsbane potion?" Remus asked. How had he never heard about this before?

"It relieves the symptoms of lycanthropy." She told him.