And There Were Always Two... - oc x r. lupin & oc x s. black

- 17 -

Ashley knocked heavily on the door of the Marauders' common room. The door shook but there was no reply.

"I know you're in there!" she yelled, pressing herself close to the door. "Let me in, you idiot!"

There was some shuffling in there, but no footsteps.

Ashley tried the doorknob again, but it was locked. She let herself slide against the door down to a seated position.

"Just let me in," she begged. "I don't know why you're in there, but I know you're not sick like James said." It felt like talking to an abyss. No reply and no way to know that he had heard her. "Come on. It's just me."

There were some footsteps inside the room, and it sounded as if they were coming closer to the door. Ashley got to her feet, happy that he was answering. There was a pause in sound.

"Open the door," she cooed.

"No," Remus answered roughly, his voice was thick and tired.

Ashley frowned.

"Fucking fine," she growled back. "You leave me no choice."

The infuriated girl pulled out her wand and pointed it at the keyhole. "Alohomora" she muttered and the door swung open. Ashley stepped through and closed the door behind herself.

She turned around to see Remus standing in front of her. His hair was a mess, messy strands hanging over his forehead and concealing the top part of his eyes. The scars from the last full moon had scarred over, zigzagging across his cheeks and skimming over his eye. Ashley noticed that his green eyes were glassy with tears, and his face puffy as if he had been crying all night.

Ashley dropped her satchel on the floor and ran over to hug the tall boy. He buried his face in her shoulder but made no further move to mirror her action.

"What happened?" she murmured, leading him over to his bed where they both sat down.

"I'm a monster."

She scowled.

"That's not true."

"How can you say that?" Remus asked, his voice laced with disgust. "How can you look me in the eyes, seeing what I have done to myself, and say that?"

Ashley looked at his face and realised what this was all about. Her hand involuntarily lifted to his face. His eyes followed her fingers as she traced over his scars. She looked at the jagged lines on his skin, painfully aware that he was now watching her face.

"Your scars don't define who you are," she told him, smiling sadly.

"But they remind everyone of what I am."

"Hush..." Ashley leaned in and kissed his cheek, right over his scar.

She took his hands into her own and noticed his bruised and cut-up knuckles. The wounds were too fresh to be from the full moon. Her thumb brushed over them and he winced.

"Let's go clean you up," she pulled him up and led him over to the bathroom.

She stepped through the doorway and something crunched beneath her foot. There was glass, she glanced over the sink and saw that the mirror that hung over it had spiderweb cracks in it spiralling out from two fist-shaped dents. Ashley easily guessed what happened.

"Reparo," she said, pointing her wand at the mirror. The pieces flew up and fit themselves into the mirror and the cracks knitted themselves back together. Remus stepped off a piece that was wriggling under his foot and the mirror was back to its prior state. "Come on."

Remus stepped closer to Ashley. She pulled his hands into the sink and washed out his cuts as he winced. She gently dried them and took out her wand again. "Episkey," she whispered and his cuts were gone.

Ashley didn't expect Remus to dip down and kiss her again. She smiled as he did and tousled his hair as he pulled away.

"We should get to class," she told him.

He whined.

"You little wolf..." she cooed. "Wanna ditch?"

He grinned and the whole room was brighter.

Ashley turned the faucet on again and sprayed his face with cold water. Remus flinched back.

"What was that for?"

"Your face is puffy from crying, I'm trying to wash the tears away."

Remus laughed and sprayed her in the face, but she turned away. Undeterred, Remus chased her in a circle and into the dormitory. They both ended up on his bed, laughing so hard they were convulsing.

They lay side by side. Remus rolled over to look at her and she did the same. Their noses were almost touching.

"Are you coming to Sirius' birthday party?" he asked.

"I wasn't invited."

Ashley's hand reached up to touch that one stray strand that kept falling on Remus' forehead. She twirled it between her fingers.

"I'm inviting you."

"But it's tomorrow-"

"-yes-"

"-I don't have a present for him."

Remus laughed.

"Half the school will be at this thing," he told her. "Doubt Sirius will be sober enough to notice whether or not you gave him a present, or even whether you were there at all."

"Doesn't sound like my type of thing, then." Ashley let Remus' hair fall as she pulled back her hand.

"I've spent the last four years babysitting James and Sirius at their birthday parties, please come so I don't have to do that again."

"Fine," she conceded. "But only because I feel sorry for you."

"You're the only person who'd find looking after a drunk James and Sirius a more terrible fate than turning into a monster once a month."

Ashley smirked.

"I bet drunk James and Sirius are scarier looking than a fluffy wolf," she pointed out.

"So that's what you think I look like?"

"Yup," she nodded, rolling over onto her back. "A fluffy grey wolf, with sharp white teeth and your pretty green eyes."

"Did you just call my eyes pretty?" he asked, chuckling a bit.

"Maybe I did, what's it to you?"

Ashley raised a brow, furiously fighting the blush from appearing on her cheeks.

Remus just smiled widely and said, "I like your eyes, too."