moony and wood | r. lupin

R.J.L.

"she'd fallen in love with remus john lupin."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

May 1975, Year 4

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Weeks had passed since Marlene received an Outstanding on her Divination report, after having written a three-page long analysis on the six tea leaves she read, and the outcomes of the readings.

Since then, it seemed to Evie that all she was doing was, to her dismay, thinking about Remus. Of course, she was well ahead in her schoolwork, and she took the occasional trip to Hogsmeade every few weekends– but it all felt as though it was revolving around him.

In class, it became 'Am I sitting next to Remus today?' and even 'I wonder if Remus is stuck on this question too?' Every couple of weeks, when Remus was stuck in the hospital wing with another cold, Evie spent every hour, down to the minute, worrying about his well-being. What she found even more alarming was how often she was thinking about the boy.

Upon the realization of her sudden interest in the boy, Evie found herself drowning in doubt and worry. Marlene's prophecy couldn't be true– could it? And even if it was, even if she did happen to love him, there would be no way Remus would even consider a mutual feeling, she believed. The entire situation, Evie decided, was tricky and difficult. She didn't want to love him, simply out of the trouble it would cause– not only a spiral in hers and Remus' friendship, but surely the entirety of the Gryffindors in their year.

Between the other Gryffindor fourth years, both Evie and Remus found each other to be the most level headed person out of the bunch, and they formed a strong bond over that. With Remus being her best friend, Evie knew that her friendship with the boy was the one thing she couldn't ever jeopardize.

What wasn't helping in the slightest was that every now and then, Evie caught herself staring at him.

He'd always been good-looking, but it was as if one day, when she wasn't paying attention, his looks were suddenly that more enticing. His hair had always been the same shade of light brown– but since when did Evie realize it looked so alluring in the sunlight of the courtyard? And since when had his grayish blue eyes draw her in like a moth to flame? And the main component? His scars.

Although he claimed to have earned them in an accident as a child, Evie could see how clearly he didn't think highly of them– when she believed to be absolutely ridiculous. When she first met him, she thought the scars gave him more character, and gave him another layer of dark mystery. But at the same time, she thought them to be unfair to him. How could someone so kind, so just, be permanently damaged like so?

It wasn't until along the lines of third year that Evie came to consider Remus' scars in a different light. Yes, it was awful– horrendous, even– that he had to undergo pain and suffering to earn them, but they made him who he is. He wouldn't be the same Remus without the thin line that danced across his nose and jutted down his cheek. That was him, Remus, with the scars. The scars were a part of him, and he was perfect, Evie knew. So in the end, she decided that his scars are beautiful.

When she came across this solution it dawned on Evie that she had another problem: Remus is beautiful. Everything about him, inside and out, was simply... perfect. How could someone feel that way about their best friend?

And then she made another realization. She'd made a grave mistake.

She'd fallen in love with Remus John Lupin.

And he should never find out, she decided.

Because that would ruin everything.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾