selenophile || remus lupin

chapter ninety eight

October 26th, 1977

The cool autumn air of Hogsmeade was filled with a festive cheer as Remus and Ophelia walked hand-in-hand through the village. Ophelia shivered through her sweater, which was technically Remus' that she had stolen from his closet. He looked down at her and grinned.

"How about a butterbeer to warm you up?" he asked, his breath creating small clouds in the cold air.

"Sounds perfect," she told him.

The warmth of the crowded pub enveloped them as they stepped inside. They found a cozy corner table away from loud chatter and settled in. Once Remus came back with two butterbeers, he sat down.

"Thank you, Moon Boy," Ophelia hummed.

"Ophelia," Remus started. "Did you notice anything strange about Sirius this morning?"

Ophelia looked up from her sip, surprised by the sudden change in topic. "Siri? No, not really. Why?"

"I think he's hiding something from us. Or someone, so to speak."

"Someone?" Ophelia asked, highly intrigued. "As in, he's found himself a loverboy?"

"I'm not sure," Remus replied conspiratorily. "He was acting rather odd in the dorm this morning. Putting more effort into how his hair looked. It's probably nothing, just Sirius being Sirius. He's always fixing his hair. But I can't help but shake the feeling that he had something planned today."

"Well, I'm sure he would be somewhere in the castle. He was banned from coming to Hogsmeade this week, and he wouldn't sneak out without the map, which you have, right?"

Remus smirked down at her and pulled the map out of his bag. "Safekeeping," he said.

They spread the map across the table, making sure no one around them saw it. Remus muttered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," and its intricate lines and labels came to life.

"There he is," Ophelia pointed to a minuscule pair of footprints on the seventh floor. She traced the path of Sirius' dot through the castle until it stopped in a deserted corridor. Almost immediately, another pair of footprints appeared on the opposite side of the hallway. Ophelia's eyes followed the movement.

"Who's that with him? Phillip Alderton? Do you know him?"

Remus furrowed his brow. "Phillip Alderton," he muttered to himself. "Oh! He's in our year, a Ravenclaw. I don't know him well but he's always seemed nice enough. He's the kid in our charms class who dyes his hair different colors every other week."

"Oh, I know who that is. Sweet kid. He-"

Ophelia stopped mid-sentence though, as when she looked back down at the map, the two footprints were almost directly on top of each other and unmoving.

She glanced back up at Remus with a surprised laugh. "Loverboy wasn't too far off," Remus laughed. When they looked back down at the map, however, neither name nor footprint was anywhere to be found. Ophelia checked the location of the corridor they were last in and slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Holy shit. They're in the room of requirement. Oh my god, Rem, put the map away! I do not need to be seeing this right now. This is my brother we're talking about."

Remus laughed and folded the map back up, muttering "Mischief managed," as he shoved it back into his bag. Soon after they had finished their drinks, and were deciding where to go next, the decision was made for them.

A silvery wisp of light materialized before them, coalescing into the majestic form of a phoenix. Remus recognized it instantly -- a patronus. But this was no ordinary patronus; it was Professor Dumbledore's.