Moonstruck | A Remus Lupin Love Story

Chapter 40: True Love's Kiss

No one had said anything in a very, very long time. They had walked back to camp in silence as Esmeray held the limping Remus around her shoulders. But while no words were uttered, their bodies spoke loudly. That flicker of electricity that had jolted through them upon their first meeting, and that had followed them throughout their journey together was more prevalent than ever. It consumed their every atom. Every one of their senses was alive with that galvanizing thrill. It danced in every part of their body, within their breath, within their thoughts and in the very atmosphere that surrounded them. And it was growing. As if it were a giant heartbeat that was racing with excitement. The throb of energy was the only thing that was grounding the two of them to their reality, but it was also the one unspoken thing that was causing the two of them to remain in their silence. 

Esmeray had sat Remus down in one of the seats by the fire. She had gone to fetch some warm water and cloths from the kitchen to clean his wounds, but it had somehow taken her more time than necessary. When she lost contact with his body, it was as if she grew cold, but it was more than that. It was like she had lost a limb, a part of herself. She could feel this pulsating electricity pushing her to regain her connection to Remus, who sat in a similar state. But why was this happening now? Out of all these years that Esmeray had been sure of this feeling, why was it now behaving so extremely. These thoughts continued to swarm her mind as she shuffled her way back to Remus, the bowl trembling in her hands. She knelt down beside him slowly, trying to steady the rattling in her bones, to quiet her shallow breath, and desperate to keep her eyes fixed on anything but him.

She had exposed herself to him. She had revealed to Remus that all this time, she had been a monster. A creature concocted from evil. Nothing but a creation of the dark arts. She was ashamed. But Remus was alive. But what was going through his mind? He hadn't said anything to her since the incident. Instead, he remained in a dream like state, his lips resting in a calming slumber and his eyes hazed over and vacant, as if he were very far away. It worried Esmeray, for she was scared that this would be the one thing to scare him away for good. But then why hadn't he left, and why was this connection between them stronger than ever. She tried her best to push these thoughts to the back of her mind as she tended to Remus. 

She tentatively wrung the cloth in the water, before delicately reaching it towards Remus's collarbone, but as she did, she was met with a pair of deep brown eyes, shining in the fire's light like silky melted chocolate. They took her breath away and she froze just as she was as they drew her in. They were simply like a dream she didn't want to wake from. The pools of cocoa and copper swirled together, drawing her in. The further she stared, the more she could see. She could see how flickers of gold glittered from behind the pupil. How magic seemed to simply pour out from within. How the man she loved lived beneath. And how she wished to live in there with him. The familiar buzzing intensified within her heart and rippled throughout her entire body. She could feel her blood bubble and burst, her skin prickle and her bones warm, as if she were bundled up within a shining star. After realizing she was being drawn into the fantasy of loving Remus, she squeezed her eyes, shook her head slightly and woke up to reality. She continued reaching for his bloodied wound, this time averting her eyes from his. But as she neared his shoulder, she realized something was in her way,

'Y-you'll have to r-remove your...um...shirt, s-so I can-,' she squeaked out breathlessly. Remus, blinking a few times to remove himself from his own trance, shifted uncomfortably in his seat in an attempt to remove his shirt. As he tugged it up, he moved his shoulder and winced. He tried again but hissed out in pain from the motion. His eyes wandered back to those orbs made of icy lakes and seafoam with a defeated look on his face.

'I can't do it by myself, not with my shoulder in the way that it is,' he said quietly into the warming silence. Esmeray stood slowly, reaching her hands over to grab the ends of his shirt. Careful not to hurt him, she gradually began tugging the fabric up his torso. Every now and then, her knuckles would graze his heated flesh, sending sparks up her arms and into her inflating heart. As she reached his shoulder, she tentatively placed her palm on it, securing it in place as she continued to tug at the fabric. She gave one last pull, stretching her arms as tall as she could to reach over Remus's height, their chests kissing lightly in the process. As she removed the shirt that was obscuring her view, she was startled once again by Remus's stare. Esmeray quickly found her cloth and bowl of healing brew and started work on cleaning his gashes, all the while feeling the magnetic pull intensifying between them.