Whispers of the Dove / R.L & S.B

🌼~°3°~🌼

<<<<Remus>>>

Arriving at Hogwarts was like a punch to the gut. The memories of my friends-Sirius, James, Peter, and Lily-seemed to cling to every corner of the castle, lingering in the old stone corridors and echoing through the empty hallways. Everywhere I looked, I saw us: the Marauders, pulling pranks, laughing until our sides hurt. I could still feel the rush of the moment when James caught the Snitch and brought home the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor, the endless firewhisky toasts afterward, Sirius eventually blacking out on my shoulder. Hogwarts had been home for us, a place filled with so much life and friendship... but now it felt ghostly, as if the shadows of those days were quietly watching me.

Settling into my quarters, right next to my new classroom for Defense Against the Dark Arts-or DADA, as the students liked to call it-I couldn't shake a creeping sense of dread. I'd known, from the moment Dumbledore asked me to return, that this choice would change everything. What I didn't know was if it would be for the better or worse. And the train ride here? It had already raised enough red flags to make me doubt my decision.

The Dementors were just the start of my concerns. They were here to hunt Sirius, of course. But their presence alone was troubling, casting a chill over the castle even before we'd arrived. And then there was the second new professor, Willow Langley.

I'd heard whispers about her during the journey, but seeing her there in the compartment, standing with her wand pointed at the Dementor, was an unusual sight. There was something strikingly different about her, an air of power and restraint I hadn't seen in others. Yet, behind that strength, I sensed a reluctance, a distance she kept between herself and those around her, as if she was carrying secrets heavier than any spellbook.

I couldn't help but wonder what brought her here-what story lay behind the guarded look in her eyes.

But somehow, deep down, I knew I had to protect Willow at all costs. There was an inexplicable pull, a fierce loyalty that Moony-my werewolf side-seemed to feel toward her. It was a strange feeling, especially coming just a day after the full moon, when he was usually restless and quick to anger. But around her, he was uncharacteristically calm. The sensation was foreign, even unsettling, as if something beyond instinct or magic was binding me to her safety.

This feeling of connection was something I'd only ever known with one other person. But that person had shattered my trust, ripping my world apart by getting himself sentenced for murders I still couldn't fully accept. To this day, I couldn't reconcile the Sirius I knew with the killer the world had branded him to be-the man supposedly responsible for the deaths of three of my dearest friends.

Yet, with Willow, there was that same kind of understanding, a silent trust that felt like a bond forged beyond words or reason. Even if I didn't fully understand what it meant, or what dangers it might lead us to, I knew this: I would protect her, even if it meant keeping my distance. Protecting her from me, protecting the soulmate Sirius and I shared-from both of us.

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As I walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, I couldn't help but feel the weight of familiar memories drifting up from the castle's stones. Every corner seemed to whisper reminders of the Marauders-our reckless laughs, endless pranks, the late nights huddled in Gryffindor tower. But I had to pull myself back to the present and make my way to the staff table.

Willow was already seated, tucked in at the far end. A calm, quiet expression softened her features as she stirred a cup of tea. She looked up as I approached, offering me a small, slightly uncertain smile. Her eyes met mine, and I felt a flicker of warmth.