Vexing Me (Remus Lupin)

Chapter 9

Ever since Remus and Suri had held hands, the latter's heart raced and her face burned feverishly each time she saw him. Her mood was undeniably elevated, too. No more malicious or self-depreciating words were being etched into her complexion.

"Suri."

With a swirl on her feet, Suri spotted Lily behind her. The ginger had gotten a little bit of a habit of talking to Suri ever since she'd passed on that Remus wanted to speak to her.

"Lily," she replied with a genuine smile. After Remus confirmed that what Lily said about James Potter was true, Suri had actually come to accept and even like her.

"How are you?" Lily asked. Her green eyes were glued to James who was across the common room from them.

Suri followed her gaze to him and her eyes accidentally met Remus'. He gave her a cheesy grin and her cheeks flushed with red again. Before Suri had time to respond to Lily's question, she pulled her aside.

"You like him, don't you?" she inquired excitedly, jumping up and down slightly. Suri's face was burning at this point. Subconsciously, she began rubbing her palms, remembering when he'd held them.

"Did he hold your hand?" Lily winked at Suri as she pointed towards her hand gestures. She quickly stopped and nodded.

"You wouldn't tell anyone, would you?" she asked nervously.

Lily shook her head, "No. He's making you happy, I can see that."

Suri found herself grinning at the thought. Dumbledore was the first person who came to mind when she pondered about Remus' effect on her.

"Lily, I'll see you later. I have to go see someone."

She wished Suri goodbye and the brown-haired girl rushed to Dumbledore's office, mumbling the password to the staircase. She finally arrived at his door and knocked as forcefully as she could.

"Good evening, Miss Vinton," Dumbledore said as she entered, although he hadn't looked up from his desk. His blue eyes finally met hers. In his usual calming tone, he asked, "What brings you here?"

"I would just like to thank you, Professor," she announced honestly, "With the help of Remus, I believe I am finally making progress in recovering from my almost depression."

"It is my pleasure, Miss Vinton," Dumbledore responded but she saw the sneaky smirk that appeared on his lips as he looked back down on his desk, "Tell me, Miss Vinton, what is your relationship with Mr Lupin?"

She began to stutter on her words instantly and she blushed as she always did when Remus was mentioned, "W-what do you mean, Professor? We're just f-friends."

"I see," the headmaster replied as he idly stared around his office. He dismissed her and she left as soon as she could - it was one of the most awkward conversations she'd ever had.

As she scaled down the staircase with speed, she felt myself begin to fall. It was far too sudden for Suri to protect herself but she didn't even need to.

She had fallen into somebody's arms and hands that felt too familiar curved around her back and pulled her into them.

"R-Remus?" Suri managed to choke out even under the surprise she'd been through. She knew it was him. She recognised the strong mix of chocolate and peppermint that punctured the air.

"Yeah," he breathed. He held the girl for a moment longer - embracing it before he put her feet softly on the ground and held her shoulders, looking her in the eyes. He questioned, "Are you okay?"

Suri nodded slowly, although she wasn't completely sure if she was. Pulling herself out of his grasp, she hurriedly asked, "Are you going to see Professor Dumbledore?"

"Um, no," he informed her shyly, scratching the back of his neck like the guys in cliché muggle movies, "Lily told me you'd gone to see someone, so I figured it was Dumbledore..."

"Oh!" Suri said, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and she cursed herself for blushing so easily. "Is there a reason you wanted to see me?"

"Not really," he replied. She saw his gaze flicker to her hands and soon enough, their fingers were intertwined again. "You are okay with this, aren't you?"

"More than okay," she responded before she could stop herself. Her eyes dropped to the floor.

Remus chuckled. He swung their hands back and forth again and Suri couldn't deny that he was cute - both in his manner and his looks.

They arrived back at the Gryffindor common room and Lily was lucky enough to catch sight of their hands before Remus softly pulled away and reassured Suri, "James is here. I don't want him to make fun of us - of you."

Lily was smirking at the pair by now. She grabbed Suri's hand and pulled her towards the fire, opposite to where Remus had gone to stand with Potter, Sirius and Peter.

"Suri Lupin," she muttered. Suri gave her a look of disapproval, although she thoroughly enjoyed listening to the way the name sounded.

"Shut up, Lily Potter," she replied with a sneaky smile, "Although I hate his guts, I've got to say that you wouldn't make a bad couple."

Lily just laughed it off, shaking her head. She insisted, "He teases me."

"...because he likes you!" Suri exclaimed, catching the attention of Remus and his friends. He gave his new friend in particular a questioning look and she just mouthed, "I'll tell you later."