Muggle | 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

Chapter 146

Lupin and Harry both hurried forward after Madam Pomfrey, the color draining from their faces as all our eyes fell upon the unconscious woman.

"I — I think she's lost a lot of blood," said Sirius in a stutter, his eyes wide with fear while he watched Madam Pomfrey attend to her.

"She saved my life," I said, but Sirius was too in shock to even listen to what anyone was saying. "It was Greyback — he attacked her."

"How's she?" Harry asked Madam Pomfrey anxiously, seeing as Sirius and Lupin looked too horrified to speak.

After some while, Madam Pomfrey finally looked up. "It's okay. She's only unconscious. Must've hit her head hard. But she'll be all right."

"Y-you sure?" Sirius whispered fearfully, his gaze still on the woman.

"Of course. She'll be up soon." Madam Pomfrey nodded, moving her wand and healing the wounds on the woman.

"And Dumbledore..." said Mr. Weasley, breaking the silence after long seconds. "Minerva, is it true... Is he really...?"

Professor McGonagall slowly nodded.

"Dumbledore gone," Mr. Weasley whispered in disbelief, but Sirius didn't even raise his head, his eyes fixed on the woman as he stroked her hair softly, placing a strand behind her ear.

Mrs. Weasley too had eyes only for her eldest son; she began to sob, tears falling onto Bill's mutilated face.

"Of course, it doesn't matter how he looks..." Mrs. Weasley mumbled. "It's not r-really important... but he was a very handsome little b-boy... always very handsome... and he was g-going to be married!"

"And what do you mean by zat?" said Fleur suddenly and loudly. "What do you mean, ' 'e was going to be married?' "

Mrs. Weasley raised her tear-stained face, looking startled. "Well — only that —"

"You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore?" demanded Fleur. "You theenk, because of these bites, 'e will not love me?"

"No, that's not what I —"

"Because 'e will!" said Fleur, drawing herself up to her full height and throwing back her long silver hair. "It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!"

"Well, yes, I'm sure," said Mrs. Weasley, "but I thought perhaps — given how — how he —"

"You thought I would not weesh to marry him? Or per'aps, you hoped?" said Fleur, her nostrils flaring. "What do I care how 'e looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave! And I shall do zat!" she added fiercely, pushing Mrs. Weasley aside and snatching the ointment from her.

Mrs. Weasley fell back against her husband and watched Fleur mopping up Bill's wounds curiously. Nobody said anything. Everyone expect me expected her to explode any moment now.

But she did something unexpected.

"Our Great-Auntie Muriel," said Mrs. Weasley after a long pause, "has a very beautiful tiara — goblin-made — which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair."

"Thank you," said Fleur stiffly. "I am sure zat will be lovely."

And then, no one quite saw how it happened, but the next moment both women were crying and hugging each other.

"You see!" Tonks suddenly said, glaring at Lupin. "She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"

I found myself smiling at them, my eyes filling up with happy tears as I watched them.

"It's different," said Lupin, barely moving his lips and looking suddenly tense. "Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely —"

"But I don't care either, I don't care!" said Tonks, seizing the front of Lupin's robes and shaking them. "I've told you a million times...."

"And I've told you a million times," said Lupin, refusing to meet her eyes, staring at the floor, "that I am too old for you, too poor... too dangerous... OUCH!"

Lupin suddenly winced in pain when, from behind him, the woman on the bed had woken up and threw a bottle on her nightstand and hit him on the back of his head.

Lupin turned to glare at her. "What was that for!?"

"For being a coward! I should've done that when we were fifteen!" said the woman weakly, yet in an angry voice. "Just man up and kiss her, you git!"

Sirius laughed, but I could tell it wasn't at her joke; it was out of relief that the woman was all right as she sat up straight and leaned against the bed's headboard.

But I became more confused and shocked than ever before when Sirius suddenly leaned forward and grasped the woman's face in his hands, bringing her into a deep kiss.

My eyes widened in disbelief and I looked away awkwardly. "Well, that's new..."

I wasn't the only one surprised at this, seeing as Ron and Ginny looked just as bewildered as me, meanwhile the rest merely looked away with a knowing smile.

"Oh, no you don't!" Madam Pomfrey suddenly said sharply, yanking the back of Sirius's coat and pulling him away from the woman. "She has to rest! She doesn't need you groping her with your mouth!"

The woman chuckled and Sirius smirked.

"I've said all along that you're taking a ridiculous line on this, Remus," said Mrs. Weasley over Fleur's shoulder as she patted her on the back.

"I am not being ridiculous," said Lupin steadily, sounding uncomfortable that the conversation had turned on him once again. "Tonks deserves somebody young and whole."

"But she wants you," said Mr. Weasley, with a small smile.

"This is... not the moment to discuss it," said Lupin, avoiding everybody's eyes as he looked around distractedly. "Dumbledore is dead..."

"Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world," said Professor McGonagall, smiling.