Falling // Wolfstar

Forty Three

Remus opens the door to an empty classroom, moving aside to let Davy in. The lights are low; there are no windows, the only source of light are from candles. The moon yawns beyond the castle walls as the clock strikes 12. Remus shuts the door behind him and silently locks the door with his wand.

Davy circles the center of the room before turning to Remus with an incensed look. He looks awful to be frank. Remus waves his wand and the candles burn brighter. Their glow shines on Davy, highlighting his features. His hair is a light brown, like Bambi, and slightly longer. He's long over due for a haircut. His growth is also stunted - premature shrinking perhaps.

Remus walks with his hands respectfully behind his back. He's still dressed in his school uniform despite the time of day. Standing by one of the candles, his finger rolls the necklace that hangs from his neck. Davy inspects Remus carefully, growing more infuriated by the second.

"Want do you want Remus?" Davy snaps, tapping his foot against the floorboards.

"I don't know, you tell me," Remus says. He looks at the clock just as the minute hand ticks by. "I've got nowhere to be."

"If you'll excuse me." Davy strides across the floor and reaches for the door. The sleeve of his robe falls just beyond his fingertips, and he pushes it up in an attempt to open the door. "You locked it!"

Remus wanders around to the back of the room, stopping in front of a large mirror he's never seen before. It spans from floor to ceiling with intricate carvings. Engraved at the top, it reads: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

"Let me out!" Davy shouts, incessantly banging on the door. "Remus!"

Remus studies the mirror curiously, walking up to it in pure awe. He sees himself, sort of. Except this Remus has no scars on his face. The tiredness under his eyes are gone and instead, he's smiling happily even as the full moon soars high above. He isn't a werewolf. Sirius is stands by his side - they're holding hands. Behind them are his parents. Hope and Lyall, arms wrapped around one another, looking down lovingly at Remus and Sirius. Remus reaches his hand out to his father, only to touch cold glass.

Silence tells Remus that Davy has stopped trying to escape the room. He stands behind Remus now, observing his own reflection.

"What is this?" Davy asks.

Remus scans over the inscription at the top with a determined fix. His eyes dart from left to right as he makes out the phrase. "I show not your face but your hearts desire," he reads aloud.

Davy walks up to the mirror, fascinated at what he sees.

Remus takes one last look in the mirror for himself. Deep down, he knows it's an impossible dream. He tears his gaze and walks away, leaving Davy in front of the mirror. "I know it's you," he admits loudly.

Davy turns around. "Who?" he asks.

"Abigail."

Davy scoffs, walking around the edge of the classroom behind the shadows. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Remus takes a seat at an empty desks and pulls out a book from his robes. "I didn't know at first," he begins, running his thumb over the pages. "But I know you, Abigail."

"This is absurd, Remus." He jiggles the door once more, but to no avail. "Let me out!"

"You don't have to admit it, but according to my calculations," Remus peers over at the clock, "It won't matter in an hour. Your polyjuice potion will wear off."

"You're insane!"

"Abigail there's no use trying to even deny it, but fine, carry on." Remus leans on his forearms. "You want to know how I figured it out?" Davy glares at Remus with bitterness emitting from every pore. "I had my suspicions during detention in the Forbidden Forest. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I'd heard it before." A snide smile pulls at his lips. "But this was when I knew. I knew it was you."