A Wolf's Soul | By : sinfulsanctuary Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 2410 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. |
Chapter Seventeen – Waiting
I couldn't believe Remus was gone. I couldn't believe he didn't see that there was nothing I wanted more than to be with him, no matter what that involved. People could have their narrow-minded opinions, they didn't matter to me. They never had. I even pushed my best friend away because she couldn't swallow her own stupidity and be happy for me.
Defeated and devastated I sat down right there on the grass outside of the house. I wanted to scream and cry out my frustration and misery, but I refused to do so, swallowing the lump in my throat again and again and again. It wouldn't get him back, wouldn't make him understand.
I sat there for several minutes, staring at nothing, while it was slowly getting darker. Bugs came fluttering. After I'd swatted tens of them away from my face, I came back to myself and walked in.
The rest of the dinner was still on the table. I decided that I would clean away our meal and then wait for Remus to come home. He had to understand.
Quickly I waved my wand to banish the rest of the food and then to levitate the plates and cutlery to the sink. I could have used Scourgify on them, but I wanted to be distracted for a while, so I cleaned them the Muggle way, grateful that Remus had the tools for that in his kitchen.
It was quite therapeutic to scrub the plates, use brute force to make them clean and spotless, letting water and soap splatter all over the place. Though it didn't fully distract me, I did feel that my thoughts were clearer.
I had to talk to my parents.
After I had finished up in the kitchen, I went to the fireplace in the sitting room and found a small pot of Floo powder on the mantelpiece. After casting Incendio to start a fire, I tossed some powder into the flames and knelt down, stuck my head into the green flames and called out: "Farraday House!"
My head swirled around in a sickening way until I saw the sitting room at home. "Mum! Dad!" I called out. "Are you home?"
It didn't take long before I heard approaching footsteps and both of them coming into the room.
"Niamh!" dad said. "What are you doing there? Is everything alright? Where are you?" They kneeled down to my height.
"No one is physically harmed, but things aren't quite alright. I'm at Remus' house."
"Who's Remus?"
"It's clearly the boyfriend, Bran," mum whispered, playfully nudging dad in the ribs.
"Yes, Remus is my... boyfriend, I think. There is something I need to tell you about him. He is most likely not what you expect him to be." I could see a frown on mum's face and that familiar crease between dad's eyes deepening. "He's quite a bit older than me." I paused. It wasn't that I was afraid to tell them, but the age difference and everything with Remus and I was a bit unconventional.
"That's no surprise," mum said.
"By fifteen years," I continued.
Mum's jaw dropped and dad's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hair. "Where on earth did you meet this man?" dad asked.
"At school. He was my Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."
The jaw dropped even lower, the eyebrows were now completely gone. "Niamh!" mum hissed. "What's gotten into you? Weren't your Defence professor the werewolf we read about?"
I had forgotten about that, the Daily Prophet's piece on Dumbledore's insane idea to hire a 'dark creature' to educate the future of the Magical World.
"Remus is a werewolf, yes." I was feeling a bit scared now. Dad could have quite a temper when properly angered. Mum never got angry, but she would get disappointed and give you such a cold shoulder it physically hurt.
"Before you say anything about how stupid you think I am, can I talk?"
"Can't you come over here and talk?" dad asked.
"I am not leaving this house. Remus and I had a fight because he can't understand that I don't care that he's a werewolf, and he left. I will not leave until he comes back and I can talk sense into him."
Both of them stared at me in a 'someone-should-talk-sense-into-you' way, but I set my jaw hard and refused to budge for anything. "Fine," they said in unison.
"First; you would be pleased to know that we never did anything we shouldn't at school. He is too much of a gentleman for that. That is one of the things I love about him. I found out about his lycanthropy long before the rest of the school, but I still cared for him, I still felt safe and comfortable around him. He has never done anything to me or anyone else at school. Merlin knows he's had plenty of chances. He was everyone's favourite teacher until they found out that he is a werewolf. The majority of the school suddenly saw nothing but the monster that only appears once a month. He is so unlike that monster as he can possibly be. Kind, caring, talented, funny, warm-"
I had to pause, that lump came back in my throat. I swallowed several times, before I continued. "My Patronus is a werewolf. It became corporeal after our first kiss."
No one said anything. I could almost see the house elves working in my parents' head. Mum and dad looked at each other. I knew that they were communicating in that strange way that only they could. Eventually they looked at me again.
"We're not sure about this, Niamh," mum said. "It's a lot of things that could go wrong here. What will people say?"
"I don't care, mum. Why should I care what other people think as long as I'm happy?"
"You're right, you shouldn't care."
"But what about the dangers?" dad interjected.
I narrowed my eyes. "What dangers? He is a perfect gentleman, or as gentlemanlike as I let him be. When he's transformed he's locking himself in a cage in the basement that is extremely well warded. He's been using it since he was 4, he still hasn't broken out of it. But if I have something to say, he will take the Wolfsbane potion every month. Even if I have to work my ass off to pay for it and force it down his throat."
"You really do love him, don't you?" dad said, looking thoughtfully at me.
"I do."
"And your Patronus actually takes his werewolf shape?" mum asked.
"I haven't seen him as a werewolf, I doubt he would ever let me, but it was indistinguishable until after our first kiss. And he hasn't said it isn't him."
Dad shook his head in confusion. "Are you sure you're not confunded, Niamh? This just isn't like you. We can understand about your fascination for older boys, but this one..." Dad shook his head again. "Your professor, of all things. What kind of morals does this man even have, going after a student like that?"
"I already said we didn't do anything we shouldn't have done at school!" Then I blushed. "Okay, so we kissed a couple of times, but it was very innocent." It hadn't been innocent on my part, considering how I reacted physically to each of them. But that was not something my parents needed to know.
Mum's eyes bugged out at what I had said. Before she managed to say anything about it, I continued. "Don't act like it's the scandal of the century! I'm sure we're not the first couple in history to fall for each other in that setting. But that doesn't really matter, does it? It doesn't matter how we met, or what he is, all that matters is how we feel about each other? Right?"
"That is all that matters, but..." I could see that dad tried hard to find some argument against me. "He's a werewolf."
"Do you really think Dumbledore would have hired him if he was dangerous?"
They both made agreeing sounds.
"Did I mention that my Patronus, my Patronus, is a werewolf?"
"How bad can he be if her Patronus takes the form of his darkest side?" mum asked dad.
Dad sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "If you really love him and believe you are safe with him, it's alright with us. But we really should meet him as soon as possible, to see for ourselves if you are correct about him."
"Oh, thank you, dad, mum! I'd hug you, but I don't want to leave here. And of course you can meet him, I just have to make him see reason first."
They both smiled at me.
"But the real reason I Flooed you, was to tell you that I probably won't come home tonight, as I'm sure you've understood already. I have no idea when I will be home. He ran out of the house and I have to wait for him and fix this."
"If you really love each other, why would he run away from you like that?" dad voiced his last concerns.
"Because he doesn't think I'll be safe with him. He doesn't think I deserve him. Which is bollocks. I haven't felt safer or happier in my entire life."
"That's something, I suppose." Dad looked impressed.
"Just be careful. And if you need anything, let us know straight away." Mum fixed me with that 'don't-you-dare-disagree' stare.
"I promise. I love you, both of you."
"We love you too, Niamh."
I pulled back, my head swirling again, until I was completely back in Remus' sitting room.
The room was dark, the sun had set. I waved my wand to light the lamps throughout the house. I listened for any sounds, but the house was eerily quiet. Remus was still gone.
I sighed. Then I filled a goblet of water, emptied it in one gulp, and sat down in the sofa to wait. Leaning back and staring into the wall in front of me.
Feeling lonely I conjured the werewolf Patronus. It didn't help much, I had gotten so used to having the real Remus around me. But I enjoyed watching it prance around the room, lighting the dark corners.
...
I have no idea when I fell asleep or how long I had been asleep, when I suddenly woke up from a soft pop outside. I sat up, checked my cheek for drool, and looked expectantly at the door. The lamps had gone out while I slept, so it was now pitch dark.
The door opened slowly and Remus stepped through. I recognized his tall silhouette against the moonlight from outside.
"Remus," I breathed. A ball of light appeared in front of him and lit up his face. He was looking livid.
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