The Wolf and The Raven, Bk 2

Ch 32 - Kiss and Make-up

The next five days were the quietest the Potter House had ever known. The Marauders divided themselves through the large home, gathering only for awkward meals during which no one spoke except for Fleamont and Euphemia. James and Sirius spent most of their time on the indoor Quidditch Pitch or the ice rink Fleamont had created, sweating out their frustrations through exercise. Remus took up residency in the library, sleeping on its sofa at night and consuming its contents during the day. Peter tried scurrying back and forth between the boys, but most of his time was spent with Branwen. They played countless games of wizard chess and went for long walks through the snow-ploughed streets of London.

On December 31, the whole city poured out to celebrate the passing of the old year and the coming of the new. James, Sirius, and Peter decided to venture out into the Muggle crowd, with promises to be back in time for the Hogwarts Express the next morning.

In stark contrast to the pandemonium outside, the year died without observance by the occupants of the Potter House. Rising early, Fleamont collected the boys' things then, after kissing Euphemia good-bye, Apparated to Kings Cross Station with Remus and Branwen. When they arrived at Platform 9 ¾ Remus bid the Potters a quick good-bye, then hurried to find a place in the rear of the train.

Branwen waited with her father. He rested a hand on one of her shoulders, while Sean balanced on the other. He quietly said, "It's going to be all right, dear."

She swallowed hard and nodded. Then Fleamont cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Do you see your brothers? They should be here by now."

They craned their necks, scanning the crowd of departing students. There was no sign of the remaining three Marauders.

"Well, you had better get going," Fleamont said. "I don't want you to miss the train because of those delinquents."

Branwen nodded. "Bye, Daddy." She kissed him, then boarded the train. As she passed Remus' compartment, she paused. His nose was buried in a copy of The Dark Arts Outsmarted. He didn't glance up as she walked by to find an empty space at the front of the carriage.

The train had already started to chug out of the station when a commotion of shouting erupted down the corridor.

"Ughhhhh."

"Steady on, Wormtail," Sirius yelled over the sound of James' hoarse singing. "... For auld lang syne, my dear / For auld lang syne / We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet / For days of auld lang syne!"

Sirius slid open the door and the three boys fell headlong into Branwen's compartment.

"Merlin's merciful mother!" Branwen leapt to her feet. "You all smell like piss and sick!"

"Heh, heh," James laughed, then hiccoughed. "I told you the vomit wasn't going to come out of that tie, Padfoot."

"That was your tie, mate." Sirius drawled.

"Oh yeah," James hiccoughed again.

"Yeah, Padfoot, you're the one who nearly wet his pants when that firecracker went off behind you." Peter looked up briefly from hanging his head between his knees.

"Oh my gosh," Branwen was holding her hand to her nose. "You are the most disgusting bunch of gits I've ever met!"

"But you still love us, eh Feathers?" Sirius winked in her direction.

She rolled her eyes and slammed the door behind her as she left the compartment. Behind her, she could hear the boys belching and laughing for no reason at all.

Making her way down the corridor, Branwen found herself drifting to where she had last seen Remus. When she peeked through the window though, she saw that his space was deserted, save for a box on the empty seat. It was laying in the midst of wrinkled brown paper, as though having just been unwrapped. She recognised it as the gift Hope had given her son, just before they parted.

Glancing around to be sure she was alone, Branwen slipped into the compartment and sat down, pulling the box into her lap. Inside was a book. It was bound in soft leather and had R.J. Lupin etched on the cover in swirling gold script. She pulled it out of the box and turned to the first page.

It was a scrapbook – the story of Remus' life.

It began with a picture of a young Lyall and Hope, sharing their first kiss as a married couple. Hope was radiant in a gown with long, lace sleeves, inspired by the wedding of Princess Grace Kelly. With their lips touching, Lyall and Hope's love was captured in a single moment to exist, like their vows specified, until the end of time.

Beneath that picture was a moving, wizarding photo that showed Hope taking the first slice of their wedding cake and smashing into the face of her new husband. Lyall, in turn, grabbed her around the waist, drawing her in for a kiss so that his icing-coated face pressed to hers.

The next page showed Lyall on his knees, kissing the swell of Hope's pregnant belly.

The picture that followed was of a screaming, shouting Hope. Though there was no sound, it was easy to guess what Hope was yelling at her husband behind the camera as she lay in a hospital bed, pushing their son into the world.

In the next photograph, Hope was considerably calmer. Tiny, infant Remus was resting on her chest, a beaming Lyall by their side.

There were dozens of pictures that followed, all documenting the childhood of the Lupins' only son. There were birthday parties, trips to parks, the first time he did magic and summoned his teddy bear to himself from across the room.

Remus was a chubby baby. Pockets of fat rounded out his cheeks and neck and pudgy fingers as he lifted a bouquet of weedy flowers to Hope for Mother's Day. His youthful complexion was flawless, not a scar or scratch in sight. Sunlight glowed on his golden hair and smooth skin as Lyall tossed him in the air, catching him over and over.

Then, suddenly, the pictures stopped. Years seemed to pass in a moment's time. The next photograph showed a young Remus on his birthday – was it his sixth or seventh? Either way, the small, bubbly boy from the previous pages was gone. In his place was a thin, solemn child. His face had all the scars Branwen was familiar with, and the left side of his face was mottled with bruises. A limp plaster hung from his chin and another was wrapped around his ear. Behind him, Lyall and Hope were singing to their son. Although they wore proud, encouraging smiles, the shadows under their eyes and wrinkles on their brows betrayed the pain of the preceding years.

The photos were few and far between now. They were all Muggle pictures – Lyall could no longer afford the potion that allowed wizarding photographs to move. They tried to portray happy family moments: Remus playing with Lyall's wand and being taught to ride a bicycle by Hope. But nearly every entry was taken at a different house, evidence of their constant need to move before their secret was discovered. All the Lupins looked worn and weary.

Then, just as suddenly as they had stopped, the photographs started again. There was a shyly smiling Remus holding his new wand outside Ollivander's in Diagon Alley. There was the small boy boarding the Hogwarts Express for the first time. There was the picture he sent home of his grinning, goofy room-mates at a Quidditch match, proudly cheering on the Gryffindor team. Then a little girl entered the photographs.

Branwen smiled at her past self. How could she have possibly ignored her feelings for so long? The way eleven-year old Branwen gazed up at twelve-year old Remus was nothing but worshipful adoration.

The new pictures showed Remus gaining weight and growing by feet and inches. With the exception of his gradually growing collection of scars, he looked more and more like the happy boy of his childhood.

The last photograph was a surprise to Branwen; she didn't know Hope had captured the moment. It showed Remus and Branwen, standing beneath the mistletoe in the Lupins' sitting room. Her hands were resting on his waist, while he cupped her cheek, gently caressing her lips with his own.

Dozens of empty pages followed the Christmas picture. On the first of these, Lyall had written: For the rest of your adventures. Happy Christmas. Love, Mum and Dad.

A tear fell from Branwen's eyes and smudged the ink.

"Real page-turn, huh?"

She gasped. Remus was leaning on the door-frame, watching her closely.

"Oh!" Branwen cried out and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. She slammed into him with such force, he was knocked from the door and into the corridor, crashing against the wall. He was surprised by her strength as she squeezed him so tightly that he could barely draw a breath.

"Branwen," he gasped. "Branwen, let's go inside."

She didn't loosen her grip at all, so Remus half shuffled, half waddled back into the compartment, his girlfriend still clinging to him like a Bowtruckle to its tree.

"Branwen, what's wrong?" When he had closed the door behind them, he did his best to gently pry her from around his body. She leaned back just slightly, only enough to look up at him. Her face was streaked with tears.

"How can you ever forgive me, Remus? I was so rotten!"

"What are you talking about?" He watched her, brows furrowed.

"Our fight. I was so stupid! You just lost your dad, for Merlin's sake, and there I was yelling at you like a tosser. You should have throttled me for what I did!"

He chuckled. "Surely you must know by now that I would never raise a hand against you – now matter how stubborn you are. And the truth is, I was the one who was wrong –"

"No! It was perfectly reasonable for you to push me away. You've had to hide your whole life for your own protection. Of course that would be your response!

"I should have been more understanding, more empathetic. You were right when you said my life is 'broomstick joyride.' I can't imagine what you've been going through, but I should have tried. I should have tried to share your sorrow instead of criticising you for it."

Remus was quiet for a moment, as the full impact of her words sank in. Not only her words, but the weight of the past two weeks. The whirlwind days of sunshine with Branwen came crashing down with the loss of his father, the only protector he had ever known. Parted so quickly from his mother as well, life had turned dark, and his eyes could not adjust. Branwen's presence, her soft arms around his body, was like a ray of light, peeking through the clouds after a storm.

Slowly, he sank to his knees. His long arms wrapped around her and he pressed his face to the soft, sloping skin beneath her breasts. He was weeping. Weeping as he never had before – weeping for his father and mother, for all that had been lost and almost lost. His cries were hoarse and heart-wrenching, as though his heart was being scraped from his body.

Branwen cradled his head, carding her fingers through his tawny hair. Instead of mimicking the trite platitudes of comfort, she just held him, whispering "I love you" again and again.

When he seemed to have exhausted himself of tears, Branwen wriggled in his grasp, so that she could kneel beside him. Remus pulled back to watch her as she dug into her pockets, pulled out a handkerchief, and began to clean his face.

He reached out to hold her hand. "I forgive you, love," he whispered. "But only if you'll forgive me too. You were right about how much I hate myself. I've spent so long thinking of myself as a monster, I still can't believe someone can look past that – especially someone as wonderful as you."

"Hey now," she smiled. "No more of this who does or doesn't deserve who. We're on equal footing, you and me. No more shouting matches or silences. We talk things out from now on. Yeah?"

He nodded.

"So....we're okay?" Branwen held her breath.

He answered by leaning in, holding her face in his broad palm. His lips kissed hers, once, twice, a third time. She readily opened her mouth and their tongues found each other, savouring the taste they thought they had lost forever.

She paused for only a moment to whisper, "Does this mean we can finish what we started at your place on Christmas?"

"Fuck yes." Remus launched forward, pushing her to the floor of the car. She landed with a gasp and a giggle that turned into a snarl when she heard a knock on the door.

"Oi!" Lily's voice came from the other side of the door. "You two decent?"

"Uh...." Remus coughed and righted himself, pulling Branwen to her feet with him. "Yes. Come in."

Lily entered the compartment with Mary in tow. Her eyes raked over them, taking in their flushed faces and wrinkled clothes – Remus' loosened tie, Branwen's untucked blouse. They had either been having a row or a shag, possibly both. She decided to ignore it and leaned forward to quietly ask, "All right, Remus?"

"We're awfully sorry to hear about your dad, Lupin," Mary added.

"Thanks," Remus rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "I really appreciate the sympathy from you guys, but – uh, I don't think I really want the whole school coming up to say sorry – you know? So maybe we can sort of keep it on the down-low?"

The girls nodded.

"Want something more cheerful to talk about?" Lily grinned.

When Remus and Branwen both agreed, she reached into her bag and pulled out a camera. "Look what my parents got me for Christmas! It's a wizarding camera! They got it when we were in Diagon Alley last summer."

"How exciting!" Branwen smiled.

"I've been taking pictures of all my friends. Can I take one of you two?"

"Um, sure." Remus leaned in toward Branwen, a forced smile on his face.

"Not like that, Rem," Lily laughed. "I'm going to develop this with that special potion so it will move. Do an action that we can see later."

"Like what?"

"You could kiss Branwen," Lily winked.

"Too cliché," Mary waved away the suggestion.

"Oh, I know." Branwen pulled up Remus' bag and dug through it until she reached his cache of chocolate bars. "Here. Ready Lils?"

Lily held the camera to her face and pushed the button. Branwen broke off a bit of chocolate and held it between her teeth. Remus, catching on, leaned forward and held the other end of the chocolate between his own teeth so that their lips met over the candy. Lily pushed the button again, ending the action.

"Got it!" She exclaimed. "You guys are too cute."

Remus blushed as he pulled away; Branwen had used her tongue to push the candy into his mouth so that he tasted both the chocolate and her as he chewed.

There was another knock on the door; this time it was Ravi Nandal who poked his head into the compartment. "Morning Potter. Ready for patrols?"

"Merlin!" Branwen slapped her brow. "I almost forgot – I'm a prefect!"

"You better get going," Lily laughed. "Rem and I already did ours turn."

"All right. I'll be back soon." Branwen kissed Remus' cheek before following Ravi into the corridor.

They had a fairly easy patrol. Students returning to school from the Christmas break were usually subdued. Worn out from holiday activities, they stared out the windows, nodding off or studying for the upcoming term. Only one compartment, at the far end of the car, was bursting with noise.

"I'll take care of this, Nandal." Branwen laid a hand on his arm. "I have a feeling I know who these troublemakers are."

Ravi nodded, then continued down the hall.

"Well," Branwen threw open the door to her brother's berth and stood with her hands on her hips. "I hope you all like detention because if you don't settle down, you're going to be scrubbing toilets with Filch. And I'll be docking you each fifty points!"

"Take points from your own house?" Peter peered at her through bleary eyes.

"If you don't straighten up, then yes." She scanned them. "What's wrong with you all, anyway? I know you think you're hard-arsed rebels, but this seems a little extreme."

James swayed to his feet. "Because, Bran – if they're not going to let us fight, then we're going to play."

"What? That makes no sense!"

Sirius belched. "Sure it does. You know what they say...."

"Eat, drink, and be marry...." Peter said.

James raised an imaginary glass in toast. "....for tomorrow, we die."