Shades of Grey

Insomnia

Lupin had arrived at the Hog’s Head pub about ten minutes before one, having managed to find a Christmas present for Aurora that he thought she’d enjoy. Though he had no way of knowing whether Tonks would show up, he was relying on hope, mostly. If she did appear, he could simply say he was meeting Aurora about an assignment. He wasn’t sure how fool proof that plan was, but it was all he had. He couldn’t take Aurora out on a proper date given circumstances, and this was the closest he could get.

He’d ordered himself a fire whiskey and was sitting at the table, waiting for her. He was usually a few minutes early due to nerves, where she was usually closer to being on time. He checked his watch again. It was two minutes ‘til one; she’d be here soon. He leaned back against his chair, trying to relax. He sat up quickly as the door to the pub burst open, revealing a very distressed-looking Aurora.

“What’s happened?” He asked, rushing over to her. She didn’t seem to be able to catch her breath- in fact she seemed to be hyperventilating. She raised a shaky hand and pointed outside.

“He’s there.” She managed, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. His mouth went dry as he looked out the window to see a man standing across the road from the pub, staring eerily. Without another word, Lupin drew his wand and dashed out of the door.

The man didn’t seem to expect this, and he grimaced before raising his own wand. Lupin blocked a spell and shot off one of his own, which the man blocked easily.

“Leave her alone.” Lupin snarled, growing angrier by the second. The man just grinned crazily before turning on his foot and disappearing, leaving Lupin standing there. He looked around once more to make sure he was really gone before turning and walking back inside the pub. Aurora was still standing in the same spot she’d been before, seeming to have calmed down a bit. He jerked his head towards the table he’d been sitting at and she took a seat while he ordered her a butter beer.

“I didn’t want you to go after him.” Aurora said softly, as he returned to the table.

“Of course I was going to go after him.” Lupin said, looking at her as though she shouldn’t have thought differently. How could she think he would sit there and let that man stalk her?

“Why was he there?” Lupin asked now, taking a sip of his fire whiskey to calm his nerves. He was shaken by the unexpectedness of the situation, and the anger was still there beneath the surface.

“I don’t know. I was walking here and he was just…there. He followed me here.” She wasn’t sure how he’d found her. He would have had to know that it was a Hogsmeade weekend somehow. They sat in silence for a moment, both thinking the situation over.

“He sent me a note Monday morning. All it said was ‘even.’ I thought he meant that it was back to normal. But that doesn’t explain why he tried to come after me.” She mused, taking a sip of her drink.

“I’ve been thinking about it. I believe I have come to a conclusion, though I’m not sure it’s one that I like. I hope that I’m wrong, but on the other hand, I’m not sure what else it could be.” She said now, pausing and taking a deep breath before continuing. Lupin was listening attentively, though he couldn’t help but look out the window every few moments to make sure the man hadn’t come back.

“I thought that by ‘even,’ he meant we were back to the way it was before the Daily Prophet article, because he attacked Mirielle in retaliation for me telling you. But now, I’m thinking that ‘even’ just means that it is back between us. Now, he’s trying to get at me directly.” She explained, averting her eyes. Lupin glanced over to see that the barman was deep in conversation with one of the patrons, so he took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“He can’t get to you. Not while you’re at school and not while I’m around.” He reassured her. He’d thought this would comfort her, but instead, she looked unsettled.

“No, I don’t want you involved. It’s bad enough that he’s seen your face now. What if he comes after you? I can’t have another Miri…” Her words came out in one breath and she took a quick sip of her drink to keep the tears back.

“I’m already involved, Aurora. I don’t want you to fight this on your own. That’s what he wants.” Lupin tried to reason with her. The snow was growing heavier by the second and the barman was now making suspicious glances at them.

“Shall we walk back?” Aurora changed the subject now. Lupin was about to open his mouth to protest that they shouldn’t walk back together, lest they be seen by someone, but she beat him to it.

“No one will be able to see us through that,” she gestured towards the heavy snow, “and besides, what if he is still out there?”

“You’re right.” He agreed, downing the last of his drink before standing and pulling on his cloak. As they left the pub, the snow was blinding, but he kept his hand on his wand the entire time, just in case.

Aurora was not prepared for how heavy the snow was. The wind was strong, blowing her hair into her eyes and covering her face, only adding to her declining visibility. Her hair seemed to soak through instantly, coated with a fresh layer of melting snow. She hugged her cloak tightly around her, trying to savor what little warmth she had left. Her eyes darted around nervously, looking for the man, but she gave up because she could barely even see in front of her. How had the snow gotten so heavy so quickly?

They made their way back up to the castle, laughing as they slipped a few times. Aurora had to leave her wand in the pocket of her robes eventually because she needed both hands to shield her eyes. Once they reached the Entrance Hall, she followed him up to his office, falling back a few steps and taking another hallway to get there. There were many students in the Entrance Hall, squeezing melted snow out of their hair and their robes and shivering. Once they arrived at his office, he shut the door behind them securely.

“I am soaked.” She smiled, removing her cloak.

“Where shall I hang this?” She asked, holding it up and wrinkling her nose at it. Lupin laughed and pointed to the coat rack, where he proceeded to hang his own cloak.