Trapped In Time: Love's Secrets

Chapter Twenty Eight

The next morning she woke once more to those loving hands on her face. Remus was leaning over her slumped form where she had fallen asleep in the chair. She roused with a major kink in the neck and winced when she sat up to look at him. His clothes were dirty and torn; smelling of earth.

“Hey” he whispered “morning love sorry for waking you so early. I just got in, I’ve had a terrible night and I’ll tell you all about it but I need to talk to you quickly first.”

She nodded and pulled her hair away from her face where it was tangled around her neck. “I know a bit of last night, don’t worry about it. Did Sirius get away okay?”

“Of course you do” he smiled gently “and yes he did. Listen, what happened last night can’t happen again so I’ve decided to resign. It’s killing me to do it, I have so enjoyed my time here with the children and I hate that we won’t be working together next year but that doesn’t mean we can’t still find time together. I’m just headed to tell Dumbledore but I wanted you to be the first to know so you heard it from me.”

What he hadn’t told her was that in the early hours of morning after everything had settled down and the castle was in darkness, he learned he had been correct in assuming he would hunt her. Only he hadn’t wanted to kill her, instead he spent the lonely morning snuffling at her window which was far too embarrassing to admit. It hit him when he shifted back to human form that his dream held truth. He was somehow safer with her in his life and so were the people around him. She wasn’t the only one having prophetic dreams.

“Okay” she agreed sleepily and he wondered if she fully understood his words. “I’ll come up to your office in a bit and we’ll talk.”

“Alright” he leaned in and kissed her forehead “I’ll get us a quick breakfast on my way back.”

Even though she could feel she was still on auto pilot, the terrible ache deep in her chest was rising to the surface. She watched as he left her room with a faint smile over his face but she could tell it was covering his disappointment in how the year was ending.

She took her time getting dressed and decided that Severus must have told the Slytherin students about Remus by now. She was pretty sure they were supposed to know before breakfast and Dumbledore would probably tell Remus before he had a chance to resign just giving him more reason to do it. Guilt engulfed her as she stepped into the corridor and her feet dragged step by step up the stairs and down the hall. It was like living in slow motion and taking the last walk down death row.

He had already started packing when she arrived and she was glad he would be somewhat occupied for this conversation. Toast with peanut butter and honey sat on a tray to the side with a cup of coffee and she figured he must have already had his breakfast in his haste to get things done and get out of the castle.

“Remus” she started with no idea how to do this, hoping the words would just come. He slowed his packing and looked up to signal she had his attention. “I love you Remus, more than anything. You do know that right?”

“Yes I do” he smiled and stacked his meager pile of shirts in a corner of his battered suitcase.

“I need you to hold on to that forever” her resolve was cracking; tears sprang to her eyes and trailed down her cheeks.

“What do you mean?” he straightened and looked her over carefully feeling dread build up in the pit of his stomach. She was wrapped tightly in her cloak even though the summer morning was already heating the castle and her face displayed nothing but agony.

“Remember the conversation about worms and what you said at the end. ‘I know that you will do what’s best’?” She couldn’t look at him now, it was hurting too much. What colour there was had faded from his face and she knew that he knew what was coming.