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NEWS OF REMUS spread like wildfire. By the afternoon everyone knew. Remus had already packed his bags, nothing that Athena could say had persuaded him otherwise. There was only a week left of school and he couldn't even stay for that.
He was evidently scared of the reactions he was going to receive and Athena couldn't blame him. After years of growing up conditioned to believe that he was a monster it was no wonder that he'd listened.
Snape seemed triumphant, walking around sneering at everyone. He'd gotten his way, finally ridding the castle of Remus. Athena had never felt such hatred in a very long time. Snape had soared to the top of her list in a few weeks and he wouldn't be coming down anytime soon.
She'd seen him in the corridor that very day. Athena had been looking for him, she wanted to let him not exactly how she felt. And she had. How?
By punching him in the face.
It had been a very good feeling and Athena would do it again if she wasn't scared of losing her job. Many of the students around had laughed and Athena was glad. She'd never seen Snape so furious.
However this didn't change anything. Remus would still be leaving and nothing would change that. By the afternoon, she found herself walking back to his office knowing she'd have to say goodbye.
This wasn't how she wanted this to go. Athena had seen him leave before without realising and now with the knowledge that he was going, Athena felt even worse. Yet again he was slipping through her fingers. If only they had more time.
As Athena approached the office, she saw Eleanor Lupin walking out. She seemed upset with red rimmed eyes and a low hanging head.
"Everything ok?" Athena asked with a frown.
"I just wish he didn't have to go" Elle replied, "I wish he didn't have to leave because of what everyone says about him"
"I know" Athena smiled sadly, "I wish he didn't have to leave either"
Elle walked away with a small smile as Athena walked up the stairs into Remus' office. He was still picking things up, his office looking more bare than ever now everything was in boxes.
"You're back" he stated.
"I am, didn't want you to go without saying goodbye" Athena sighed, sitting on the edge of the desk, "are you sure about this?"
"I am" Remus nodded.
Athena was going to say something else when the office door swung open again.
She looked up to see Harry who was staring at the both of them in almost devastation. Athena supposed that he had learned the news that Remus was leaving.
"I saw you coming," said Remus, pointing to the map which Athena noticed was open on the desk
"I just saw Hagrid," said Harry. "And he said you'd resigned. It's not true, is it?"
"I'm afraid it is," said Remus. He started opening his desk drawers and taking out the contents.
"Why?" said Harry. "The Ministry of Magic don't think you were helping Sirius, do they?"
Remus crossed to the door and closed it behind Harry.
"No. Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that me and Athena were trying to save your lives." He sighed. "That was the final straw for Severus. I think the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard. So he -- er -- accidentally let slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast."
"You're not leaving just because of that!" said Harry.
Remus smiled wryly.
"This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents.... They will not want a werewolf teaching their children, Harry. And after last night, I see their point. I could have bitten any of you.... That must never happen again."
"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" said Harry. "Don't go!"
Remus shook his head and didn't speak. He carried on emptying his drawers.
"From what Athena told me this morning, you saved a lot of lives last night, Harry. If I'm proud of anything I've done this year, it's how much you've learned.... Tell me about your Patronus."
"How d'you know about that?" said Harry, distracted.
"What else could have driven the Dementors back?"
"That was you!" Athena gasped in shock, "of course it was! With the time turner, I can't believe I didn't figure it out before... the stag... no wonder I thought it was James"
"I thought it was my dad too when I first saw it" Harry smiled, "when we went back I was waiting for him to show up and then I realised that was impossible, I'd seen myself casting the patronus... The only reason I knew I could do it was because I'd already seen myself doing it, does that make sense?"
"Yeah it does" Athena grinned, "and a stag...your father would be unbelievably proud"
"He would be" Remus agreed.
"So my dad... Prongs referenced stag didn't it?"
"Yes, your father was always a stag when he transformed," he said. "You guessed right... that's why we called him Prongs."
Remus threw his last few books into his case, closed the desk drawers, and turned to look at Harry.
"Here -- I brought this from the Shrieking Shack last night," he said, handing Harry back the Invisibility Cloak. "And..." He hesitated, then held out the Marauder's Map too. "I am no longer your teacher, so I don't feel guilty about giving you back this as well. It's no use to me, and I daresay you, Ron, and Hermione will find uses for it."
Harry took the map and grinned.
"You told me Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs would've wanted to lure me out of school... you said they'd have thought it was funny."
"And so we would have," said Remus, now reaching down to close his case. "I have no hesitation in saying that James would have been highly disappointed if his son had never found any of the secret passages out of the castle."
There was a knock on the door. Harry hastily stuffed the Marauder's Map and the Invisibility Cloak into his pocket.
It was Professor Dumbledore. He didn't look surprised to see Harry there.
"Your carriage is at the gates, Remus," he said.
"Thank You, Headmaster."
Remus picked up his old suitcase and the empty Grindylow tank.
"Well -- good-bye, Harry," he said, smiling. "It has been a real pleasure teaching you. I feel sure we'll meet again sometime. Headmaster, there is no need to see me to the gates, I can manage...."
"Good-bye, then, Remus," said Dumbledore soberly. Remus shifted the Grindylow tank slightly so that he and Dumbledore could shake hands.
"I'll walk you down" Athena stood up suddenly, realising that she hadn't managed to say a proper goodbye to Remus. He smiled warmly at this.
"See you later Harry" Athena grinned and Harry smiled back. They hadn't had a proper chance to talk about everything that had happened, about the missing parts of the story, Athena's lies and her near seer ability. However she was sure the time would come for all of that to be explained.
Athena followed Remus out of the office leaving Harry and Dumbledore alone as they walked down the stairs and out into the corridor.
"I can't believe I didn't realise it was Harry" Athena mused,
"Well in fairness, Harry was standing right in front of you at the time... it would have been hard to predict that there was two of them"
"I suppose" Athena shrugged as they walked together, "I really thought it was James, how stupid of me"
"They do look remarkably similar" Remus sighed, "sometimes it's like seeing James again"
"It is" Athena nodded, "I think there's quite a few people who would love for you to stay"
"I can see that, unfortunately it does not override how the majority feel about me"
"The majority don't matter" Athena sighed,
"They do to me" Remus smiled.
"Most people don't see you any different and those who do aren't worth you worrying about. There will always be problems such as this and the best thing for you to do would be to ignore them"
"As much as I would love to ignore them, you know I can't" Remus replied.
They'd made it outside now into the summers air. The carriage was indeed waiting a little away from the door dragged by two thestrals standing tall.
"So this is it" Athena frowned, "I didn't think it would be hard to see you go again. At the beginning of the year it was all I wanted, I thought you'd ruined everything by coming back"
"It's not goodbye forever, I'll see you again"
"Will you?" Athena asked, "it feels like this was our chance... the last attempt"
"It's only the final attempt if you make it the final attempt" Remus pointed out.
"I suppose so" Athena muttered, "are you sure you can't even stay for another week... there's barely any lessons on now... we could talk"
"Talk?" Remus asked, "I thought you were against talking"
"Yes I was but now... well you're leaving and I don't want you to go"
"Come with me then" Remus looked up hopefully.
"Come with you?" Athena asked, "come with you where?"
"Stay with me... it doesn't have to be for long... just for an hour if that's all... to talk"
"I don't think that's a good idea" Athena shook her head,
"Well at least come with me in the carriage" Remus suggested.
Athena thought about it for a moment before she nodded. A carriage ride was hardly a bad idea. The two of them stepped inside, Remus leaving his bags on the seat next to him as Athena sat opposite.
"So you wanted to talk?" Remus asked casually. She wondered how he could act so calm all the time while she was sitting there panicking, her knee jumping up and down.
"I don't know what to say"
"Well if I talk I'll just be repeating everting you already know" Remus shrugged, "you're aware of how I feel... you said you needed time to figure out how you felt"
"I did say that... you said you needed time twelve years ago yet here we are"
"I was an idiot, there's no other explanation" Remus murmured, "are you still trying to figure it out?"
"No and that's what's annoying me" Athena looked up, "I'm terrified of getting my heartbroken again Remus"
"I'm sorry that I ever hurt you" Remus sighed, "I'm sorry for everything I put you through... I'm sorry I didn't fight for us"
"I do love you, of course I do" Athena continued, "I have always and will always love you"
"Then what's stopping us"
"You know what's stopping us" Athena sighed loudly.
"I promise that I'll never hurt you again" said Remus
"That word hasn't meant anything since you told me you were going to come back" Athena frowned.
"Then let's give it meaning again" Remus told her. The carriage had pulled to a halt in Hogsmeade and Athena's heart was racing faster than it ever had before.
Remus climbed out of the carriage and collected his bags,
"The offer still stands... to come with me" He held out his hand and Athena gazed at it.
There was still a week left of school but Aurora could take her lessons, Aurora would get her things. The offer was tempting, his outstretched hand. Her heart was yearning to take it. To follow him up on his offer.
And she did.
Athena reached forwards and took his hand in hers, climbing out of the carriage. He smiled like he was seventeen again and for a moment, Athena felt that they were young again, that nothing had changed. After all, his smile was so familiar.
The carriage rode off as Remus turned on his heel and pulled Athena with him through the darkness. They arrived outside of a cottage house. It was the perfect picture of Remus from the front gaze to the oak front door. She couldn't imagine him living anywhere else.
He was still smiling as he opened the front gate and led her through it. Athena followed however a second later she couldn't stand this anymore. Her heart was still beating rapidly, screaming at her in tempting voices.
She turned to Remus, placing her hand on this side of his face as she pulled him to her. Kissing him with twelve years missed love.
It felt so perfect, so right. Of course he'd hurt her, Athena would never forget that but she wasn't going to let her past worries haunt her future, ruin her opportunities. She wasn't going to let a mistake ruin her chance to be with the love of her life.
Remus kissed her back, dropping one of his bags as he drew her closer to him. The world has stopped spinning to experience this moment. Noise had ceased. For a few seconds nothing existed except for the love between Athena and Remus. That's always what it felt like when they were together, as though they were the only two people in the world.
Athena moved away and stared at the love filled eyes in front of her.
"Forever?" Remus whispered.
"Forever"
Athena replied with more surety than she'd ever known she possessed.
☽☽☽
A/n
Words - 2230
Published - 16th May 2021
That's the end of act 3 :)
We're nearly half way
since the other acts aren't as long
(a lot of the chapters are longer tho)