"Deep breaths, Georgie" I attempted to sooth, my hands on his shoulders as I demonstrated deep and extended breaths, watching as his heaving chest attempted to copy, "That's it, keep breathing"
"I can't" He shuddered, a particularly shallow breath taking over his body, a tremble in his tone, "It's all so stressful, and Fred's acting like this isn't the biggest day of our lives, and Oliver isn't here, and-"
Oliver and George had broken up two days before New Year's Eve, it was a mutual and amicable split, or so I'm told, and yet it was evident that George was struggling to squash that little voice in his brain that told him he needed Oliver.
And now it was the 2nd of January, just a few days before we were due back at Hogwarts, and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was finally opening to the public, and the twins were in disarray, or half of them anyway.
"George, you need to breathe. Look, copy me, in...and out. Good" I whispered, sitting him down on the chair to his desk in the office we were currently hiding in, "Now listen to me. You don't need Oliver, you and Fred have done all of this," I gestured around the room and out toward the shop, "alone, you don't need anyone. Remind me, why did you want to open the shop?"
George's breathing had evened slightly, although he was still panting every few breaths, his pupils not so dilated and his cheeks cooling down from their flushed crimson hues.
"I wanted to make people happy" He whispered, a distant smile pulling at his lips, a far away look of reminiscence taking over his features.
"Then go out there, and make people happy" I smiled, offering him my hand to help him up from the chair, his tall frame suddenly towering over me as he stood.
"I love you" He whispered, dropping his forehead to mine and closing his eyes. I imitated him briefly, clutching to this moment tightly before letting it go once again, hearing it hit the floor, yet it did not shatter.
"I love you too Georgie"
We slowly emerged from the office in the back of the shop and entered the chaos that was opening day. Fred was upstairs in the flat above, likely getting himself dressed into uniform, Ron and Harry were wandering around resisting the urge to unbox half of the items on the shelves, Ginny and Bill has sucume to those urges as they has a bubble fight in the back corner of the shop, and Hermione was sitting behind the register checking over the boys paperwork like they had asked of her.
The queue that had formed outside the shop stretched far beyond the eye could see, excited squeals of children clutching impatiently onto their parents hands, jumping, bouncing, jittering uncontrollably, groups of friend with smiles plastered across their rosey cheeks, mums and dads watching their kids in awe as I don't suppose they had ever seen their children so excited.
"Oi Bill, c'mon man, you're supposed to the adult" George snapped, snatching the bubble machine form his brothers hands and clapping him upside the head, "Ardelle, can you go and get Fred and remind him we open in" he glanced at his watch, "Eighteen minutes!"
"I'm going now" I smiled warmly, ruffling Harry's hair on my way through, further disheveling his messy locks, starting my ascent on the spiral staircase in the back end of the shop that led to the twins' apartment.
"Fred? Freddie?" I called as I pushed open the door to the flat, stepping over discarded clothes and countless cardboard boxes. Despite the twins having 'officially' moved out of the burrow, they spent most of their time over the past few months working on the shop, and so unpacking had not exactly been their main priority.
"I'm in the bathroom, darling" He called, husky and strained, as if he was lifting something heavy, his voice rough and crisp although slightly shallow.
I followed his voice across the flat, careful to not trip over stacks of clothes and boxes full of crockery, until I reached the open door of the bathroom, his broad and bare back to me as he fiddled with the sink, the muscles across his shoulders tensing beautifully as he yanked on the tap.
"Everything okay, love?" I asked reluctantly, not sure if I was quite ready for him to turn around just yet, but was quickly rewarded with the sight of his front. Hard toned abs, his broad shoulders glimmering with beads of sweat that trickled down his chest, getting lost in the waistband of his boxers.
"Taps broken" He sighed, using his forearm to wipe away the moisture that formed above his eyebrows, the veins running along his arms and wrist catching my attention as I followed its movement until it dropped below his side once again, "Oi pervert, my eyes are up here"
"Yeah yeah, whatever" I murmured, my eyes fixed to his tall frame, his golden pale skin littered with freckles and scars, the dips of his muscles, the way his hips created a perfect V that snuck down beneath the band of his bottoms.
"Oh you are seriously going to regret 'whatevering me'" Fred scoffed with amusement, lunging forward to grab me, my instincts, however, kicking in too quickly, as I slipped out the room and fought my way over to his bedroom.
Boxes covered most of the floor and so jumping from the threshold the bed proved quite a challenge, but as I caught the edge of the duvet, scrambling my way towards the headboard, Fred's heavy frame followed me in suit, jumping onto the bed and chasing me towards the top.
He grabbed my ankle, pulling me towards him kicking and screaming, my arms flailing about frantically as I fought for air through strangled laughs, his hands released my feet and moved to my exposed ribs, tickling me mercilessly until tears leaked from the corners of my eyes and my vision began fleeting.
I attempted to escape, heavy panting and breathless giggles filling the room, slipping beneath him, but he caught my wrist against the pillow, quickly shifting himself on top of me, knees either side of my hips as he caged my body to the bed.
"Hello" He whispered, a devilish glare in his eyes, a sinful smirk pulling at his perfect lips as he dipped his head down, placing soft and quick kisses against my neck and jaw.
"Hey" I struggled back, suddenly overcome with heat as my hands grew clammy and my laboured breathing continued to falter, a tingling hotness traveling its way over my body.
"Have I told you that you are beautiful today?" Fred mumbled into my hot skin, releasing my wrists and immediately lacing his fingers with mine, continuing to place messy and impatient kisses along my throat.
I shook my head, the ability to speak failing me, soft puppy like whimpers falling freely from my lips, soon silenced by his kiss, as he swallowed down each sound I made, desperate to keep them for himself. His secret.
"Oh for fuck sakes Ari" I hadn't noticed George looming in the door way, his arms crossed over his chest, his face frantic and stern, "I asked you to come and get him, not fuck him"
I scrambled out from under Fred, apologising profusely as Fred jumped to his feet and grabbed his uniform from the desk in the corner.
"I'm going to head downstairs, me and the others are going to get out of your way for a while, you still have seven minutes until opening, maybe you boys should talk" And after kissing them both on the cheek, I skipped down to the shop, dragging everyone out the back entrance and out into the alley.
The twins would be working in the shop all day, and the rest of us had offered to help set up in the morning, as well as return back a while before closing time to tidy the flat and set up for their opening party.
"We have five hours to kill before we need to go back and set up for the party, what do you guys want to do?" I asked, scuffing my feet along the pebbled street as we walked out into the main alley.
Harry's face visibly lit up, "I have an idea"
*****
"That was..that was bloody brilliant" Ron beamed as we exited the cinema and out onto the streets of muggle London, his cheeks rosey and his eyes full of wonderment.
"It was only the cinema Ron" I chuckled, grabbing Ginny and Hermione's hands as we crossed the road, directing everyone down a side street so we had somewhere safe to apparate.
Harry had suggested we went to watch a film, and as the visible confusion spread its way across each Weasley, I could already tell it was going to be a good afternoon. Safe to say, after the popcorn machine, a pair of 3D glasses and a bag of sweets later, each Weasley had been wholeheartedly sold on the idea of the cinema.
"Right, are we going to side along or-?" Hermione began, but was quickly interrupted by a nervous croak from Bill.
"I've actually got an appointment to get to, but I'll catch you guys back at the flat shortly" He muttered awkwardly, running one hand through his long ginger locks whilst the other reached for his wand.
"Oh, okay" Hermione spoke quietly, grabbing onto Ginny whilst Harry grabbed onto Ron, "Ari? Are you coming?"
"Yeah, go on without me, I'll be two mins" I told her, studying William's uneasy stance as I spoke, glancing behind me briefly to watch the four of them apparte back to Diagon Alley.
Will didn't say anything for a moment, just stood ineptly, his hand in his pockets as he bounced on the balls of his feet, his wand sticking out of his front pocket and clearly causing him discomfort.
"Are you okay Ardelle?" He asked, as though I was the one being weird in this situation, a highly strung grin creeping on his lips.
"I could ask you the same thing" I stated plainly, crossing my arms across my chest to appear more domineering, It didn't work, refusing to break my burning glance from his.
He ignored what I had said. "Are you going to be okay getting home? I really need to get to that, uh... appointment" He uttered, reaching for his wand and preparing to apparate, an evident blush blotching across his cheeks, like perhaps he'd said too much.
And that was it. The penny had been dropped. It wasn't William who had a secret, he was covering for someone. And something told me that someone was Tonks. The pair of them had been acting strange for a while now. And as I thought back over the past few weeks, Tonks tendency to cancel plans after 'coming down with something' and her aversion to alcohol over christmas, it all became so clear.
I had a hunch, and I went with it, unable to filter the words that came tumbling out next, "I know that Tonks is pregnant"
William looked stunned for a moment, absorbing what I had just said, his eyes blown wide and his gentle smile flattering, "What?! We haven't told anyone. How do you know?"
And there it was, what I had been digging for.
"I didn't until you just told me" I smirked, successful with my discovery, my pride almost overtaking the discovery itself, but I rolled it over my tongue once again, "Tonks is pregnant. Holy fucking shit"
"Please don't tell anyone Ari" Will pleaded, his eyes begging and his hands on the verge of trembling.
"Your secret is safe with me" I whispered, before bounding forward and pulling him into a tight embrace, tucking my head into his chest and listening to his violent heartbeat steadying, "Good luck at the doctors"
I apperated back to Diagon Alley ecstatic, my head far away and cloudy, drowning in joy, something I savoured, lapping up every last drop of happiness as I bounced down the streets, a smile so wide it ached.
I turned a corner, disappearing off of the main Alley and up towards the road that led to the shop when I collided with a tall figure, stumbling backwards instantly and attempting to steady my footing.
"Shit, I am so sorry" I apologised repeatedly, brushing myself off and finding my footing once again. Glancing up to be met with the assumed grin of Sevreuous Snape looming over me.
"No worries Miss Black, I was here looking for you anyway" He drawled, reaching into his robes and retrieving a white envelope and placing it in my palm, "Congratulations" He added, before he was off once again, swishing through the crowds of people and disappearing down the alley.
Snape and I had been in discussion constantly since the confession I made to him not so long ago, the whole 'wanting to cure Lycanthropy' business, and Snape had been explaining just what I was getting myself in for as well as doing research on potential programs.
And so when I held that piece of parchment between my fingertips, my heart hammering so loud that the sound of the people bustling up and down the lane was silenced, I had a deafening inkling as to what could be written on it.
~~~~~
Dear Miss Lupin-Black,
Thank you for your application to the District State Lycanthropy Program. After reviewing your application and taking a reference from your mentor, we are delighted to inform you that you have been accepted to parpictae in our mission to cure Lycanthropy.
Out of seventeen-thousand applicants we hope you take pride in being one of twenty five students picked to participate in our prestigious program in which we work to shape the future of magic and of the wizarding world as we know it.
This is an eighteen month-long program that will begin next September, acting as a replacement for your 8th year of your current education, and will take place in our Magical sector in New York, USA.
Accommodation, education and equipment is provided on sight and we look forward to inviting you to shape the future with us. Please get in contact by the 14th of January to ensure you place.
Many thanks and best wishes,
Team coordinator,
Victore Bright
~~~~~
I read the document seven times before I watched the first tear hit the page, smearing the ink where Victore had signed his name. It was then the following fourteen seconds before I realised I was in fact having a panic attack.
New York? For a year and a half? I only allowed Snape to apply to that course because I was certain with every fibre of my being that I would be rejected. So why the hell did this piece of paper state otherwise?
I swallowed down the lump in my throat, dislodging it as best I could as my shallow breathing fought to even. My fingers burnt where they touched the parchment, like it was radiating some kind of toxic heat, a guilty and violent kind of burning that forced me to tuck the parchment away into my pocket. I couldn't face reading it again anyway.
Was I stupid if I passed up that oppertunity? Was I stupid if I really believed I had what it took? How the fuck was I supposed to tell anyone?
By the time I reached the shop the tears had been soaked dry by the harsh winds whipping down the streets and my body had stopped shaking. I felt pale. Not because I had caught a glimpse of myself in the now empty shop window and saw as such, I physically felt pale. Empty.
It was seven o'clock and the boys had closed for the day, successfully by the amount of people I had seen in the alley with WWW bags full to the brim of god knows what. And as I entered through the back, climbing shakily up the spiral stairs, I swallowed down the past half an hour, and walked into the flat.
The party was in full swing, people dancing and laughing, music blaring through the room, vibrating the air as it filled my chest, the sweet smell of liquor and perfume mingling in the air. This was the perfect distraction.
"Hey Ari, want a drink?" Sirius asked, popping up from somewhere beside me, holding a glass of neat firewhiskey and wearing a soppy and slightly drunken grin.
"Yes, please" I panted, taking his glass and knocking back the heated liquor, feeling it burn as it slipped down my throat, warming my belly and consuming my problems.
"You okay?" He asked with concern, glancing at his now drained glass.
"Fine"
"Okay" He said skeptically, placing the glass down on the nearest surface and beginning to mess with his hair, "I'm going to do it, I've spoken to the twins, they want me to do it here, tonight"
"What, you are going to propose right now?" I gasped, reaching for Sirius's hand.
"Yes. I was just waiting for you to get here" He grinned, giving me a kiss on the cheek, slipping away into the crowd for a few moments before the music came to a halt and everybody stilled.
I glanced across the room until my eyes found Fred, the ruffles of overgrown copper locks falling down over his eyes slightly, the dim lights of the room casting shadows across his carved features, the constellation of freckles, the one I could draw from memory still slightly visibly in the glow of the moon light.
Immediately, he came rushing over, slipping past people and emerging from the crowd, tugging me into him, my limbs melting into his, his body moulding with mine, I could not be away from this body for eighteen months. Could I?
And there it was again, a sickening pang of guilt flooding my senses, making my insides liquid and warm, in a way that refused to comfort my aching bones.
"Hey beautiful" He whispered into my hair, inhaling purposefully and kissing the tip of my nose, his eyes shining down on me like gold.
"Hey" I whispered back, gathering up each little piece of doubt, every shred of guilt, each sliver of worry and packing it all in a tidy little ball, stuffing it into a hole in my chest, letting it reside there, praying that if I though hard enough it would burst into a ball of flames.
I turned to face Sirius, shielding Fred from the blush beginning to spread across my cheeks and neck, who stood in the centre of the room, all eyes drawn to him as he began to speak.
"Most of you know my life has been a series of unfortunate events, each of which leading to another, more painful complication" Sirius began, loud and unwavering, grabbing Remus's hands and pulling him to stand in the centre of the room.
"There have been many times when I thought I had lost it all, my friends, my family, my life, and despite all of this, despite the world crumbling at my feet, and everything I had even known falling apart, there was one thing that remained consistent throughout. And that was my love for Remus Lupin"
Remus looked as though he was crying now, but he wouldn't let us tell him that.
"Even when I thought I had lost myself, Remus found me again, he always finds me, even in the darkness. Remus, you took a chance on a sobby, messy, git of an eleven year old, and taught him how to love. It is now that I would like to do my best in returning the favour"
That moment, the one which I had been holding onto since before I could remember, the one that should have felt as though that piece, the one I lost all those years ago had finally been found, and fitted into place, was fleeting.
Soon it rapidly eroded away, shadowed in guilt, not the kind of erosion that happens over hundreds of years, the acid rain that beats away at the marble, chip at a time, happening so slowly you can barely see the damage. No, this was instant, this was consuming, I was drowning in that acid rain, as it burnt away every warm feeling into an icey shame.
"Remus Lupin, will you marry me?"
"Yes"