The first Order meeting was coming up fast, and we were all hurrying to try and make the place as livable as possible, with Hermione's help too, who arrived just the day after us
"Sorry it's so disgusting here." Sirius said. "No one's lived here in years, you know...... my family's all dead." His lips turned into a sneer. "And I was in Azkaban for twelve years so.... and only a Black can get in this house, it's all enchanted."
"It's alright Sirius." I said, squeezing his shoulder. "Hey, um, I've been meaning to ask you something."
"What is it?" He asked, looking at me.
"Have you heard from Remus at all over the past year?" I asked quietly, so that no one could hear our conversation.
"Oh uh...." But before he could answer, I heard Mrs. Weasley scream "HIPPOGRYFF!"
"Fuck, I forgot to warn her about Buckbeak." And he dashed off to help.
The first meeting was to be later that night, so I ran up to my room to get ready. I wanted to look good, and professional. Dumbledore said there would be other people from the Ministry, so I wanted to make sure I have a good first impression.
I checked my watch. "Shit." There was only a minute left until the meeting, so I grabbed my bag that all my quills and notebooks, just in case, and ran back downstairs and burst through the kitchen, where everyone was starting to get seated.
"Sara! Where were you?" Asked Mrs. Weasley.
"Sorry, I was getting dressed." I replied sheepishly.
"SARA!" A voice thundered, and I turned around, only to me tackled by a large man with wide broad shoulder.
"Oliver!" I cried, as he picked me up effortlessly.
He pulled back and grinned. He was slightly taller now, his hair a bit longer, and he was more muscular and rugged than before. I had to admit he looked good. Quidditch did him well this past year. "Looking good, Wood."
He grinned. "You too."
"Sara?"
I blinked. That voice was so familiar. I turned around slowly, to be met with a handsome scarred face with chocolate brown eyes.
"Sara." He whispered. "I've missed you."
I blinked rabidly, my heart nearly stopping. He looked tired, his eyes more sunken. He had fresh scars on his face and he had more grays in his hair than before. But then my soft gaze turned to rage.
"HOW DARE YOU!" I yelled, hitting him with my bag.
"Sara!" Ollie cried, looking confused.
"Sara please, let me explain!" Remus cried, shielding himself with his hands.
I kept hitting him over and over with my bag. "YOUVE MISSED ME? I SENT YOU A LETTER EVERYDAY FOR A WHOLE YEAR WITH NO RESPONSE, AND NOW YOU SAY YOU MISS ME?" I threw my bag down and lunged at him, my hands stretched out, only for Ollie to wrap his arms around my waist, lifting me up and pulling me away.
I was breathing heavily, close to tears, while Remus looked at me with sad eyes. "Look I just-now's not the best time to talk about this."
"It will never be the best time because I refuse to talk to you." I said angrily.
"Sara what's going on?" Asked Mrs. Weasley, her eyes wide.
"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" I sobbed angrily, ignoring Mrs. Weasley.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Sirius was standing in the corner, with his hands clasped in front of him and staring at the floor, while everyone was staring with confusion on their faces, before Bill's face broke into realization. "Oh he's your secret lover."
"Shut up Bill, or you're next." I snarled.
Dumbledore then swept into the kitchen, pausing when he saw us all. "Ah, so I see you've seen Remus." He took a look at my test stained and red face.
"You didn't tell me he was going to be here!" I waved an angry, shaky finger at him.
"My apologies, I thought your reunion would be.....sweeter."
I huffed and stared everyone down. "What's everyone looking at!"
Everyone turned their eyes away, and I squeezed myself between Ollie and Bill, while Dumbledore stood at the head of the table, clearing his throat. "Well, welcome to the first Order meeting. I'm sure most of you recognize each other, but let me still introduce everyone."
He pointed to a black haired lady. "Hestia Jones, Dedalua Diggle, Elphias Doge."
They were all older look, and smiled warmly at everyone. Diggle was looking a bit nervous.
"Emmaline Vance, Hestia Jones, and Sturgis Podmore."
They looked friendly enough too."
"Mundungus Fletcher."
A small greasy looking man with thinning hair grinned at me. I grimaced.
"Rubius Hagrid."
Hagrid was standing in a corner, too large to fit at the table.
"Oliver Wood, fantastic quidditch player might I add." Dumbledore's eyes tinkled as Ollie grinned.
"Sara Finnigan, who just completed her first year of Auror training."
I flushed as everyone clapped slightly.
Then Dumbledore powers through the rest of the names, seeming that everyone already met before I had arrived. "Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Alastor Moody, Sirius Black, Molly, Arthur and Bill Weasley." And Charlie Weasley, who will be remaining in Romania and recruiting wizards there."
Everyone nodded and greeted everyone politely.
Dumbledore cleared his throat again to capture our attention. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, we are all here today, because we are the few that believe that Lord Voldemort is back."
We all flinched.
"While everyone else...." he continues. "Doesn't." He glanced at me and the Weasley's.
Mrs. Weasley was still sensitive about Percy, and I about my family.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "We also need to protect Harry Potter. There is a protective spell put on his relatives home, just while he stays there until I see fit for us to bring him here."
The meeting droned on about when we should bring Harry, and how.
"Only a handful of you will go." Dumbledore said. "We may sort out those details later."
Soon, the meeting ended. Some people left right away, while others stayed for dinner. Soon, it was just Ollie, Mad-Eye, Tonks, Mundungus and..... Remus that stayed.
I suddenly felt three bodies squish close to me. I turned around to see Ollie, Tonks and Bill looking at me with wide eyes.
"What? Are you all staring at me like that?" I asked irritably.
"Explain everything.....now." Bill said.
"No use hiding, we all saw your outburst." Ollie said.
I glanced around, glad to see that Remus wasn't in the kitchen anymore.
"He went somewhere with Sirius." Tonks said, following my gaze.
I sighed and pushed away from them. "There's nothing to explain."
"Oh yes there is." Mrs. Weasley said, overhearing our conversation. She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. "A professor! Really now Sara, I'm disappointed."
I avoided her gaze. I could practically feel the disappointment radiating off of her.
"Now now, she's a grown woman Molly." Mr. Weasley said, overhearing us now too.
"But it must have started while she was still at school!" Mrs. Weasley cried.
"Wait......." Ollie counted on his fingers. "THATS WHY HE KEPT INVITING YOU TO TEA?"
"Shut up!" I flushed a bright red.
I didn't even notice Mad-Eye was still in the kitchen, until he said "Remus is a good lad, but has bad judgment sometimes."
I jumped when I sat him sitting at the table, his magic eye spinning like crazy. "Damn it Mad-Eye, you scared me." I placed a hand on my heart. I rubbed my hands over my face. "Alright, fine, yes, it started when I was still in school. I was nearly seventeen though! It's fine. Doesn't matter anyway. He left me. I sent him letters and he never responded. I thought he died or something, or maybe the Ministry arrested him and kept it quiet. I don't know. All I know is he didn't care at all."
"What are we all talking about?" Asked Sirius, walking into the room with Remus and the children behind him.
"Nothing." I said hurriedly.
Remus was staring at me but I looked pointedly away, focusing my gaze on Crookshanks instead, who was in Ginny's arms.
"Remus!" Mrs. Weasley wagged a finger at him. "A seventeen year old student! Now really!"
"Mrs. Weasley please." I pleaded, looking anywhere VUT everyone else.
"What?" Asked George with interest.
"Molly I-" Remus started.
"And not responding to Sara either!" she cried. "You scared the poor girl for a whole year!"
Remus' eyes clouded. "I know, I just-"
"Yeah." Ollie crossed his arms, taking a step closer to Remus. "I'm not a student anymore. I don't mind fighting you for hurting Sara."
"Ollie." I warned. "All of you please! Enough!"
"Are you two....." Remus glanced between Ollie and I.
"No." I said. "And even so, who cares! I know you don't."
Remus looked hurt. "Can we just please talk."
"No."
"Sara please."
"No."
"Sara-"
"You heard the girl." Mad-Eye snarled. "Stop asking."
"No is no Rem." Sirius looked at his friend with sympathy.
"Come on, dinners almost ready." Mrs. Weasley said
"I'm not hungry" I said, losing my appetite.
"But-"
"I'll see you all tomorrow." I stalked up the stairs to the room I was sharing with Hermione and Ginny.
Not long after, the door opened and Olli, bill and Tonks entered.
"Want some company?" Tonks asked.
"No, it's alright. Go eat dinner."
"Mum told us to bring dinner to you, and said we could eat here." Bill said.
I looked to see him holding two plates of food. I signed. "Fine. Thank you"
We all sat on the floor, eating our dinner.
"So, Lupins the one you cried over huh?" Ollie asked.
"URGH, yeah."
"Hermione knew the whole time!"
I shrugged. "She figured out he liked me way before I did. She's smart."
"Why'd you fall for someone so much older than you?" Asked Bill with interest. "I mean, he's like, what, fifteen years older?"
"Something like that" I sighed. "I don't know he was.... He was kind-"
"Percy and I were kind." Ollie grinned.
"Shut up. Anyway, he was kind, and funny. I just, I liked spending time with him. I felt safe with him. I liked talking with him, and having tea, and he felt so genuine. He saw me for me. His laugh lighted up my whole world and-" I rubbed my eyes to hide the face that tears were coming out. "He gave me this necklace for Christmas"
"It's gorgeous." Tonks said.
"I knitted a scarf for him. I made something for all the professors but, other than Dumbledore and McGonagall, Remus was the only one who appreciates it. He wore it all the time, sometimes even to lessons on colder days. He came to check on me after I broke my leg at a quidditch game, and he was the first one to take my to the hospital wing after a Slytherin broke my rib at the final game. He was everything. He was the highlight of my final year."
Ollie and Bill were sitting in a bought, letting my words sink in, while Tonks had tears in her eyes.
"That's so beautiful Sara. You still love him, don't you?"
"I don't think it'll ever go away." I admitted softly.
I heard a sniffle from outside the door, and footsteps shuffling away. I ran to the door and flung it open.
"Eavesdropping is rude." I snapped.
Remus turned around, from where he was about to descend the staircase. His hair was ruffled and his eyes were watery. He sniffed again. "Sara I-"
"How much did you hear?" I asked.
"Everything."
"It's rude to eavesdrop." I repeated.
"I didn't mean to. I came to see if we could talk and, I heard you say my name and I couldn't turn away." He took a deep breath. "Sara, I still love you too."
I hesitated. "You know I still do, but that doesn't mean I can forgive you."
"Please." He pleaded.
"You hurt me for a year. A whole year Remus. My heart was cracking, every single time you wouldn't respond to my letter. It broke me a little bit more, realizing I might never see you again. I can't forgive that yet."
Before he could respond, I closed the door slowly and turned back to my friends.
"You think you'll forgive him one day?" Asked Ollie.
"Maybe. But I don't know when that one day will be."