Juliet returned home from the Burrow feeling happier, Harry had been a weight on her chest for the last three years, she'd faced constant guilt over the secrets she kept from the boy, and was so relieved to finally find that he didn't hate her for it. The house was empty and the witch suspected Remus was with Sirius. She paused at the grand entry of the house, looking into the eyes of her younger self which confidently occupied a portrait. The Juliet who looked back at her had wild eyes, but was perfect in every other way. She couldn't remember the day of the portrait, perhaps she'd argued with Regulus, or secretly written to Remus, or maybe she'd just spent the day with Arabella Greengrass, whatever it was, there was definitely a glimmer in the young witch's eye. All she'd thought about on her way home was Remus, she'd automatically checked the wards when she arrived back, knowing without having to check that tonight was a full moon. She hadn't even had to check the house to know that he wasn't in.
As Juliet challenged her younger self with a narrowed glare, the witch smirked slightly, and winked.
"What?" She snapped.
"Merlin, Romilly, can I not leave you alone for a few hours before you start speaking to yourself?" A voice came from behind her and Juliet spun around to see Remus leaning lightly against the door frame to the huge house. He put his coat down on a chest of drawers and stood beside the witch, staring at her younger portrait, with his arms crossed. He didn't bat an eyelid as the elf came to remove his coat and Juliet inwardly smiled at how comfortable he was in Nathaniel Romilly's old home.
"She's looking at me oddly," Juliet declared, staring into brown eyes on the wall.
"No, Juliet, that's the expression you always wore back then."
"Ha," she replied, tearing her eyes away from the portrait and beginning to walk away, not before noticing Remus' eyes fixed on the witch's likeness. "Have you been with Sirius?" She called behind her, knowing he'd be following.
"No," Remus said, "was guessing you'd be wanting to see him this evening, you mentioned it the other night, so thought I'd wait for you. We can go together?"
Juliet leant against the dining table and nodded, "yeah, nice. Where have you been, then?"
He grinned, "missed me?"
The witch rolled her eyes and turned away from him, "I have news, actually."
Remus paused, "so do I, actually. But you first."
"I saw Harry," she said, turning back around with a small smile on her face.
The man's eyes widened, "you did? When?"
"Today, I went to the burrow, I'd arranged it with Molly. Didn't tell Harry, though, so I'm sure I gave him a bit of a fright," she laughed. "His professor turning up on his doorstep."
"I didn't even know he wasn't at the Dursleys anymore."
The witch grinned, "Arthur's taking them all to the quidditch world cup, it's a surprise, I believe."
"Merlin, they'll all bloody love that," Remus said with a smile, feeling somewhat reminded of James and Sirius. "So, how was he? What did you talk about?"
"We didn't go too deeply into anything, I think he was more shocked at having a civil conversation with me than anything. But we talked about how I became friends with you all, about how James grew, how much he loved Lil," she said quietly. "About me going to Azkaban, about Reg, and Penny and Bella. It was all very surface level and I'm sure he has a thousand questions, but more than anything, I wanted him to forgive me for not telling him I'm his Godmother sooner."
"And, did he?"
"What?"
"Forgive you?"
Juliet chuckled a little, ""he's Lily Evan's son."
"So of course," Remus said quietly, standing in front of her. "How do you feel?"
She shrugged lightly, "looking at him hurt me, more so than in school. Treating him like any other annoying Gryffindor has helped me to repress a lot. When he was laughing with me, asking about Lily and James, or Sirius, or you, it just reminded me of everything. He's every bit them, he's every bit all of us... I suppose I can't help but look at him with bitterness, sometimes, and I know it's not his fault, he was only a boy. I look at him and remember everything, all of the good, yes, but also all of the incredibly bad. I see everything I lost when I look at him, especially his bloody Lily Evans eyes."
Remus was silent for a few seconds before taking a small step towards her, "do you not see the same when you look at me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Surely all we do is remind each other of everything we've lost?" He asked. "You knew me because of them, and I knew you because of them. I think that without Lily's insistence, or James' ridiculous pranks, or Sirius' jokes, we'd care for each other a lot less."
Juliet swallowed, "yeah, you're right, to an extent. I loved Lily and James, and I love Sirius, but nowhere near as much as anything I have ever felt for you. When I went to Azkaban, it was you I thought about, I knew you were alive but I felt that I'd never know you again. You can't remind me of everything I've lost because I'm still the most grateful that you're alive."
When he tried to speak all he could muster was "Juliet-"
"Am I that reminder for you, then?"
He shook his head, "you're a reminder of lost time, Jules, that's all."
"That's all?"
He laughed at her as she straightened up, her eyes not leaving his.
"No, Juliet, that's not all."
"Then what? What am I a reminder of?"
Remus allowed himself to step a little closer and put a hand on the back of the witch's elbow.
"Believe it or not, but only the good times."
"We've been through all bad than good," she reminded him.
"I know that...You showed me.."
"What?" She asked, as he trailed off, looking up at the high ceilings, grinning.
He looked back down, "dunno, Jules. I grew up for years just knowing I was a werewolf, bloody lucky to be safe in Hogwarts and even luckier having friends like mine. I never imagined anything like we had."
Juliet snorted, "come off it, every girl in school fancied you at some point."
He smirked a little at that, "never said anything about my looks, Romilly."
Juliet pushed his chest a little but he stepped back towards her.
"Then what?" She pressed, "a relationship?"
"Merlin, Romilly, you make it sound so simplistic. More than that, every time we'd bicker I'd walk away smiling, fucking hell, I remember the first time I caught myself noticing you weren't at breakfast and that was when it really got terrifying. Kissing you, everything else, terrifying. But it was only really confirmed when I met Anne."
"What was?"
He grinned, "inquisitive mood?"
"Shut up, Lupin."
"Alright, well, Annie's still my best friend, got on with her then as easily as now, and she was there, she loved me, she was lovely and pretty. But, she wasn't you."
"You saying I'm the only woman for you, Lupin?" Juliet joked.
Remus shrugged with a crooked smile, "our patronus is the same."
"You're serious."
"It changed, didn't it?"
"Sirius tell you that?"
Remus ignored her and carried on, "not to get soppy on you, Romilly, but I remember reading in one of Lyall's many books on werewolves that they - we- actually do only have one person for us. And we're lucky if we find them."
Juliet laughed and Remus squeezed her elbow questioningly.
"What's funny?"
"It took you Annie and books and a patronus to work that out."
"And you already had it worked out, I presume?"
Juliet raised an eyebrow, "I turned down Regulus Black for you."
The wizard grinned, his heart beating a little faster as he looked down at the witch, "you've not changed at all," he said quietly.
"No?" She asked, looking up at him.
Remus leant down into her a little, his hand moving to rest on her waist from her arm. Juliet placed her hand on the back of his bicep.
"No," he confirmed, "never change."
Juliet pressed her lips to his first, and he responded with a sigh, his other hand moving straight to the back of her head, she pushed herself against him, responding to every movement and smiling into his mouth, eventually giggling quietly.
"Shut up, Romilly," Remus said against her mouth, squeezing her hip and pushing her against the table she was leant against.
Juliet put a hand on his chest and put minimal space between the two, she looked up at the man and spoke quietly, "I loved you so much then, I never told you."
Remus grinned and rested his forehead against hers, "I knew that."
"It's always you."
Remus nodded and kissed her lightly again, "always you."
A/N heehehhehe about time????? ALSO PLS READ MY NEW FRED FIC DOROTHEA ITS ON MY PAGE IM ENJOYING WRITING IT LOTS