Well here goes another chapter! I got some comments on the last chapter that really inspired me to write more on this story, so here it goes! And thanks to all the amzing people out there that comment and vote!
**************
"Where are we going?" Remus asked as we left the premises of Hogwarts. After he had agreed to come with me I had told him to meet me at the Schools entrance at dusk, and wear muggle clothes.
My day had gone relatively well. I had found Bill as he was about to head for the Great Hall for the traditional Chirrstmas dinner, and I had wished him a merry christmas as I gave him his present. I had gotten him a book on Quidditch. Everyone knew that Bill Weasley was the best Quidditch player of Griffindor, and I had found the book in Hogsmeade on the last trip there and thought of him. As I hugged him he asked me where I was going, and I just smiled.
It wasn't as if I could just tell him that I was going to show this guy that I barely knew but really liked a part of myself that I hadn't showed to anyone before.
I wasn't even sure myself why I did it.
We walked in silence, heading towards the gates that gave way to the path were the carriages usually rode. The sun was setting, and even though I had dressed warmly in a pair of leggings and a tunic like sweater and a lined brown jacket, I still shivered when a gust if wind battered against me.
"I told you... Can't tell you jet" I said with a smile as I Pulled my jacket tighter around me.
As we walked out of Hogwarts terrain I turned towards Remus, looking past him at the sillhuete of the castle. Its towers and hallways had always been a home to me, in more ways than one. At the orphanage I had never really felt at home, and being in such a magical place as Hogwarts had completely changed my perspective at life.
"So....Where to?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrow at me with a small smile playing across his lips.
As he offered me his arm I told him an adress in downtown London. Holding on tightly to his arm Remus surprised me by pulling me closer and wrapping an arm around my waist as we apparated. The sensation was funny, as if you were being sucked into this pipe. A strong pull at the pit of my stomach was the only warning, and then a sensation of weightlessness overcame me. It lasted only a few seconds, and then we were standing in a deserted alley.
I looked around, breathing in the familiar smell of smog and rainwater, and a hint of moss. The walls of the alley were damp, and puddles of water covered the ground. A few windows were visible from where I was standing, but the glass was broken in many of them. I started down the alley with Remus trailing closely behind, and as we walked past a rusty door suddenly there was a loud noise, followed by an cat sreeching and running past us.
"Where exactly are we?" Remus inquired as he eyed the houses down the street when we emerged from the alley. This was one of the poorer neighbourhoods in London, and Remus was looking at me rather curiously.
"This is the neighbourhood I grew up in" I confided in him as we walked down the street "The building we apparated next to? Thats the Orphanage I've lived at for most of my life...."
The look in Remus eyes was enough to make me cast my eyes down and look at my shoes like they were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.
We continued walking for a little while, me leading Remus down several streets and a few deserted alleys. Now entering a difgerent part of town it was still relatively close to the Orphanage. The next block was nearly entirely walled in, and on it was a beautiful townhouse. It was pretty huge, and bustling with activity. Food catering trucks were parked outside, and workers were coming in and out of the heavy wooden gates that gave way onto the property. From where we were standing I could partially see the gradens, where tents where being erected and tables set up.
"What is this?" Remus asked quietly, eying the preparations with a look of suspicious curiosity.
"A dinner party. A very good friend of mine asks me to come nearly every year... Usually I don't go.... but this year I wanted to bring you with me" I said softly as I gently pressed Remus hand, which was atill wrapped around my own.
And then I saw her. She was standing next to the gate, talking animatedly with an older man. Smiling at Remus I let go of his hand and walked over to the girl.
"Skye!" I exclaimed, and as the girls head snapped up she squealed, inmediately running up and enveloping me in a huge hug.
"Ash!" she laughed "You came!"
I nodded as I returned her hug, and then took a step back to look at my best friend.
Skye Bradford was a little taller than I was, with golden hair that fell in curls in a pixie-like cut around her face. With pale blue eyes and an ever-present smile she was actually the only one in the orphanage that had bothered talking to me. We became friends right away, and even though I had been in the Orphanage way longer that she had, and she was a year younger than me, Skye had taken me under her wing.
"I eh... told you I was bringing someone?" I reminded her after we were done eying eachother and grinning like idiots.
Skye looked over my shoulder, and looking at Remus smiled and waved for him to come closer.
"Skye, this is Remus Lupin; Remus, this is Skye Bradford, a close friend of mine" I said, introducing the two as the man Skye had been talking to approached us.
"Pleasure to meet you" Skye said politely as she eyed the man who now stood beside her "Ash, you remember my dad, Chase?"
I nodded, stretching out my hand and shaking the mans hand. Remembering the day he and his wife had come in and chosen Skye to come home with them. They had adopted her, and I had never seen Skye happier.
"Good to see you, Sir" I said with a smile as I felt Remus prescence behind me.
"Please, call me Chase" he said with a smile as he put a hand on Skyes shoulder "And you are?" he said, eying Remus.
"Remus Lupin" he answered as he looked at me "Ashlynns...friend"
"Well we're glad to have you both. The more the merrier" Chase said as he looked at Skye "I assume that you want to go play dress-up with Ashlynn, so I'll get out of your hair... And...Remus, you said it was? Please join me in my study. I'll offer you a drink and we can talk some before the party starts..."
Chase was dragging Remus along without pausing his speech. As Remus gave me one last look over his shoulder I smiled encouragingly. I felt bad for shipping him off with Skyes dad, but I also wanted to spend some time with my friend and catch up.
Skye also dragged me along, taking me to the luxurious interior of the house and leading me through a couple of hallways and a flight of stairs. As we reached her room I could only gape at the wealth and lush interior displayed in the room. It was a spacious bedroom, with pastel-coloured walls and a huge four-poster bed. There was also a desk and a small couch, and a walk-in closet. Not to mention the huge bay window that gave a beutiful view of the garden.
"So... talk to me!" Skye demanded as she let herself fall onto the bed.
After my parents death I had been alone in the Orphanage, with little to no friends, so when my magic sterted displaying itself and little "incidents" started to happen, I hadn't known what to do. Skye was the only one who hadn't bullied me after witnessing some of those accidents firsthand. So when I got the letter to hogwarts, I told her. I hadn't known it was against the rules, but even if I had I would have probably told her. I told Skye everything. So telling her I was a witch was more of a necesity, since magic was such a big part of my life.
We talked for over an hour, Skye occupied herself by doing my hair and applying make-up to my face. I helped her with her hair, and I was happy to just enjoy the time I spent with her. We could always talk so effortlessly, about everything and nothing, and it just felt so good to not have to hold anything back.
".....And Remus? How does he fit into the picture?" Skye suddenly asked as she started rummaging through her closet in search of a dress.
"I.... don't know yet" I addmited, feeling myself blush at the thought of Remus.
"Well I've never seen you as happy as you are now" Skye said, handing me a light blue dress.
"He's....like me, in more ways than one. He understands me on a level most people don't" I tried to explain as I took off my clothes until I was in my undergarnments before slipping into the dress.
"He seems really nice" Skye chipped in as she eyed the dress with approval "Although... he looks kind of sad. Sonething in his eyes...."
"I know" I admitted "But then again: don't I?"
Skye used to tell me how she sensed this feeling of lingering sadnesa every time she was around me. She'd always been very sensible to others people emotions, and this just confirmed it.
Looking down I smiled at the beauty of the dress. It was a cocktail dress, and classy but sexy, with a square neckline and cinged at the waist. It hugged my figure and reached just above my knees. I touched the delicate fabric of the dress and gently brushed the long and intrincate braid that Skye had done my hair in across my shoulder.
"You look amazing Ash" Skye said with a smile as she pulled on her own dress. A deep green it made her eyes stand out, and its cut was simple cut that looked very beautiful and sophisticated.
"You look great too" I agreed as I came to stand beside her.
"So why did you come? You usually dont like parties all that much...." Skye questioned as she smiled at me.
"I...I think I just wanted to be normal for once. To just be with Remus and have the slightest resemblance of normalcy in my life, even if it is just for tonight. No worries, no concerns..."
Skye nodded and looped her arm though mine, and layed her head on my shoulder "Lets go. The party started about half an hour ago...."
We headed downstairs and i was suprised at the amount of people that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. The house was full of people, the garden bustling with activity as people mingled and shared conversations, talked and laughed and toasted. It all seemed so surreal in a way, so different from everything I was used to. My body was tense, nerves fluttering at the base of my stomach as I looked across the room. About twenty people were busy talking, and I smiled at the sight of the fire in the hearth burning fiercely. The warmth of the fire was comforting in a way, and I was standing in front of it, looking into the flames, when I heard a voice from beside me.
"You look beautiful" Remus said, his voice soft as his breath caressed the shell of my ear as he stood behind me. I was warm, and yet I shivered.
"Thank you" I whispered as I leaned back, feeling my body relax as Remus sneaked his arms around my waist. I no longer felt nervous, and when he rested his chin on my shoulder I snuggled closer to him.
We stood there in silence for what seemed like forever, and then a thought occured to me.
"Have you eaten yet? Its a Christmas dinner, after all" I inquired a I peeked up at him from underneath my eyelashes.
"Yeah, I ate. How about you? Are you hungry?" Remus said with a smile.
I actually kind of was, but I was so confortable and at ease that I refuaed to move. So I shook my head, planring a soft kiss at the base of Remus neck.
People had started leaving and headed outside, and I could hear the sound of glasses clinking and plates clattering. The low murmur of voices and soft music olaying in the background gave me an unknown sense of calm.
"We should probably go outside...." Remus suggested, but he didn't sound all that convinced.
"Yeah, maybe...." I murmured softly, smiling as neither of us moved.
Suddenly Remus started to softly hum along the music as a new song started to play. I was about to ask him something when he moved, his hands still holding mine as he spun me around. I was facing him now, and I couldn't help but smile when his hand moved to my waist as the other placed my hands on his shoulders.
"You know, I didn't thank you for this" he said as we danced to the slow pace of the music.
"...For what?" I said, resting ny head in the crook of his shoulders and feeling completely content in his arms.
"For doing this for me" Remus said "I haven't felt.... normal... in a really long time. And this, talking to people, without anyone judging me.... it's great"
I nodded, smiling as I looked up into his eyes, feeling that strange tug at the pit of my stomach as he smiled down at me. When he leaned down to claim my lips it felt different, somehow, and I responded by wrapping my hands more tightly around his neck. When his tongue traced the seam of my lips I smiled, allowing him entrance. As the kiss deepened Remus hands moved, one moving to the small of my back as the other moved up my spine, tracing my back until reaching the nape of my neck. Cupping my face with one hand his thumb brushed across my cheekbone.
And then someone cleard their throat behind us.
Pulling away ever so slightly from Remus I looked over to see Skye standing there, a huge grin plastered on her face as she looked at me.
"Sorry to interrupt, but my dads about to do the Christmas toast.... he wants everyone there" She said apologetically as she gestured towards the door.
Remus smiled, nodding as he let go of me. But he held onto my hand, entertwining my fingers with his as he looked at me.
"Come on" he murmured, chuckling at my indignant pout and pulling me alomg towards the wooden doors "Lets go enjoy ourselves...."
*********
Well thats it. Another chapter. Hope you guys like it. I know things are kinda sickeningly sweet right now, but trust me, things are about to change..... so please comment and vote!