From the Eyes of the Werewolf

A Pain in the Parolles

* pop *

Home. He was home. Apparating really is the way to travel!

Remus looked around the garden, surveying Katie's handiwork whilst he had been away. The early spring flowers were in bloom and the fresh scent was soothing in the morning sunlight. He loved Apparating into the garden rather than into the house. It was such a beautiful day and he hadn't seen the new blooms yet. A smile found its way to his lips as he slowly walked up the path towards the house.

After he had managed to get ahold of the map, Remus had spent an awful night contemplating the events of the year. He worked up several possible speeches he could take to Dumbledore explaining that Sirius was an Animagi, but each and every one of them ended with him having to admit that he had deceived Dumbledore for all these years. Yes, he felt guilty, and painfully so. But he just couldn't face a man who had trusted him so openly and tell him how that trust wasn't warranted. Dumbledore's trust made a difference in Remus' entire life, and to tell his secret and lose that trust was simply more than he could bear. After all, without Dumbledore, he'd never have been trained as a wizard. Remus just couldn't bring himself to admit to the Headmaster that he had deceived the person he most respected. Besides, Remus told himself, Sirius must be using dark magic to get into the castle, not schoolboy tricks.

Wanting to put Hogwarts behind him for a while, Remus decided to take Katie's suggestion and go home for the Easter holidays. This meant that he had to talk to Dumbledore anyway, but at least it wouldn't be as painful as admitting he had been involved in helping his friends do something illegal (and highly dangerous). Remus simply had to ask if it would be possible to be away from the castle for a few days. As the Easter holiday was a week long, Dumbledore quite cheerfully gave Remus permission and told him to enjoy himself.

As he wanted to surprise Katie, Remus didn't tell her he was coming home. He really wanted to do something special for her, as he still felt a bit upset for reacting so negatively to her letter. He decided he would arrive at home, set up a nice luncheon before dropping in on her at the shop, and demand that she join him back at his house for a chat. How he could have ever thought that he shouldn't go home for the holiday was unimaginable now. Just thinking about spending an afternoon with Katie made him feel one hundred percent better.

He strolled into the house by way of the back door and found a vase full of fresh cut flowers from the garden. Katie must have been here yesterday, he decided, bending to sniff the blooms. He carried his bag into the living room and placed it down on the sofa. Taking a good look around, he noticed that nothing had changed - and that was just what he wanted to see. He needed to be where things were familiar. The stress of recent events at Hogwarts had caused the wolf to be very temperamental at the last full moon. Being in his own space always relaxed him - comforted him. No odd sounds...no odd smells...

Remus sniffed at the air. Well, there shouldn't be any odd smells. But what the devil is that?

He moved down the hall toward the study where the scent was stronger. It smelled like perfume...bad perfume. Remus wondered if Katie had brought a potion into the house for some reason during one of her visits and accidentally spilled it on the carpet. Upon opening the door to the study, Remus was overwhelmed with the stench of the foul cologne. No, this was not from a potion...this was certainly a perfume of some sort. His brows furrowed as he considered who could have been in his house that wore such an unpleasant fragrance. Katie didn't wear perfume very often as she complained about the way the smell would mask the scents of some of the potions she made. She needed to be able to smell her potions to decipher if they had been made correctly. So it couldn't have been Katie. Mrs. Noyes? No...her perfume had a very light, floral smell. There was no other way to describe the odor. This STINKS!

Deciding that he couldn't stand it much longer, Remus opened a window in order to allow a breeze into the room, hoping it would help air out the vile stench. He left the office door open and went to set up for his luncheon. Hopefully, he would get rid of that smell by the afternoon.

After an hour or so, Remus had whipped up some sandwiches, a salad, and some fruit cocktail. Not a fancy meal, but then he hadn't gone shopping for a while and was at the mercy of whatever Katie had left behind in his cabinets. He set the table around the beautiful arrangement of flowers. Grabbing up his bag, he went up the stairs to his bedroom where he unpacked a few things and fixed a few stray strands of his hair. Bangs are getting long. I need a trim.

He glanced down at his robes. He was wearing the old ones he had taken to Hogwarts with him. He had purchased new robes in Hogsmeade a while back and thought about wearing them now. But upon consideration, he thought of Katie and how she would probably be wearing something simple to work in. Potion brewing could get very messy and she never wanted to ruin good clothes. It wouldn't be considerate of him to arrive all dressed up while she was in her usual robes. She might get suspicious. Giving his reflection a nod, Remus decided to just go and surprise her looking as he did. After all, they were only friends. It wasn't as if this were a romantic date. It was simply two people catching up after being apart for a while.

But I wish it were more than that.

Heading down the stairs, Remus took a deep breath to see if the perfume scent was diminishing. It was - and that pleased him. Not wanting to wait any longer, he walked out the front door with a wide grin on his face. Katie was only a short distance away.

He would have to walk, as it really wasn't safe to Apparate around Muggles. Mrs. Noyes' shop catered to Muggles as well at the magical community. It was in the heart of the village, right smack in the middle of several other Muggle shops. Mrs. Noyes lived in the flat just above the shop and Katie rented out the flat on the third floor. The street was busy this morning as people were probably shopping for last minute items for their holiday gatherings. Remus walked briskly up to the shop window that read "Apothecary" and peeked inside. To his disappointment, he didn't see Katie.

Mrs. Noyes was helping a family Remus didn't recognize. He entered the shop and stayed in the background waiting for her to finalize the purchase. The shelves weren't as stocked as they normally were, but then with all the shoppers out and about today, Remus didn't think it unusual. Shroedinger, Mrs. Noyes' cat, sat up on the top shelf peering curiously down at Remus. This was the only cat that didn't hiss at him upon seeing him. Animals instinctively knew what Remus really was, and most took no time in showing him how much they didn't like him. But Shroedinger never complained. He would simply appraise Remus with the same wide-eyed gaze he always used, and, on rare occasions, would actually allow Remus to scratch his ears. Most of the time, however, Shroedinger would just sit and stare.

"Remus?" a startled voice said from behind him. He turned around to see Mrs. Noyes happily coming around the counter toward him. "I thought that was you!" She chuckled as she approached and gave him a very motherly hug. "You are the very last person I expected to see today!"

"Thanks...I think..."

"Oh, pooh! You know what I mean. How have you been? And just what brings you home and away from your work in the middle of the school year?"

"Easter. Katie suggested I come for a visit over the holiday and I decided I'd take her up on the offer."

The pudgy witch's face lit up in delight. "Oh, really? Katie went upstairs for a second...why don't you go and get her?" She said it very carefully; as if something wasn't exactly what it seemed to be.

"Is something wrong?"

"No!" She forced an obvious smile. "Of course nothing's wrong."

Remus wasn't fooled. "Hasn't Katie been into work yet? You seem fairly busy to be handling the shop all alone."

Returning to her place behind the counter, Mrs. Noyes said, "Well, she has been here all morning. She just went upstairs for a while to take care of a small problem." She was smiling broadly at him. It wasn't unusual to see her smile, but with the tone of her voice Remus knew something was up. She leaned over the counter slightly and said, "You know, I don't know how long she'll be up there. Why don't you just run up there and surprise her? I hate to have you sitting here for who knows how long."

Something wasn't right. Mrs. Noyes was behaving very strangely. "I think I'll just wait. I don't want to barge in on her when she isn't..."

Mrs. Noyes eyes went wide. "NONSENSE! You wanted to surprise her, right? Well, there is no time like the present!"

"Mrs. Noyes, something is wrong. Is Katie ill?" Remus' heart quickened at the thought.

"No, heavens no. She's just...busy." She turned and asked another customer what they needed. Remus waited quietly for Mrs. Noyes to come back and finish the conversation, but there was a steady stream of people coming in needing this and that.

Making up his mind to get to the bottom of Mrs. Noyes' suspicious behavior, Remus went outside and climbed up the stairs to Katie's apartment. He had only been in her flat a few times as he always felt he was intruding. His fist came up to knock on the door and hesitated. He pulled back his hand, thinking...Maybe I should wait. Seeing her in the shop is one thing. Seeing her in her own home...well...that's quite different. With a shake of his head, he told himself to just get it over with and rapped lightly on the door.

A moment later, a very weary looking Katie opened the door slowly. Immediately, her eyes lit up in total shock, her jaw dropped in surprise. "REMUS!" Her smile made Remus want to melt. "How ever...why...what are you doing here?" she asked happily.

"You invited me. Remember?"

"Yes, but you never replied that you were coming." The sound of a chair moving across the floor sounded from inside the room. Katie looked quickly over her shoulder and then back at Remus.

"Am I interrupting something?" Remus asked looking over Katie and into the apartment, trying to see what...or who it was that made the sound.

"No...well...yes...sort of...it's nothing." She smiled tensely.

"Katie? Who's there?" That voice...Remus recognized that voice. And it belonged to none other than Mr. Parson Parolles.

He came up behind her, looking questioningly at Remus. Katie's eyes darted between the two men as she tried to keep a comfortable smile on her face. "Parson, you remember Remus Lupin?"

"Ah yes, the chap with the garden. You run deliveries for Mrs. Noyes." He stretched out his hand and Remus took it in a firm, but not friendly handshake.

"Yes, I have a garden. However, I do not work for Mrs. Noyes. I ran an order out to your house once as a favor for her when she was very busy."

"Oh...well..."

There was an uncomfortable pause as the two men stared at each other with Katie standing between them. Still keeping a smile, Katie said, "Ah...Parson...Remember I told you that Remus works at Hogwarts now. He's the Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor." There was a hint of pride in her voice that made Remus stand up a bit straighter.

"Hogwarts...oh." Parson didn't seem impressed. "So, why are you here, then?"

I was invited, you slime! Why are you here? "Easter. I'm on a break for Easter and just thought that I would come home for a few days." Remus caught the scent of something familiar...something very much like what he found at his house. And the scent was coming from...Parson? "Excuse me but, what is that smell?"

Parson let out a hearty laugh and rested his hands on Katie's shoulders. "Oh Katie-kins...it seems that I'm not the only one who thinks your ointment reeks!"

Katie-kins? Did I just hear that correctly?

"Remus, why don't you come on inside. I'll explain everything."

Remus moved his eyes from Katie to Parson and back to Katie. He couldn't deny that the position in which they were standing was very...well they looked like a happy couple. "No, you have company. I don't want to intrude."

"NO! It's no problem...really!" Her gaze was very focused on Remus' eyes, telling him to please come in and stay.

"All right."

Once inside the apartment, Remus took a seat in the chair opposite the couch, where Parson had positioned himself. Remus noted that Katie seemed a bit hesitant when she sat down next to him on the couch, but there was no other option for her but to remain standing. "Now then, the smell you are...er...smelling is...well it's a long story. Parson is allergic to Shroedinger."

"And that cat just won't leave me alone!" Parson interrupted. "I went to pick Katie-kins up for dinner last night and the cat decided to simply maul me over until I was all red and puffy in the face."

I knew I liked that cat!

"Well, I certainly couldn't go out to dinner looking like a tomato. So Katie went to get some ointment to treat the swelling. Unfortunately, she was all out of the...what was it again?"

"Fenugreek. Mrs. Noyes was all out, but I knew you had some in your garden, Remus. So I took the rest of the ingredients needed to make the ointment over to your house."

"And you went along with her?" Remus asked Parson.

"Naturally. You wouldn't expect me to stay in that little shop with all those dirty plants and that awful cat, now would you?" He said it as a joke, but Remus could tell that Katie wasn't amused by the fact that Parson, in a way, was criticizing her work place.

"So, Parson waited in the study while I mixed up the ointment and...and...once I applied it...then we left."

Parson eyed Katie mischievously. "Oh, I remember it playing out a bit differently, Katie-kins. But I'll take my cue from you and leave it at that."

Remus felt a bit ill at the way Parson was looking Katie up and down. Apparently, so did Katie. "Anyway, Parson..." she turned to face him. "I haven't seen Remus in months. You'd understand if I broke our dinner appointment for this evening, wouldn't you?"

Parson looked vaguely surprised by this request, but he said, "No, of course not." And then, rather purposefully, he added, "After all, I've had you to myself all this time. I can spare one night without you."

If Remus hadn't been a gentleman he would have snickered and rolled his eyes. Instead, he smiled and thanked Parson for being so accommodating in rearranging his schedule at the last minute.

Katie showed Parson to the door where he kissed her on the cheek. Remus couldn't watch and averted his gaze, trying with all his might to keep the growing sense of jealousy in check. Once the door closed, however, Remus turned to face Katie only to find her rushing at him with her arms extended.

"Oh, thank you!" She crushed into him with an all-encompassing embrace. Her arms went around him, taking Remus quite by surprise.

He had never hugged Katie before this. He had touched her shoulder or arm, and there was even once when they held hands for a moment, but never had he been this close to Katie. He closed his eyes and inhaled the fragrance of her beautiful hair. Slowly, he allowed himself to wrap his arms around her. Her head rested gently on his chest. The embrace only lasted a few seconds in reality, but to Remus it was a moment of sheer perfection.

"I was positively desperate to get rid of him and had no idea how I was going to manage it without being completely rude," she admitted, bringing her chin upwards to try to look at his eyes. Remus looked down at her at the same time. Her face was very close to his. Remus held his breath, wondering what would happen next.

She is so beautiful!

Slowly, they broke apart. Remus tried to slow his racing heart and focus his thoughts by taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. "I take it his visit was just as unexpected as mine?" he asked.

"Actually...no. I asked him to come over here today. I needed to talk to him about something, but he had other...intentions."

There was a pause as Remus pondered what she meant by that statement. Surely Parson didn't...well...maybe he would - but Katie would never...

Katie clapped her hands together and smiled brightly at Remus. "It doesn't matter. You're here. You saved me from what could have turned out to be a rather uncomfortable afternoon. And..." She began laughing softly as she ran a hand through her thick, brown hair. "Why on earth didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"That's the whole idea behind a surprise."

Now she laughed openly. Her laugh is like music and I could listen to it all day. "So how long will you stay?"

"Just the weekend. I told Dumbledore I would return Monday late afternoon or evening." He hesitated before saying, "I had hoped you would join me for lunch today, but I saw how busy the shop was and I -"

"Remus Lupin! I just told you I took time out to chat with Parson and now you think I won't make time for you? Don't be silly. Of course I'll have lunch with you. I'll check in on Mrs. Noyes, and once the rush has died down I'm sure she'll just shoo us off!" She rushed around him heading towards her bedroom. "Just give me a moment to freshen up. I have so much grime on me from this morning. I won't be long,"

Katie disappeared behind the door leaving Remus alone in the living room. He glanced around, taking in the detail of her home. She had made the apartment very cozy and warm. There were Muggle photographs of her parents on the wall. She had a bookcase full of assorted volumes on potions and herbal remedies. There was even a picture of Remus on one of the end tables. Remus was delighted that she had one of him...but wondered how she got it, as he had never given one to her.

Then his gaze fell on the table - more specifically, the box sitting on the table. It was a green and gold box that Remus recognized instantly as a Harrods box. Harrods...which meant jewelry...expensive jewelry. This must have been a gift to Katie from Parson. Who else would shop at a Muggle jewelry store? It was a large, flat box so at least Remus knew it wasn't a ring. Thank God! He knew it wasn't any of his business, but curiosity got the better of him. He had to look. Glancing over his shoulder at Katie's door, he checked to see that she wasn't ready yet. Turning his attention back to the box, he picked it up and opened it slowly; careful not to upset whatever it was inside the box.

It was a necklace. A gorgeous choker necklace trimmed in what looked like little chip diamonds. Remus swallowed hard because he couldn't rightly tell if it was made of platinum...or silver. Well, there's only one way to find out. He brought his hand up to touch the necklace with his finger. Behind him, he heard the door open and Katie walking towards him.

"Ah...sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy. I just didn't know you had anything like this."

"I don't...well...I didn't. Parson just gave it to me. I was rather taken by surprise."

Remus looked down at the sparkling item with a heavy heart. So Parson DID give this to her. How am I supposed to compete with this? "It's beautiful."

"If you like that sort of thing." Her comment was not what he was expecting. "Oh, I know that women are supposed to go mad for jewels. But in all honesty, when would I ever wear this? I might have one or two occasions in my entire life where such a thing would be appropriate. And besides..." she took the box from Remus and snapped it shut. "If he had really wanted to impress a girl, he would have gone with platinum. It's a much stronger metal and infinitely more suitable for diamonds."

That means it's pure silver. Clever way for her to avoid actually mentioning that I can't touch it.

"Now," Katie said, raising her eyebrows, "I believe you promised me a lunch. As I am getting rather hungry..."

Remus chuckled softly and offered her his arm. She took it willingly.