Jade Eyes

Remus woke with a start as his alarm clock went off and the sounds of the Weird Sisters' newest song filled his room over the Wizard Wireless Network. For a long moment, he simply laid there, letting the pleasant strains of music wash over him as he contemplated the network of cracks that delineated his ceiling. The dream he'd been roused from was one he'd not had in a long time--nearly a decade, at best guess. So many things had happened in his life since that day, so many new memories... he'd almost forgotten all about Evie Rhodes.

Almost.

After all, a man doesn't just forget the love of his life. The liquid jade depths of her eyes, the pure black silk of her hair, the scents of fresh air and green grass and life that always clung to her skin... They never had found Evie's body.

A slow shudder worked through his bones, and Remus shook his head, forcing himself back to the present. He refused to get lost in reminiscence, especially in memories so tragic.

With a resigned sigh, he at last tossed back his blankets and rolled into a sitting position, rubbing sleepily at his eyes. He was reaching for the alarm clock to silence it when the voice of the morning announcer relating the news made his hand pause in midair, head cocked thoughtfully as he listened.

"--and our top story of the hour: convicted felon and Azkaban escapee Sirius Black was cleared of all charges against him this morning, thanks to new evidence brought forth during the interrogations of former Death Eaters. You'll all remember, Black was long believed to be the right hand man of He-Who-Must-Not--" the announcer paused and cleared his throat, "--excuse me, the right hand man of Lord Voldemort..."

Remus cocked an amused eyebrow at this; even now, months after the Dark Lord's downfall, witches and wizards all over the world were only just getting used to speaking his name without fear. Slowly but surely, confidence was seeping back into the wizarding world.

"...but we now know that it was in fact Peter Pettigrew at the front of the dark side's rebirth. Faking his own death, Pettigrew framed Black for his own murder and those of thirteen Muggle bystanders in order to cover his dark deeds. But in light of the revelations following Voldemort's downfall, the Ministry of Magic has issued an official apology to Black, and commended him with the Order of Merlin, Second Class for his heroic efforts during the final days of the war. We've been told that the acquitted Black is currently visiting Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he is spending some well-deserved time with his godson, Harry Potter. In other news..."

A genuine smile etched easily across his face, he flicked off the radio and rose to his feet, headed for the front porch where his issue of the Daily Prophet would be waiting. As he cracked open the door, a warm autumn breeze swept in, carrying the leafy scent of the woods that lay just to the south of his secluded country home.

Stepping out into the sunlight, Remus glanced to the ground, found the newspaper at his feet, and broke into laughter at the picture of a joyfully grinning Sirius Black that occupied the front page. He picked up the paper, studying his old friend's profile closely; Sirius had changed much since the last time Remus had seen him. He was now well-groomed and clean-shaven, short black hair hanging over mocha eyes that had regained their twinkle, in a face that was no longer gaunt and pale. To Remus's eyes, the Sirius smiling up at him from the morning paper was almost identical to the young Gryffindor prankster of twenty years prior. It was only the tiny lines around his eyes, the touch of weariness that marked his smile, that gave away the long, hard years the man had seen.

It was as Remus stood perusing the article, which added more detail to news report he'd heard minutes prior, that the sound of fluttering feathers from the nearby porch rail drew his attention. He glanced up to find a vaguely familiar snowy owl inspecting him with large gold eyes, an envelope clutched carefully in its beak.

"Hello," he remarked with mild surprise, accepting his letter. "Suppose this is for me then?"

The owl hooted softly and shot him a look that suspiciously resembled sarcasm, a 'Duh-You-Idiot' look, as Sirius would've called it. But before Remus could contemplate this, the owl had taken flight again, a rapidly shrinking speck of white against a brilliant blue backdrop.

Glancing at the envelope again, his name scrawled across the front in untidy handwriting, he shrugged, and shuffled back into his home as his stomach gave a grumbling request for some food. From the pantry he withdrew a half-rack of bacon and a few eggs, which he set to cooking on the stove with a wave of his wand. Keeping the occasional glance on his simmering breakfast, he leaned his lithe frame against the wall and went about opening his mysterious morning mail.

With a slowly dawning sense of curiosity, he unfolded his letter--and broke into an instant smile at the first three words that topped the page. "Dear Professor Lupin." There was only one person Remus could think of who would ever write to him and address him as Professor. He supposed Harry Potter would always think of him as Professor Lupin, despite all that Harry now knew about Remus's close friendship with James and Lily. It occurred to Remus for the second time that morning just how hard some old habits died.

Grinning, he returned his attention once more to his letter.

Hope this letter finds you well. No complaints from my end (besides having to deal with another year of Snape, but at least that's almost over too). In case you have yet to hear the good news, then I'll be the first to tell you: Sirius is free! The Ministry cleared him of all charges and even commended him with a special title of some sort (seems I've forgotten it already; oh well). He's here with me now, at Hogwarts, for at least another week. He's asked me to let you know that when you mail back (you're expected to, anyway, I guess) to please leave instructions on how to apparate to your home, as it is in the absolute middle of nowhere. (His words, not mine.) Sirius says he'll be out to visit you soon. As for me, I'd like very much to see you again; perhaps over Christmas break, you and Sirius could come back to Hogsmeade. We can talk about that later though, I suppose. Well, this letter is getting longish; you've likely got better things to do than read my ramblings all day.

Best of wishes,

Harry Potter

Slowly Remus refolded his letter, tucking it back in its envelope and leaving it in the middle of the kitchen table, a reminder that he would need to write Harry back later. His breakfast had finished cooking, and he consumed it with surprising vigor, eating more ravenously than he had in months. Then he hurried off to the bathroom, pampering himself with a deliciously long shower.

At last he climbed, dripping, out onto the tiled bathroom floor, tying a white terrycloth towel tightly around his waist as he paused in front of the mirror. He contemplated the man staring back at him: lithe, lightly muscled torso--he never had been the athletic type after all, short light brown hair with a few streaks of premature gray... and his eyes. He wasn't a particularly vain man, but if he had to pick his best feature, he would definitely choose his eyes. Gold colored, alert and piercing--wolves eyes.

Remus felt a smirk strike him at this thought. Normally he was bothered when he noticed such similarities between his human and wolf states, but not this morning. Not even the disturbing dream that had shaken him from slumber could dampen his spirits. He was in a decidedly exquisite mood.

"And yet I have a whole long day ahead of me with nothing to do," he mused aloud, ruffling fingers lightly through his damp hair.

His reflection, who was busy examining the new line of summer freckles that had appeared over his biceps, replied almost absently, "Well, Mr. Cheerful, why don't you practice not being a hermit for once and make a trip to Diagon Alley? You haven't treated yourself to a new book for almost a month."

Remus snapped his fingers with dawning excitement. "You know, you're right. That's an excellent idea. I can apparate into Flourish and Blotts right now!"

"Um, you might want to get dressed first," his reflection suggested, indicating the towel still wrapped around their identical waists.

Chuckling at his own absent-mindedness, he agreed, "Suppose you're right." Leaving his reflection skeptically shaking his head, Remus wandered into his bedroom, selecting a random set of robes from his wardrobe and sliding the various articles over his thin frame. Then, collecting both his wand and change purse from his bedside stand--he had very little concern for security since he was, as Sirius had so eloquently put it, in the absolute middle of nowhere--he prepared to apparate into the book store.

He closed his eyes, gave his wand a quick flick--and felt the familiar sensation as though his body was dissolving around him, tiny particles of sand blown away by a swift wind, until it seemed he had no substance at all. Then, just a quickly, the particles regrouped, and when he reopened his eyes, he stood calmly in the middle of Flourish and Blotts, surrounded by a few browsing witches and wizards who barely took notice of his arrival.

Tucking his wand back into his robes, he moved immediately for the nearby staircase, wandering up to the second level where he could browse among the various texts, new and old, for hours, undisturbed.

It took him only a few moments to locate a promising selection, the cover bound in black dragon hide and with gilded gold lettering across the front, proudly proclaiming the title: Boggarts, Balloons, and Bertie Botts--A Beginner's Guide to Interpreting Your Dreams. Twenty minutes later, he was thoroughly enthralled in the text, reading with his elbows propped against the railing that looked down on the bustling floor below. It was only sudden motion from the corner of his eye that at last drew Remus's attention. He glanced up in time to witness the commotion taking place on the ground floor.

For several moments now, a woman, whose pale blue robes hung off an almost sickly slender frame, had been meandering through the art section when her legs suddenly seemed to give out on her. To her fortune, the young wizard who'd been browsing next to her was quick on his feet, and caught the poor woman before she could topple into the shelf of books behind her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... are you okay, Miss?" he asked her, his arms circled carefully around the gentle curve of her waist. "You almost took quite the spill."

The woman, who stood with her back to Remus, quickly regained her own footing, and ran long fingers through the length of her silken black hair as she replied, "Yes. Thank you, yes, I'm fine. I just... had a bit of a dizzy spell, is all. I'll be fine now. Thanks again." She gave the man a last nod and turned on her heel, her eyes momentarily sweeping up to where Remus stood observing. For a second, her gaze met his--and Remus felt the world freeze.

Brilliant, deep green eyes, set in a face eternally familiar, though she was far paler and thinner than the last time he'd seen her. But there was no question in his mind who he was looking at, even as she glanced away, pulling the hood of her robes up over her head of raven hair as she slipped silently out of the store.

Remus had just seen Evie Rhodes. And she was very much alive.