By the Light of the Moon

By the Light of the Moon: Chapter 5

The next few months were the happiest of Narcissa's life. Her relationship with Remus had blossomed, and she was beginning to believe that she was falling in love with him. Could that be what this feeling was? She didn't know; it was something she had never before experienced.

Currently, the two of them were studying in the Room of Requirement. Narcissa was lying on her stomach on a lavish sofa with a book in front of her, and Remus sat on the ground next to her, his head near hers. She hadn't known about this room until meeting Remus. He and his friends were the creators of an interesting device called the Marauder's Map, which illustrated every single room in Hogwarts. The fact that the four of them had made such a thing was remarkable.

Because of that, they had discovered this room. According to Remus, there were only four other people besides the two of them that knew about the room, which meant that they would not be disturbed. That was a relief, for they had yet to make their relationship public.

How would Narcissa tell her parents about Remus? They expected her to marry Lucius Malfoy, or somebody of equal stature and breeding. Her father wouldn't care about Remus's intelligence, his compassionate personality, or even the fact that his daughter was falling in love with him. All he would be concerned about would be Remus's heritage. Narcissa had seen what had happened to Andromeda when she fell in love with a Muggle. In her father's opinion, a halfblood wouldn't be any different.

For now, she would just enjoy the time she spent with Remus.

Until recently, Remus had kept her at arm's length, too afraid to get too close to anybody. However, he had slowly been opening up to her. Their kisses became more passionate, they spent more time together, and she was beginning to feel that the two of them truly had a future together.

At the moment, he was playing her hair. "What are you doing?" she asked him, sitting up.

"Studying for our Potions test, of course," he told her. The innocent look in her eyes made her laugh, something she nearly never did with anybody but him.

"You're distracting me, that's what you're doing," she told him. He had the same expression on his face. She giggled. "Do you give that look to teachers when they catch you breaking the rules?"

He grinned mischievously. "It's my job to make sure we don't get caught."

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "And I used to think you were such a nice boy. But you're absolutely incorrigible."

"And you like me that way." He picked up her book and set it down on the table as he sat down next to her. Then he pulled her lips to his. His mouth tasted sweet against hers.

She kissed him back eagerly for a few moments, but then pulled back. "I have to study."

"We both know that you can pass the Potions test with your eyes closed and both hands tied behind your back."

Narcissa smirked, then pulled him close again. Studying for Potions wasn't that important, and she knew that the test would be easy since it was in her favorite subject.

He lowered her onto the sofa, his body pressed against hers. She closed her eyes as his fingers ran over her breasts. He began undoing the tie around her neck. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked.

"No," Narcissa told him breathlessly, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest. His fingers trembled as he unbuttoned her blouse. She sighed in pleasure as his hands caressed her skin.

He suddenly stopped. "There's somebody coming down the hall in this direction."

Narcissa sat up and quickly fixed her blouse. "You really do have good hearing," she told Remus as she heard voices outside the door. She was disappointed that he had been forced to stop from going any further.

He gave her a sheepish grin and handed her the book she had been previously holding. He picked up his own book, then sat by her side with his arm around her.

The door opened, admitting Sirius and Peter. "Narcissa, Moony," Sirius said with a nod.

"What do you want, Sirius?" she asked without bothering to hide her irritation.

"How nice to be greeted so pleasantly," he said sarcastically. "You're reading that book upside-down, Remus." Peter snickered.

Narcissa stuck her tongue out, a gesture that was reminiscent of her childhood with Sirius. The two of them had gone back to being on somewhat amicable terms over the past few months. Nothing like they had been in their younger days, but she hoped that they would become friends again with time.

"I see you're being charming as always, my dear cousin," he said. "Well, at least some people seem to find you charming." He gave a pointed look at Remus who still had a casual arm draped around her.

"Will you two stop bickering?" The voice came from an unexpected source, Peter Pettigrew. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

"We're not bickering. I'm just having a friendly conversation with my cousin, who--although quite lovely--is a major troublemaker."

Narcissa snorted.

Remus cut in. "As much as I would like to continue to listen to this sophomoric banter, I have a feeling the two of you came here for a reason other than to disrupt our studying."

A grim look formed on Sirius's face. "It's not particularly good news, I'm afraid, and it involves both of you. Somebody found out that the two of you were together and suddenly the entire school knows. It's only a matter of time before your father hears about it."

Narcissa closed her eyes and nodded solemnly. Some of her Slytherin classmates--specifically those who disliked her--would probably go and blab to their parents that Narcissa Black was dating a halfblooded Gryffindor. Eventually, one of her father's peers would mention it to him. "Well, he'll just have to learn to deal with it."

"You told me that you've always been his favorite, right?" Remus asked her. She nodded. "Maybe because of that he'll respect your feelings."

"You obviously don't know her father," Sirius mumbled. The hopeful look on Remus's face disappeared.

"Sirius!" Narcissa said reproachfully. "He's not that bad," she said unconvincingly. "Hopefully when he meets Remus..."

She sighed instead of finishing her sentence.

"Don't the two of you have somewhere else to be?" Remus asked Peter and Sirius. A relieved Peter and an annoyed Sirius left the room.

She was grateful to be alone with Remus again.

"You okay?" he asked, circling her with his arms. She nodded and leaned into him. Being with him like this felt so right to her, no matter what anybody else thought.

"It was going to happen sooner or later. And we can't keep this a secret forever," he told her.

"You're right, of course. I'm sorry that I didn't want anybody to know about our relationship. It was unfair to you," she cried.

"I understand why, though," he said giving her forehead a quick kiss.

Tears began falling. "You're so wonderful, Remus." She snuggled closer to him.

"I try," he told her with a lopsided grin. His smile faded. "Unfortunately, I doubt that your family will agree."

"Don't worry about them. My mother will like you, and my father is nearly impossible to please, so he would hate anybody I brought home."

"Except for Lucius Malfoy." Remus sounded absolutely bitter.

"The only thing that Lucius Malfoy has in his favor is his money and his blood, neither of which he had to work to get. You're much better than him. He is an absolute prat, in addition to being one of the stupidest men in the Wizarding World," Narcissa told him, annoyed at the turn the conversation had taken. Thankfully she had managed to get out of any of those horrid dates that her father encouraged with Malfoy over the past few months. Usually she would tell Lucius that she was too busy with her schoolwork to go out. She had even attempted to ignore his requests completely, choosing to let his letters go unanswered. He kept sending her letters through the owl post, however, which suggested that he hadn't taken her hints.

"I think that you're underestimating Lucius Malfoy's intelligence," Remus told her.

"You've never met him. I have, and he's an idiot," she said back to him.

"I suppose you're right..." He frowned thoughtfully, but quickly changed the subject. "I don't suppose that you can tell me about what your mother is like?"

Narcissa was grateful to talk about the parent whose love for her wasn't being constantly called into question. Because of that, she was nearly able to forget her distress at trying to figure out how to tell her father that her boyfriend was a halfblood werewolf from a poor family.

The next day one of the letters she had expected arrived, from her mother. She had been anticipating a Howler from her father, but was surprised that he had sent nothing of the sort. Her mother seemed disappointed that Narcissa hadn't mentioned that she had a steady boyfriend in her last letter. Her parents apparently had heard through one of her father's "colleagues". Narcissa wondered who person had been, and knew that whoever it was had probably been filled with glee when he told Cepheus Black that his daughter was dating a halfblood. Her father did not seem to have actual friends, only associates who, like him, were into dark magic. Some of them were actual Death Eaters; others, like her father, refused to get their hands dirty. She truly wanted to believe that her father was a good person. He had doted on her when she was a child and still did--when she satisfied his expectations. She was his favorite daughter. But did he care if she was actually happy? Narcissa didn't know.

However, one thing that she knew about her father was that he wasn't nearly as bad as the other Death Eaters. She believed that he would never use Unforgivable curses on Muggles or anything equally cruel. Although he sometimes supported people who did things like that, he would never stoop that low. At least as far as she knew.

Her mother's letter had only briefly mentioned her father--to inform her that he was in good health--and Narcissa therefore had no clue what might be going through his mind. She knew that she would have to be careful, especially when it came to Remus. Her father was the most devious person she had ever met, and when he was displeased with somebody, they would face distasteful consequences. She didn't want him to be against her.

Narcissa's mind was occupied for the rest of the day until she met with Remus later that night when the two of them had prefect patrols again. It always gave them a nice chance to talk, their conversation only occasionally being interrupted to take points away from students caught out of their dormitories.

During one of their moments alone, Remus turned to her. "I spoke to my mother last night."

"Oh?"

He smiled. "I told her about you. She and my father are anxious to meet you. They wanted to know if you would like to visit over the Easter holidays."

Narcissa paused for a few seconds. She didn't know what to think about it. Her father was well known in the wizarding world, and many people hated her because of him. She didn't want Remus's parents to feel that way about her. But they were important to Remus and he really did want them to meet each other. "It's alright if you don't want to," Remus told her quickly.

"No, I'd love to," she said with a hint of nervousness in her voice. What would his parents think of her? What if they thought that she was just a spoiled brat? She was usually shy around strangers, giving them the impression that she was unfriendly and snobbish.

"Really?"

She nodded and smiled. "I'm looking forward to it already."

********************

"Remus, we're almost there. You look so cute when you're asleep." Narcissa told him as she kissed him on the cheek. He gave her a groggy smile. "Wake up, silly. You've been napping since we left Hogsmeade."

"Well, it was a full moon the night before last..."

"Drink this--it'll make you feel better." She handed him a vial. He looked at it questioningly. "It's something I concocted while you were in the Shrieking Shack. I was bored and knew that you would probably not want to feel ill when you saw your parents. I would have given it to you sooner, but I wanted to wait twenty four hours after testing it myself to make sure it didn't have any side effects."

"Wouldn't it have been better for you to study for N.E.W.T.s than to do this?"

"No," she said kissing him again. He kissed her back briefly, then gulped down the liquid. After a few minutes, he began to feel less tired.

"You know, you're really talented at making potions. Did you create this one yourself?" She nodded, blushing. "You should go into a Potions career after Hogwarts."

"And you should become an Auror," she told him with a smile.

He nodded. "I hope so."

At that moment, the train began to slow. The two of them held hands as they left the train, one of the advantages of not having to keep their relationship a secret anymore.

He saw his parents and began to realize how nervous Narcissa was looking. "Relax," he told her, squeezing her hand. "They'll love you." She gave him an uncertain smile.

"Mum, Dad," he said, greeting them. "I'd like you to meet Narcissa."

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin," she said to them. "How nice to finally meet you." She was surprisingly poised, despite the nervousness that had been apparent in her expression a few moments earlier. He supposed that it was her upbringing, which had taught her how to act in every situation.

"Please, call us by our first names, dear. I'm Clara and this is Edward," his mother told her. One of Narcissa's beautiful smiles graced her face.

"Tell me, are you any relation to Cassiopeia Black? I saw her in the society page of the Daily Prophet and she had the loveliest new robes from Paris!" his mother exclaimed. Remus rolled his eyes. He wondered if she noticed the shabby appearance of his parents. Possibly, but she was too considerate to pay any mind to it. She never made mention of his secondhand robes, even though everything that she wore seemed to be made of silk, cashmere, or whatever other expensive fabrics were popular with rich purebloods.

"Yes, she's my mum." Narcissa smiled. "The two of you would probably get along well with each other."

His mother exclaimed excitedly. "Oh? I'd be very interested in meeting her."

"Be careful, Narcissa," Remus's dad said jokingly. "Now that the subject of fashion has been brought up, she'll talk your ear off if you don't stop her."

"Stop tormenting me, Edward!" She turned towards Narcissa. "He sometimes forgets that I know more hexes than he and Remus combined."

"That's why I always try to stay on your good side," his father said, putting his arm around his mother.

The four of them chatted for a few minutes (mainly his parents asking Narcissa questions), then his father suggested they go home. His parents first apparated. Remus held Narcissa for a few seconds. "Your parents are so different than mine," she told him softly. "I feel kind of jealous. My father never shows my mother any kind of affection like that." He just looked at her in surprise. She was envious of him?

H didn't say anything in response to that. Instead, he held her close as they apparated together to his parent's house on the outskirts of London.

Remus began to feel uneasy and embarrassed. He had seen her uncle's mansion; his entire house could fit into the ballroom alone. However, she didn't say anything or change her demeanor at all, much to his relief.

He constantly wondered if she was way out of his league. His family was dirt poor, he was a werewolf, a halfblood... and she was one of the richest girls in the wizarding world. Did he truly deserve somebody like her? Probably not.

Yet here she was visiting his parents, while their relationship only got more serious everyday. It seemed too good to be true.

The next few days were spent with his mother and father, both of whom seemed to like Narcissa a lot. The last day that he and Narcissa were there, his parents treated them to dinner in Diagon Alley. After dinner was finished, they walked through the alley, looking at the shops. Remus was looking in the window of the Magical Menagerie when he felt Narcissa, who was holding his hand, tense up beside him.

"My aunt's here," she told him. She let go of his hand for a moment. "Aunt Carina!"

A dark haired woman turned to look at her. He realized with horror that it was Sirius's mother. "Narcissa, what a surprise to see you here! How are you? And what brings you here to this vile alleyway? I absolutely despise it, even though I end up being forced to come here every few weeks because of some task or another that I simply cannot trust with anybody else. Are you here with your parents?" She paused, finally giving Narcissa a chance to get a word in.

"No, I'm here with my boyfriend and his parents."

"Oh, with Lucius? I haven't seen the Malfoys in ages!" Remus felt his face turn bright red and could see Narcissa looking both embarrassed and angry. He was standing right next to her!

"Actually," Narcissa said in a curt voice, "I have never had any interest in Lucius Malfoy nor will I ever." She took Remus's arm tightly. "This is my boyfriend, Remus Lupin."

Carina Black turned toward him with narrowed eyes. She didn't say anything, instead looking back at Narcissa. "I have to be going," she said in a cold voice and hurried away.

The two of them stared after her in shock. After a few speechless moments, Narcissa put her arm around his waist. "I apologize for that. I know how dreadful she is, but she still manages to amaze me sometimes." Tears formed in her eyes. Remus pulled her close. His parents gave him a questioning look.

"We're going to apparate back home." He and Narcissa disappeared. A few seconds later, the two of them were in front of his house. "Are you alright?"

"I'm so sorry, Remus. Some of the people in my family are so horrible."

"Don't worry about it." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "That wasn't the first time I met Sirius's mother, and you certainly don't have to apologize for her."

She looked up into his eyes. "I love you, Remus."

"I-I love you too, Narcissa," he said back to her. It was the first time they had said it to each other. He closed his eyes as their lips met in a passionate kiss. They held each other for quite some time. He never wanted to let go.

****************

One of the Hogsmeade trips occurred a few weeks later. They went together, and it was the first time Remus had ever gone there with a date. About midway through the trip, Remus and Narcissa decided to split up for an hour to go off on their own. He was walking in the direction of the Three Broomsticks to meet his friends for a Butterbeer. He probably should have been paying attention to his surroundings, and also should not have taken the shortcut through the deserted alleyway.

Without warning, he felt an arm grab him. Remus pulled away and nearly succeeded... until he heard a voice behind him.

"Stupefy."

Remus blacked out.

When he came to, he was no longer outdoors. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was. The Shrieking Shack.

"I see that you are familiar with this place," a voice said, still unrecognizable to him. Remus stood up in alarm, hunting for his wand. "I've taken your wand so that you can't try anything." A figure stepped into the light, wand pointed at Remus. He looked about the age of Remus's father, but had an aristocratic air to him. The man looked vaguely familiar, but Remus couldn't place him.

"Who are you?" Remus asked.

"You haven't figured it out yet? I know exactly who you are," the man told him, only confusing Remus more. "Remus Lupin, the son of one of the poorest men in Wizarding Britain and a common Mudblood. If that isn't enough, you're also a werewolf." He spat out the last word. Remus cringed. "Yet for some reason, you think that you have the right to tarnish the good name of the Black family."

"You're Cepheus Black!" Remus said in shock. He was being held at wandpoint by one of the most powerful dark wizards in Britain, who also happened to be girlfriend's father.

"What a perceptive little halfblood you are," he said sarcastically.

"What do you want?" Remus demanded, more forcibly than he would have if he was thinking straight.

"You obviously have no manners; otherwise you would know that somebody in my position deserves respect." Black gave him a malicious glare. "But since you asked, I'm here to reason with you. Promise me that you'll break it off with my daughter."

"No!" Remus told him incredulously. "I'm in love with her, and if you could be bothered to pay attention to her feelings at all, you would notice that she feels the same for me."

"How dare you suggest that?" Black hissed at him. "My youngest daughter is the most important person in the world to me. The reason I'm here is because her wellbeing matters so much to me."

"So you're kidnapping her boyfriend? What a way to show you care," Remus said with cold sarcasm.

"You little brat! You will pay for your impertinence, boy. Crucio!"

Remus gasped as throbbing pain seared through his body. He had heard of the Cruciatus Curse before, but had never met anybody that had undergone it. It felt as though thousands of burning knives were piercing his flesh.

He let out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding as Black released him from the curse. "That's just the beginning unless you concede right now. Promise me you'll give up on my daughter." Remus closed his eyes, unable to speak properly. The pain was too severe. "Well, boy?"

Remus opened his mouth and had to force the word out. "Never."

"Crucio!"

The pain came again, although this time not as relentless. He doubted that this was because the curse had become more bearable. Rather, his body had probably begun to numb. Soon he would probably be unconscious. He wasn't sure if that would be better or worse. Better probably, since any efforts to fight the curse were completely futile.

Cepheus stopped the curse again. "Change your mind yet?" he taunted.

"No," Remus whispered.

"What was that?" Black appeared to be enjoying his pain.

"NO!"

"Crucio!"

He closed his eyes, his mind focusing on Narcissa. It took only a few seconds more before everything went black.