Something Worth Leaving Behind

"Good morning all."

Remus Lupin was greeted by various responses as he sat down to breakfast. The last day of lessons was ahead of them and they all knew. Lily and James seemed deep in conversation and only glanced up for a second for a hello then went back to whatever they were discussing as if they were the only ones there.

"What's up with them?"

"Hell if I know," replied Sirius. "They've been like that since I came down. And you know you take forever to wake up."

"Yeah yeah yeah..." Remus served himself a large helping of breakfast sausages and bacon.

"Showing your true colors this morning?" Sirius teased. Remus just ignored him. He then noticed Peter watching him curiously.

"Something bothering you, Peter?"

"Oh, no," replied the other boy as he quickly looked back to his plate.

Remus lifted a brow at weird response but Sirius just shrugged.

Looking across the table, Remus watched the Slytherin Prefect, Olivia Benson, seat herself next to none other than Severus Snape.

"Do you think she's going to go to the ball with him after all?" Sirius asked from beside him.

"Beats me."

It was common knowledge that Severus and Olivia, the house prefects, had gone out, but many questioned whether or not they had a relationship. No one would know until the graduation ball tonight what was fact and what was rumor. Word was that there were a few wizards with rings in their pockets, ready to pop the question tonight at the big ball. Severus was known to be on that list, but it hadn't been updated in quite a while and things had gotten rocky between the two since then.

"I'll bet you fifty galleons," said Remus, pointing a fork in their direction, "that not only will she come to the ball with someone other than Snape, but that he won't even be a Slytherin."

"Hoo-hoo!" said Sirius. "That's quite a bet. You got something to back that up with?"

Remus smiled but said nothing.

"Come on, Moony! What house?"

Remus shook his head.

"Oh, you can't back out now! What house?"

But Remus said nothing.

Sirius scoffed. "You're no fun..."

"What do you mean, Moony's no fun? He's more fun than you'll ever be."

Sirius looked up. "Are you done talking to your girlfriend then, James?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am. What are you two up to?"

"Moony started a bet," he replied, his smile revived. "Fifty galleons Benson shows up at the ball not only with someone other than Snivellus, but that he won't even be a Slytherin."

"She'll show up with someone from another house?" James repeated before turning to Remus.

"Fifty galleons? You only bet that high when you know a sure thing. You know who she's going with?"

Again, Remus shook his head and said nothing.

"Ah, come on, Moony. Who is it?"

"Are you kidding? He won't even tell me what house."

"Chang?"

Remus sputtered, but didn't say a word.

"Okay, not Chang..."

"She wouldn't go out with Chang!"

"Hey, at least I'm trying!"

"And I didn't?!"

But Remus stood up.

"I won't tell you guys, so stop asking. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish packing."

With that, he left his two friends to continue their bickering over who Olivia Benson could be taking to the ball.

Quite satisfied with himself, Remus whistled as he crossed the foyer and made his way to the Gryffindor Tower, taking a shortcut along the way so that he got there in a couple minutes. In his empty dormroom, Remus continued the work he had been doing when his empty stomach had intervened. With a care most didn't have, he retrieved his things from various parts of the room after going through the Tower itself earlier and packed them. He wouldn't have time to do it later... or so he hoped. A pleasant evening would last throughout the night.

When the last of his things were packed, he turned to check that there wasn't more. All he could find were things that belonged to the other boys, but were mainly Sirius's things.

A true bachelor, that one, he thought to himself. It was always a surprise that he managed to find a date for every occasion, though, if he didn't, Remus himself was always a last choice.

But not this year.

This year, he had gone right to Sirius and said that he wouldn't do it if he paid him a fortune in gold. He was tired of being dragged along on Padfoot' s "dates," though they were more like snog-fests, so that it would look inconspicuous. No more would he find ladies' garments by his bed, though they were sometimes Lily's, which he didn't mind as much, but he still told off James as well.

Tonight, he would be smarter than they and take his girl to a hidden paradise on the seventh floor. One he hadn't even told the others about and, quite purposely, I assure you, even refrained from putting it on the Map. Surely, if they cared enough, the boys would see he and his date disappear by the portrait of the dancing trolls, but he didn't mind. That was as far as they would get.

Of course, they didn't even suspect that he had some romantic rendezvous hidden away somewhere. He had told them he not only wasn't going to accompany Sirius, but wasn't going to go to the event at all.

After asking a girl to the ball, he immediately realized that her answer was not a "no," and, should anyone hear, he would never be able to live to see the day that they would dance. So, he had told his friends he was not going, when, in secret he planned out the night of his and her night with a forbidden lover.

The affair had been going on all year and no one noticed a thing. It was only them.

Unbeknownst to the school, he too was carrying a ring in his pocket, but he feared he might never use it.

He took the said jewel out of his pocket and admired it again. It was a relic he had been given years and years ago. A toy at first, the ring had once been his grandmother's and she had left it to him when she passed away. It was her dream that his wife would wear it one day, and as he had grown, he had come to treasure it. A joined pair, the wedding band and engagement ring had bands of yellow gold, a beautiful diamond, big enough for a girl to be proud of, but small enough to not be a hassle, it sat on the base with three more on each side. The band also had diamonds in it. He had polished it and cleaned many a lonely afternoon so that it was always pristine and now, the gold and diamonds shone in the sunlight.

With a sigh, he gave it a caress and wiped with his sleeve before looking at it once more and placing it back in his pocket. Grunting a little, he heaved his heavy trunk off his bed and back at the foot where it belonged, one outfit out for the morning folded under his pillow.

With a smile he left the room, prepared for the night of his dreams.