Better Than Chocolate - The Bittersweet Symphony of Moony and Jayne

The following Wednesday was quite hot and sunny. Annabel came home with a bag containing the makings of the picnic supper they would take to the park. When she answered Remus' knock at the door, she looked lovely. In contrast to her usual business attire or blue jeans and t-shirts, she was wearing a gathered full skirt in pale blue and lilac with a white sleeveless t-shirt, her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He tried to suppress a smile and said, "You look really...really nice."

"Oh, thank you," she said, looking a little surprised, but grinned ever so slightly. When they started to walk to the park Remus was feeling somewhat melancholy; heartache, he thought. You didn't fall in love with someone in just a few weeks. Get a hold of your self! He kept telling himself not to think about leaving, just enjoy tonight.

They got to the park where hundreds--thousands of people had already spread out blankets and were enjoying dinner and drinks as the sun began to set. Annabel pulled a sheet out of her tote bag and spread it on the ground. She took off her sandals and sat down, Remus followed suit, taking off his trainers to put his bare feet in the grass. "Do you want to open the wine?" she asked.

"Okay," he said. Doing this without his wand proved to be a challenge, but he'd seen her do it once or twice. He turned away as he struggled with the bottle and the opener, but finally got the cork out without destroying it. The wine opener: a Muggle invention that is such a paltry alternative to magic. He poured them each a glass and she spread the food out. They ate and drank, Annabel told him that she didn't know anything about opera or classical music at all, but really enjoyed both. He told her what little he knew of Samson et Dalila, which was what they would be hearing. As the sun went down and the performance began, people lit candles at each of their picnic spots. The atmosphere was heady and nothing short of spellbinding. All around people were talking quietly; the music soared and floated around them. The sensation of bare feet in the grass; the warm night; flickering, dancing candlelight; the wine; it was all too much.

By the time the park lights were illuminated to signify the conclusion of the performance, Remus and Annabel were both blissfully intoxicated. They wandered their way home tripping and talking about how they needed to do more things like this and that they would return to hear the symphony in a few weeks. Annabel was twirling in slightly stumbling circles, her skirt flared out around her; Remus was singing and they were both laughing hysterically. They stumbled up the stairs of their building and when they reached the landing there was no sign of the awkwardness that usually met them there.

"Do you want to come in for another glass of wine?" asked Annabel.

"I don't know if I need more wine, but I will come in." A nagging voice in the back of his head tried to protest, but it was immediately drowned in the drunken fog. Annabel fumbled with the lights and turned on music.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine."

"Okay," she said as she sat down on the couch next to him.

They made small talk about their evening, but the longer the idle chat went on, the more palpable the anticipation became. Slowly the conversation trailed off. Remus felt like he was in a trance, her closeness was having a sobering effect and he knew if he sobered up too much his recklessness would wane. He exhaled, slowly, silently. She was so close, she smelled so good. He reached his hand and gently cupped the side of her face. She closed her eyes. He slowly closed his eyes, but as soon as they closed he snapped them wide open. Remus, what are you doing? Get it together man! He dropped his hand and jumped up from the couch.

"Remus?" She looked frightened and bewildered. "What's wrong?"

"I can't," he choked.

"What? Why?" she asked.

"I just--I'm sorry, I can't," he stammered.

"Remus, I don't understand," said Annabel.

"I'm sorry, Annabel. I have to go, I'm so sorry." He was backing towards the door, the colour drained from his face.

Annabel sat and stared at him, watching as he turned away. It was time for something drastic. He's going for the door! She had to do it; she had to say it right now. "Remus, I know you're a wizard!"

His whole body went rigid, as though he'd been petrified. He slowly turned back to her. He was, impossibly, even paler. Very, very slowly he spoke, in a strangled whisper. "What - did - you - say?"

"I said...I know you're a wizard," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

"How do you-- how can you know that?" His eyes were wide and his voice rang with bewildered panic.

However, with his response, relief washed over her like a wave. Thank God I was right. "It's a very long story and I will tell you if you please come back and sit down," she said with a hint of pleading.

He nodded as if in a dream. "Okay," he said as he slowly walked back to the couch and sat down. He looked as though he'd seen a ghost.

"Um," she started, "I'm not really sure where to begin. Do you remember how I told you that I lost touch with my childhood best friend?"

"Yes," he said, nodding slowly.

"She was a witch, we grew up together. She was Muggle-born." At her use of the word 'Muggle' Remus winced. "We always knew that she could do odd things sometimes, but we were kids so it never occurred to us to worry about it. It wasn't anything she had control over. Then she got her letter from Hogwarts."

Remus stared wide-eyed as Annabel was building momentum and continued, "She wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but we were best friends...like sisters. So she never hesitated. It was amazing. It was so exciting. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little jealous. She was going to school to study magic. She made me feel special though, she was a witch and I was her best friend and best friends we remained. I knew everything a Muggle could know about the wizarding world. I knew--know all about Hogwarts and Quidditch and Transfiguration and Charms and Potions and, and, Diagon Alley and Honeydukes and the Ministry of Magic and the different houses and owl post." Again Remus winced, but she continued, "And apparating and I know it all. And then one day, it was all gone. She was gone."

She paused for a moment before continuing to say, "I also knew about Lord Voldemort and his war. I went to see her one night and there was an awful mark in the sky, a mark she had told me about. And that was it; in an instant it was all gone. I had no contact with the magical world anymore, I never even found out what happened to her, I mean, I know she must have been... killed. But I still don't really know what happened. There was no way. Any time I thought I saw a wizard and got up the nerve to talk to them, there was no way for me to ask, because another thing I knew about was memory charms. I couldn't risk having my memory erased; she was gone, I couldn't lose my memories too." Saying all of this out loud made her feel like her life was turned inside out; she was terrified and relieved all at once. It was a secret she had hardly breathed a word of in years, but once she had started, the words rushed out like an avalanche. Remus sat frozen, his mouth open slightly.

"Oh my God," was all he managed to say.

"I know. I know; it's completely mental," she said, trying to sound soothing. "I was obsessed though, it was as if my entire youth was a figment of my imagination. I spent so much time trying to figure out how to get answers, but the more time passed and the older I got, the more I began to question if any of it had been real. Then I began to wonder if I had been an extremely disturbed child who thought she had a best friend who was a witch. I wondered if photographs could lie. I eventually had to step away from it; the obsession was ruining my life. I put it behind me so that I could go on with my life; have a life. When my father died I realized that my little sister needed me to be a big sister, it was a wakeup call. I couldn't spend the rest of my life looking for a 'sister' who was gone and I had no resources to find. I went to school; I started working. I completely immersed myself in my work and my little sister. And then you arrived. I tried to ignore all the signs-- signs I recognized. I knew I recognized. But then you were charming, and sweet and thoughtful and fun and, and...it wasn't really about my past anymore and what I needed to know about my past. It was--is about you. And then you turned to leave and I thought 'Oh my God, it's going to happen again. He's going to disappear and I'm never going to be able to get him back.' And now, here we are."

Remus closed his mouth and regarded her for just a second, he had so, so many questions, but he didn't know where to start. There was only one thing he knew, one thing he was sure about. He leaned forward, grabbed her face with both hands, closed his eyes and kissed her. For a second Annabel tensed, eyes wide and then she melted, closed her eyes and kissed him back. When they stopped after what seemed like a long, long time, her eyes were still closed she breathed the words, "Oh my god." When she opened her eyes to look into his, they were shining. "Oh my god," she said again.

"I need to know..." he started.

"I know. There's so much you need to know," her voice was slightly hoarse, "starting with the fact that I'm sure you know--knew her. She was the same age as you; you would have been at school at the same time. In fact, I suspect that you might have been friends."

Remus braced himself before asking the question he feared that he already knew the answer to. "What was her name?"

Annabel hesitated, the answers to all of her questions were in front of her and it was incredibly intimidating. Very slowly she said, "Lily Evans--or um, Lily Potter."

Remus let out the breath he hadn't realized that he was holding. He swallowed hard and said, "Yes. Of course, we were friends, good friends. James was my best friend...one of them."

"And they're dead?" she asked as Remus nodded. "They're all dead? Lily, James, Harry?" He abruptly stopped nodding.

"Actually, they're not all dead," he said.

"What?" Annabel gasped.

"Harry's alive."

"What?" her voiced rose. "He lived?"

"Quite conspicuously in fact."

"Remus, he was my Godson. Is my Godson!"

Now Remus raised his voice, "WHAT? How is that possible?"

"It just is, nobody really knew. Just James and Lily and, and Dumbledore," she said.

"Dumbledore?" he asked.

"Well, Lily wanted me to be his Godmother, but it was such a dangerous time and Lily was so worried, what with Voldemort killing Muggle families. She was so afraid, that if anyone knew we were associated, I would be in danger too, so there was a private ceremony," she explained.

"Do you know Dumbledore?" Remus asked in confusion.

"No. I mean, I know who he is but I've never actually met him," she explained.

"But he knows who you are?"

"Yes, if he remembers me. In fact he considered making me their secret keeper thinking that the last person a dark wizard would suspect would be a Muggle," she said matter-of-factly. "They were just too worried that if I had been discovered, I wouldn't be able to defend myself in anyway."

"Their secret keeper," he said thoughtfully. It was mind boggling. "I guess it could be possible, all you would have to do is keep the secret. You wouldn't have to perform the charm to be the secret keeper. But you said you saw the Dark Mark? How did you know where they were?"

"I didn't. I would go this little village, Lily would come meet me and bring me home with her. I had no way of knowing where I was or where I was going. It was like I was blindfolded and spun around in a blender and when I got out, I was in their house. A house I couldn't see if I stepped outside, I would suddenly be lost somewhere entirely different. I only went once. I was supposed to meet her for the second time on that night. She never came and when I saw that eerie green light, I followed it. I guess the spell had been broken, so I could see the house, destroyed. I had never seen the house, but I knew it was theirs, and I could see the Dark Mark."

"Most Muggles can't see things like that," reasoned Remus.

"I know, it's because they don't know to or, or...want to." She began to explain, "Lily and I were really excited when we thought that I might be a witch too, because I could see things that most Muggles couldn't. Children are open-minded because they don't know not to be, they don't know until they're taught otherwise. Because I knew about the existence of magic from the time I was a child, I'm not blind to it."

"Yes, I suppose that's true," he speculated. "Even when most Muggles do see magic, they explain it away as something else."

"Exactly," she breathed.

"And you were there that night?" he asked.

"I was. I was stunned and just petrified with fear. I didn't know what to do. The last thing I saw was a huge man ride off on a flying motorbike. That's when wizards started performing memory charms on any other Muggles that happened to be around and I knew that I had to get out of there," said Annabel, her voice trembling.

"And you never knew what happened."

"No. Remus, I know I must know you..."

"Moony," he said flatly.

"Oh my God. Moony," she said with recognition, she felt like she was deflating.

"That's what they called me. Remus just wasn't the kind of name that lent itself to regular use by teenagers," he said with a slight laugh.

"There were others too," she said, trying to remember.

Nodding, he said, "Padfoot, Wormtail, Prongs, but you would have known Prongs as James."

"Why Moony?" she asked.

"It's a long story that isn't important right now." He felt a pang of self-loathing for keeping anything from her at this point, but he just couldn't. Not now. Mercifully she let it go.

"Okay--Padfoot. Padfoot was the secret keeper," she said shrewdly.

"No, he wasn't. I thought so too up until very recently," he explained. "They changed it at the last minute. It was Wormtail; he was the last person anyone would have suspected."

"Maybe not the last," she said.

"You're right. No one knew you, to suspect you." He broke off shaking his head for a second; it was all so unbelievable. "He betrayed them--Wormtail. He was working for Voldemort and none of us knew it. He turned them over to him, framing Sirius--Padfoot and then faking his own death; murder at Sirius' hand. Sirius was sent to rot in Azkaban for the rest of his life."

"Azkaban, the prison?" she confirmed.

"Yes, he escaped about a year ago, to avenge James' and Lily's deaths, to find Harry, to prove his innocence."

"Did he?" she asked.

"Well, yes and no. He found Peter--Wormtail and proved to me and Harry and his friends the truth, about everything. That Peter had been living in his animagus form for 12 years."

"Animagus form?" she asked.

"He was a rat," said Remus with a hint of dismay.

"Wormtail. Right," she said, comprehending.

"Harry wouldn't let us kill him though, which believe me, all we wanted to do was kill him for what he'd done to James and Lily and Harry and all of us. Harry wanted to turn him over to the proper authorities; not wanting has father's best friends to become murderers too. Only he got away, so there was no proof of Sirius' innocence. So not only is Peter free, Sirius is on the run." He stopped only when he realized that he had been rambling.

"I can't believe you know Harry. You've seen Harry. Recently," she said in amazement.

"Yes," he smiled, "he's doing very well, he's a good boy. He's smart and brave; he's a wonderful, perfect combination of his parents. He looks just like James, but he has Lily's eyes."

"Lily's eyes," she repeated, slightly choked up, "this is incredible."

"It is incredible."

"Remus, can this possibly, really be a coincidence? Us just finding one another?" she asked.

"It seems insane. But I don't know how it couldn't be." He just stared at her for a few seconds and grabbed her face and kissed her again. He couldn't have imagined a more deeply emotional experience. The other part didn't matter right now, this changed everything. He didn't know what else to say, so he just said, "I really fancy you." He knew that he sounded like a blithering schoolboy, but he couldn't say what he was actually thinking. I think I'm in love with you. A thought that he dared not express, it was just all too much.

She laughed, and said, "I really fancy you too, this is ridiculous."

"I know."

"I'm happy, I think. I mean I finally know the truth. It's all confirmed, but the fact that Harry is still alive, that's good, it's wonderful. I never imagined..." she trailed off.

"Annabel, thank you," he spoke gravely.

"For what?" she asked in surprise.

"For being brave enough to say something, for not letting me walk out that door tonight, because I would have been gone," he admitted. "I would have been gone so quickly."

She exhaled and said, "I know, and I couldn't let it happen again, I was so close. I've wanted to say something for a while now, but I was afraid. What if I was wrong? What if you weren't a wizard? The feelings I've developed for you wouldn't have changed and you would have been totally freaked. You would have thought me a complete nutter. You really would have run for the hills, leaving me questioning my own sanity. Again. But when you were about to walk away tonight, I knew why, I was sure I knew the truth and I had to take the chance."

"Thank you." He smiled at her, the smile that, of late, just made her melt.

"Remus, what do we do now?"

"I don't know," he said, mulling it over for a few seconds. "I think I'd like to spend a lot of time with you."

She smiled and said, "Yes, I'd like that too."

"And I'd really like to kiss you again," he said, he didn't care that he was being forward.

Laughing, she said, "Okay, but there are still a lot of things that need to be cleared up."

"Really, what?" he asked, all sarcasm and mock innocence.

"For starters, everything you've told me about yourself has been a lie," she said in a playfully accusing tone.

"Oh, right, that. How about I tell you all about that after." He pulled her into his arms.

"After?" she asked innocently.

"Mmhmm," he said, and kissed her again.

"Okay," she mumbled between kisses.

And so, for the rest of the night they lounged on her couch snogging. Really just kissing. He dared do nothing else; he couldn't, not if she didn't know the whole truth, but that would come later. He felt a tiny pang of guilt as he thought about the possibility that once he told her what he really was, she may 'run for the hills' as she had put it. He reckoned that at the very least he would have one night just kissing her. It would have to be worth it.

They'd fallen into a light sleep sometime close to dawn and when the first rays of morning sunlight crept through the window he awoke. Her head was resting on his chest; he breathed in the fragrance of her hair and stroked it delicately to awaken her. He kissed her gently and asked if she wanted to go for breakfast. They put on shoes and Annabel splashed some cold water on her face. Their faces were both pink and their lips were puffy from the hours of snogging. They headed out into the cool dampness of the morning; it was as though they had landed on a distant planet. The whole world seemed different. She took his hand as they walked.

"Well, where to begin?" he asked thoughtfully. "Last year I was on temporary assignment teaching Defence Against The Dark Arts at Hogwarts." He consoled himself with the logic that what he had said wasn't untrue; he did temporarily teach Defence Against The Dark Arts at Hogwarts. "I need to figure out what I'm going to do next. James and Sirius were the best friend's I've ever had."

"It must be nice to have Sirius back, even if he is on the run?" she asked.

"Yes it is," he confirmed. "It's nice to know that he's out there somewhere. It's something new for me to worry about though. I hope he's okay."

"Have you heard from him at all?"

"Yeah, remember the owl in my flat?" he said guiltily.

"Of course, I had a feeling," she said.

"So is that how you knew?"

"What, that you're a wizard?" she asked.

"Yeah, I usually do a pretty good job at disguising myself as a Muggle," he said defensively.

"You absolutely do," she agreed. "It's just that I know what to look for."

"When did you first suspect me?" he asked.

"Honestly? That first day we had tea together," she admitted and he frowned slightly. "After we got caught in the rain, when all of my bags were bone dry. It crossed my mind, but I rejected the idea and told myself I was being absurd."

"Like a good Muggle," he grinned.

"Exactly," she grinned back. "It was usually just little things that made me wonder; the dishes were done too quickly, the electrical appliances never 'working' in your flat, the fire in the summertime. Then there was the day I looked in your kitchen cupboard. Your reaction and the books in there were a pretty good clue, but it was the owl that really sealed the deal."

"Now I feel like a fool," he said sheepishly.

"Don't, if I didn't know the signs and I weren't tallying them up, you probably would have been fine. I likely would have thought you were just a layabout who didn't pay his electrical bill. A closeted sci-fi enthusiast."

"Sci-fi?" he asked, perplexed.

She laughed, and said, "Science fiction, fantasy, whatever." He clearly didn't understand her amusement, but it wasn't important. They walked into an empty restaurant; he ordered tea and scones for them as they sat at a table by the window.

"Do you have money?"

"Um, yeah," Remus looked somewhat uncomfortable as he said, "some, not whole lot though."

"No, I mean Muggle money," she clarified.

"Oh, yes," he said. "When I decided to live in the Muggle world I changed over some of my wizard money."

"What made you decide to live as a Muggle?" she asked.

"It was easier for the time being, a good way to remain anonymous. I've spent 12 years answering questions about the Potters and Sirius and Peter and what with the new developments, it was just easier to get away from it all."

"I suppose I can understand that," she said. "Do you mind if I ask you more questions about the Potters?"

"No, not at all, that's not what I meant," he said apologetically.

"Good, there's something else I don't understand."

"Only one thing?" he asked, eyebrow arched in amusement.

"Well, its not so much one thing," she said with a smirk.

"Yes?"

"Who killed James and Lily? How did Harry survive? What happened to Voldemort? I eventually had to assume that the war ended," she said.

"Funny you should ask like that, it's all tied together." He explained, "Voldemort himself killed James and Lily and when he tried to kill Harry, he couldn't. The spell failed, it backfired and he ended up destroying himself. Harry was the reason it all ended."

"Why? What do you mean he couldn't kill him?" she asked.

"Well, as far as I've always understood it, when Lily died to save Harry, she protected him. It was an incredibly powerful magical force." Annabel looked as though she were about to say something in response, but stopped. Her eyes fell to the table. Remus looked at her and reached across the table and placed his hand over hers and said, "I know. I know what it's like to think about what happened to them. She was really brave, Annabel."

"I wouldn't have expected anything less of her. She really was like my big sister; she taught me so much. She got me through my mother's death, which was why it was such a reality check for me when my father died. I needed to be for my sister what Lily was for me." And then as though she were struck by lightening, she said, "Remus, where is Harry now? Where does he live?"

"Oh, of course, well he'll be going back to Hogwarts soon." Giving it more thought, he said, "I think he might go to the Quidditch World Cup with his friends. According to Sirius' last letter, Harry was hoping that would be a possibility. For most of the summer though, he lives with his aunt and her family."

"His aunt? Please don't tell me you're talking about Petunia," she said in disgust.

"Oh yes, that's exactly who I'm talking about."

"Really?" She sounded surprised. "Well, I have to give her some credit; I never would have thought she'd be willing to care for Lily's son."

"Don't give her too much credit. She really didn't have a choice," Remus said. "I think Dumbledore told her she had to take him."

"I would have taken him," declared Annabel. "In a second I would have. I suppose I would have been too young at the time though, I was still at school."

"Dumbledore has his reasons for Harry living with his miserable relations. I'll be damned if I know what they are though," said Remus.

"Remus, are they awful to him?" she asked.

"I think they sort of are."

"That bitch, that selfish, miserable bitch. He's a bloody orphan and she is holding her absurd animosity towards Lily against him too?" she said, outraged.

"Yes, well, if it makes you feel any better, from what I understand she almost had a nervous collapse when Harry got his Hogwarts letter," he said with a hint of amusement.

"Good," she paused for a moment before asking, "do you think I'll ever be able to see him?"

"I don't know, I can't imagine why not. We can write to Dumbledore and ask him," said Remus.

"Okay," she said as broke off a piece of a scone. "I love breakfast, it's my favourite meal. It's always so nice to go out for--oh my God. I have to go to work!"

"What? No."

"Yes, Remus, I do, it's Thursday!"

"So it is," he said, his face fallen.

"Come on, let's go, I have to get showered and get there, I'm going to be late." She jumped up, dropped a handful of money on the table and ran out the door. Remus followed, they ran back to their building and up the stairs.

"I really don't want you to go to work," said Remus.

"Believe, me, I really don't want to go, but I have to." She was standing one step above the landing which he was standing on. She ran her fingers through his shaggy hair and regarded him thoughtfully and slowly said, "Remus, promise me you'll be here when I get home."

He was completely surprised by this request. "Annabel, I'm not going anywhere, certainly not without telling you first. I promise."

"Okay," she nodded, "I'm just a little afraid that if I let you out of my sight, you'll disappear."

"I wouldn't do that. I won't do that, I promise," he said unequivocally.

"Okay," she smiled.

"Can we have dinner when you get home?" he asked.

"Yes, that would be wonderful."

"I still wish you didn't have to go," he said slightly wistfully.

"I know, I do too. I can't imagine how I'm going to be able to concentrate. I just have so many thoughts running through my head right now."

"I wish I had a Pensieve to offer you," he said.

"A Pensieve?"

"Ah, something of the magical world that you don't know," he said with a grin.

She grinned back and said, "Well, I look forward to hearing all about it over dinner."

"Have a good day Annabel," he said and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her.

"Thank you Remus, you too."

Annabel got through her workday by what she could only attribute to a sort of miracle. Aside of the simple fact that she had hardly slept the previous night, her mind was anywhere but her work, Lily, Harry, her childhood, her future, life, death and Remus.

Remus Lupin, the man who finally answered all of her questions, the man who made her insides do somersaults when she thought about him; the man whom by some strange alignment of the planets moved into the flat directly across from hers. All of it was too incredible, no one would believe her if she told them. All she could think about was going home to see him and kiss him again.

Remus, on the other hand, spent his day wrestling with his one remaining secret. If he was going to let this thing with Annabel, whatever this thing was; if he was going to let it continue and progress and become what he wanted it to become, what he thought it had the potential to be, he had to tell her; sooner rather than later. If for no other reason than to protect himself from the further anguish of having really fallen in love with her and then having her leave in fear of what he was. A sneaking suspicion told him that it might be too late to stave off that situation altogether, but he couldn't let it get worse. He would tell her tonight.

*****

He heard her footsteps on the stairs, he heard her unlock her door, open it, go in and close it behind her. He sat waiting, waiting until he heard her door open and close again, at last, came a knock on his door. He opened the door.

"Hi," he said, smiling.

"Hi," she said, stepping into his flat. He nervously leaned in to kiss her and she kissed him back. It was new and slightly awkward all over again, but wonderful nonetheless.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Perfectly awful," she said matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, with mock concern.

She smiled and said, "It's quite a bit better now though."

"Good," he said. "I was really looking forward to seeing you again."

"Me too. Here, I brought wine," she surveyed his flat, "did you make dinner?"

"Um, yeah, I hope that's ok."

"Are you joking? It's brilliant. Thank you, you didn't have to do that."

"I sort of preferred to stay in," he admitted.

"My preference, as well," she said.

"Here, I'll take that," he said, taking the bottle of wine from her. He pulled his wand out of his back pocket and tapped two water glasses sitting on the table and transfigured them into wine glasses.

"Oh my," she mumbled as she exhaled.

"Is everything alright?" he said, as he opened the wine bottle with his wand.

"Yes, it's more than alright, it's just been a long time since I've seen anyone do magic." She was slightly breathless and flustered.

"Yes, I suppose it has," he said, grinning as he handed her a glass and poured the wine. As he turned to pour his own she took a large swig; before turning to face her, he did the same.

"So what did you do today?" she inquired.

"Oh, well I tried to read and I tried to sleep."

"Tried?" she inquired innocently.

"I just couldn't stop thinking about everything," he said.

"I know, I think that's the problem, everything. There's just so much."

She walked around looking at all of his books, fascinated, now that she could see them for what they really were. As she looked through a shelf filled with magical history she stopped and asked, "Tolkien's Lord of the Rings?"

"Of course, Tolkien was a brilliant wizard and historical writer." Remus explained, "It was a stroke of genius few other wizards have carried out, having a historically accurate book published for Muggles and selling it as a fantasy story."

"The Lord of the Rings is a history?" she asked with a laugh.

"Of England in fact," said Remus.

"Good."

"Good? Why?" he asked, looking at her perplexed.

"It's a great story, one of my favourites. I'm glad to know that it's true," she explained.

"Forgive me my boldness, but I don't think I can stand here another moment without kissing you," he said, taking her in his arms, he kissed her fiercely, holding her close. The feverish thrill he got from her touch served as an overwhelming reminder of exactly what was at stake. He ran his fingers through his hair as he reluctantly stepped away, picked up his wineglass and drained it. "Shall we eat?" he asked, trying to sound upbeat, pulling out a chair at the table for her.

They took turns telling true stories of their lives over dinner. Annabel telling stories about her childhood with Lily and the many times in her life that she thought she met wizards but was too afraid to talk to them. Remus told stories of his school days and of his year teaching at Hogwarts, but was still omitting anything he thought would illicit questions he wasn't ready to answer yet. He drank wine in attempt to regain his recklessness of the previous evening, but to no avail. When it came to being honest about his affliction, nothing could dilute his sense of foreboding. Annabel seemed so enraptured that the idea of telling her something that would impede upon that seemed like a dreadful idea. Eventually their flowing conversation waned as Remus became more uneasy about his impending confession. With each passing moment he found it more and more difficult to breathe. As they finished dinner they endured some slightly forced small talk until Annabel couldn't take it anymore.

"Remus, is something bothering you?" she asked with trepidation. It was a question she wasn't altogether sure she wanted to know the answer to, but for entirely different reasons than he had for not wanting to answer it.

He swallowed hard and slowly responded, "Yes. There's still something else you don't know...about me."

"Alright then," she said slowly, lowering her wineglass. "After everything else, what could you possibly be so apprehensive about?"

"Well, I think this final piece might just push it all over the edge."

"Now you're scaring me," she said, forcing a laugh.

"Well, yes, that's the general idea."

"Remus, just get on with it," she said, frowning slightly.

Get on with it. "I'm ...a werewolf."

"What?!" She sounded surprised, but not horrified.

"A werewolf, I'm a werewolf and I will leave right now and you won't ever have to..."

"Is that all?" she asked.

"What do you mean 'is that all'? Are you hearing me? I'm a werewolf," he said gravely.

"Yeah, so, werewolf, wizard. What's the problem?"

"No, you clearly don't understand, it is a very large problem and there is quite a big difference," Remus said seriously. "Once a month I transform into a monstrous beast."

"Once a month. At the full moon, right?" she asked. "That's not so dreadful, as long as you're not going to eat me or anything."

"No, I'm not going to eat you," he said, sounding slightly frustrated. "I mean, I could, but I take potion to keep that from happening and I put all kinds of magical charms on my flat so that I can't get out and be near anyone."

"So what's the problem? One night a month is not the end of the world, and when you're not a terrifying beast, you're a pretty nice bloke," she said with an amused grin. He, on the other hand, was not amused.

"Listen to me, as a result of this affliction, I am shunned by the majority of the wizarding world, I can rarely find work, I'm pretty well poverty stricken."

"Have you ever been on a first date before? Because you're really not doing a very good job of selling yourself, you know," she flirted.

"This isn't funny, you need to take this seriously," he reprimanded her.

"I'm taking it seriously, but what do you want me to do, burst into tears and say we can't be together and that I never want to see you again? Remus, I like you." She paused for a second and then continued, "A lot. I want to try to do this, whatever this is. I don't care if you're a werewolf and maybe it's just because I am not a witch and I don't know any better, but it just doesn't sound like the end of the world, or at least not the end of a relationship...or friendship, or whatever."

Remus wasn't sure what to say. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the cumulative events of the last twenty-four hours, but somehow she made sense. It was reminiscent of that landmark day that James, Sirius and Peter told him that they knew his secret and not only were they not horrified, but they still wanted to be his friends. So much so, that they went as far as becoming animagi so that they could spend time with him during the full moon. It was that very reminiscence that made him uneasy, he knew how reckless those days had been, but he couldn't help but to remember them fondly. "I suppose I'm so used to people looking at me in fear and disgust, I just expect it from everyone."

"Well, I'm not afraid, or disgusted. In fact," her voice dropped a bit lower, she bit the side of her lip and cocking her head to the side, she added, "I think it's kind of sexy." At this Remus choked on his wine and she laughed.

His initial reaction was to reprimand her for again not taking seriously the situation at hand, but that had thus far proven unsuccessful. Instead, he managed to compose himself and ask out of genuine bewilderment but trying to cover with a little flirtatious charm, "Sexy? Really?"

"Yeah, well, I don't know. An affliction that renders you an uncontrollable, ravenous beast...a wolf no less? It really is quite sexy."

While he wasn't entirely convinced that this logic was sensible, he couldn't help being a little pleased with himself and reckoned that he'd play along. "I suppose I never thought of it like that."

"Well, I can't imagine I'm the only one who would think this way, danger has its appeal you know. I just wouldn't recommend the whole poverty stricken angle in the future," she teased him.

"Look I was just being honest," he said. "I thought after months of lies, I should be up front about everything."

"And I appreciate that, I'm glad for it. I hope that all of the major secrets, at least the ones at the forefront of our consciousness, are out in the open. But Remus, I don't care about money, I'm not looking for anyone to take care of me. I can certainly take care of myself. That's one thing I'm absolutely sure of. I just, I don't know, all of this conversation is assuming an awful lot."

"It feels like a lot," he agreed.

"It doesn't feel bad though." Annabel's tone was absolutely serious now.

"No, it really doesn't feel bad." Remus was equally serious.

"We've covered an awful lot of ground in the last twenty-four hours, maybe all of the analytical conversation needs to stop and we just need to let this take its course," she suggested.

Remus decided then and there that he'd wasted too much time and he really wasn't interested in being coy at this point in his life, so he said, "Alright, but I want to see you, a lot. I don't care what we do or what we talk about." Then he added with a small smile in an attempt to lighten what had become a very heavy atmosphere, "In fact, in the spirit of doing mundane chores, I'm going to clear the table and wash the dishes."

"Okay," she said, smiling back.

Remus stood, picked up the dishes, and placed them into the sink where he started to wash them. Annabel sat watching him for a moment and then stood and cleared the rest of the table. She placed the items in the sink, as she did so her hands gently brushed his under the hot water. Slyly, she inquired, "Can't those be done by magic?"

Remus gave her a roguish sideways glance, murmuring, "I didn't want to show off."

"Oh, please do," she said in a low voice. He picked up his wand and as he waved it at the dishes, she draped her arms up around his neck, pushing him back against the sink and kissed him. As the dishes gently clinked and soaped and rinsed under the running water next to them, he slowly snaked his wet hands around her waist and deeply kissed her back.

Author's Notes:

"A Little Less Conversation" written by Davis/Strange, performed by Elvis Presley

Some lyrics that pertain ever so well:

Come along with me and put your mind at ease
A little less conversation, a little more action please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me
A little more bite and a little less bark
A little less fight and a little more spark
Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby satisfy me

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