Simply Moony

"What are you doing now?" Kacia asked as we left Charms.

"Oh - er - me and Remus are going to -"

"You said you'd help me make a start on the potion!"

"I know, but...well, we've hardly had any time alone lately, and -"

"Oh...well, if that's what you mean, why didn't you say so?" I gaped at her.

"What?"

"Although I think it would maybe be better for you to wait a bit longer," she went on. "Still, it's your decision. I'll make sure Lily doesn't go in the dormitory, so you won't have any interruptions -"

"Kacia!"

"What?"

"I'm not going to shag him!" I hissed. "We're going for a picnic!"

"Oh! Well, why didn't you say so?"

"I didn't get a bloody chance!"

"Chloe? You ready?"

I turned to see Remus, and I cringed at the thought that he might have overheard our conversation.

"See you later," Kacia said. And then, as we were walking away, she yelled down the corridor (so everyone could hear), "And don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"I'm going to kill her," I muttered.

"She's probably just annoyed that your boyfriend makes an effort and Sirius is lazier than a sloth in a hammock."

"True. So where are we going?"

"I told you, down by the lake."

"Oh...I thought we'd be going somewhere a bit more private."

"It's a bloody school, Chloe, there's hardly anywhere private. Anyway, I thought I heard you tell Kacia that you're not going to shag me. We don't need anywhere private."

I felt myself go pale.

"You - heard?"

"I was standing right behind you."

"Oh, God..."

"Don't worry about it," Remus said. "I'm not ready either."

"You must be the only sixth-year male in school who's willing to admit that."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It's a good thing, definitely."

"Why?"

"Because it means that you're not going to try it on when you're not wanted."

"Don't be so sure," Remus grinned, and pulled me towards him for a kiss right there and then in the corridor.

"Mr. Lupin - Miss Parker - perhaps it would be best to keep your affections for a more private place, would it not?"

We sprang apart like we'd been electrocuted and turned to see the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore.

"Er - sorry, Professor," I mumbled, going beetroot. Dumbledore just smiled and walked away. "Never do that again," I mock-scolded Remus. "What if that had been Professor McGonagall?"

"Then we'd have got a severe glare, a reprimand and points taken from Gryffindor. Now come on, we need to go to the kitchens..."

***

The house-elves were more than happy to give us food - in fact, they just about threw it at us - and Remus took the opportunity of being down there to ask which the Slytherin table was. Once that task was out of the way, we took the basket of food that they'd given us and went outside.

We found a quite secluded little clearing that was deserted apart from a little group of Hufflepuff second-years. Remus told them to clear off, which they did, and we settled down with the basket.

A few sandwiches later, we were mid-kiss when I heard a very familiar voice say, "Well, how very cosy this is."

There was no springing apart this time - we both recognised who it was speaking. We slowly untangled from each other and looked up to see Severus Snape and his merry band of Slytherins standing above us.

"What do you want, Snape?" Remus sighed. He was a bit more tolerant towards Snape than Sirius and James, but he still disliked him.

"Nothing...we were merely taking a walk, that's all..." He looked contemptuously at me, and I glared back at him. "Good God, Lupin - is this how tragic your life is? So desperate for a girlfriend that you've taken to corrupting pathetically innocent Mudbloods? I thought even you -"

His words were cut off as Remus jumped to his feet and aimed a punch at Snape's head (or rather his nose, which incidentally took up most of his head). A second later, a fully-fledged fight had broken out, five Slytherins against Remus. They were encircled around him, and although I couldn't see what was happening, I knew it wouldn't be doing him any good.

"Get off him!" I shrieked, flinging myself at the nearest one, Evan Rosier. It made no difference; he pushed me aside as though I were a paper doll. Knowing that there was no point in trying that again, I pulled out my wand and shouted the first spell that came into my head.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Why oh why did I have to shout that spell, of all things? The spell hit Rosier, who flew up into the air. I panicked and shouted again.

"Stupefy!"

He froze and fell. I quickly Stunned another, Thomas Lestrange, and he hit the ground too.

The others looked worried, and were glancing at Snape for instructions. He hesitated for a moment, and then jerked his head towards the castle and they all ran off.

"Remus - are you all right?"

I helped him gently to his feet. He winced slightly as he breathed. "What's wrong?"

"I think they broke my ribs," he muttered, and then laughed softly. "Beaten up by Slytherins...I'll never live that down..."

"Why did you hit Snape?" I asked, magically cleaning away some of the blood on his face.

"You know why. They insulted you."

"That temper's going to get you into big trouble one day. You shouldn't have done it."

"I know, but I couldn't help it. It was just - instinct."

"Oh well...come on, you'd better go to the hospital wing."

"No."

"For God's sake, Remus, if you have got a broken rib or two then Madam Pomfrey's the only one who can sort it out. My mum's a Mediwitch, so I know a bit about sorting out minor injuries, but there's no way I can fix broken bones. I'm not even supposed to do minor injuries, 'cos I'm not trained."

"Well - just sort out some of the facial injuries first, OK? If it comes to it I'll say I fell down the stairs."

"Snape will have gone straight to Dumbledore anyway," I said mournfully. I pressed my wand to his cheekbone. "Desino obtero."

The bruises cleared instantly, and I quickly cleared the small cuts that littered his face. There was just one that I couldn't cure - a fairly deep gash that ran just in front of his right ear.

"How did that happen?" I asked, gently touching it. He winced.

"One of them had a little knife, I think."

"We should have left the injuries," I said suddenly.

"Why?"

"Evidence. But still, if they did break your ribs...and then there's the cut on your face...should be enough. Come on, let's go, before those two idiots wake up."

***

Madam Pomfrey didn't ask too many questions, and confirmed that Remus did in fact have two broken ribs. He stuck to the "I fell down the stairs" story, but a few minutes after we arrived at the hospital wing, Professor Dumbledore arrived, an anxious-faced Professor McGonagall and a smug-looking Snape in tow. Remus and I exchanged a glance. This was not good.

"Madam Pomfrey, could you leave us for a moment, please?" Dumbledore said. Madam Pomfrey nodded and retreated to her office. Dumbledore turned to me. "Miss Parker, would you like to stay?" I nodded. He turned to Remus and sighed heavily. "Mr. Lupin, I have been informed that you started a fight against five Slytherins."

Remus nodded silently. Snape was looking so smug by now that I wanted to get my wand and hex him all over.

"I am also told that you Stunned two of the Slytherins and blasted one of them into the air," Dumbledore went on. Remus bit his lip, hesitated, and then nodded.

"No!" I cried. "It wasn't Remus that hexed them, that was me! Remus only hit Snape, and then they all started on him!"

"She's lying," Snape said coldly, glaring at me. Dumbledore looked swiftly at me, and then back to Remus.

"Is Miss Parker telling the truth?" he asked. Remus looked at me, held my gaze for a moment, and then shook his head.

"No."

I knew that there was no use protesting. I bit my lip and stared at the ground.

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "Minerva, I will leave it to you to discuss Mr. Lupin's punishment."

He turned and left, Snape right behind him. I had never seen Professor McGonagall look so severe - well, except maybe when she was purple (thanks to Kacia), but then it was funny because she looked like an angry aubergine. Now she just looked angry.

"I would have thought that you would have had more sense, Lupin," she said. "Starting fights with Slytherins - I understand that there is a certain level of rivalry between you and Severus Snape, but when it gets to violence then it is just ridiculous! I want you to give me your word that it will not happen again."

"It won't," Remus said flatly.

"Good. Now, as for your punishment...seventy-five points from Gryffindor and six weeks' detention." She stood up and left.

"I'm going after her," I declared. I started to stand up, but Remus reached out and grabbed my wrist.

"Don't be so stupid."

"I'm not being stupid! I'm not letting you take all the blame when it was partly my fault."

"I've already taken all the blame! There's nothing you can do now, she won't believe you."

"Yes she will." I wrenched my arm free from Remus' grip. "I've always been an expert at making myself cry. Let's see if she can resist the infamous Parker Tears."

"You're being stupid."

"No, you're being stupid. Why did you tell Dumbledore that it was you who hexed the Slytherins?" Remus mumbled something under his breath. "What?" He mumbled again. "Remus, either speak properly or shut up, I can't hear you."

"I said because I think I'm falling in love with you."

My mouth dropped, and my eyes welled up with tears - real tears, not fake ones.

"Do you mean that?"

"Yes." I reached out and grasped his hand briefly.

"That's why I have to go and tell McGonagall that it was me."

"What?"

"I'm falling for you, too."

I turned and ran from the hospital wing before he could stop me. I didn't bother wiping the tears from my eyes - they'd be useful in convincing McGonagall that I was telling the truth.

I raced down the corridor and reached Professor McGonagall's office more quickly than I'd expected. I knocked sharply on the door, and a moment later, I heard her voice.

"Come in."

Taking a breath, I opened the door and meekly entered. She looked surprised to see me.

"It's about Remus," I blurted, before she could say anything. She raised her eyebrows.

"Take a seat." I sat down in front of her desk. "What is it?"

I stared at the floor for a moment, forcing tears into my eyes. Not too many, though; I didn't want her getting suspicious. I looked up.

"It wasn't Remus that hexed those Slytherins. It was me."

"Miss Parker, we've been through this before - it is my belief, and Professor Dumbledore's belief, that you are trying to cover up for Mr. Lupin."

"No I'm not, he was covering up for me," I told her. "Remus hit Snape because he called me 'a pathetically innocent Mudblood', and then all the Slytherins crowded round him. I couldn't really tell what was happening, but I couldn't see Remus anymore and I could hear him sort of in pain, it was awful. I ran at one of them, but he pushed me aside, and I - I just shouted the first thing that came into my head, and he went shooting into the sky. I panicked, Stunned him, and then I Stunned another of them. They looked at Snape, and then ran off. Remus and I talked, and he knew he'd been stupid but it was just instinct that had made him react like that, and then he asked me to clean up his facial injuries and said he'd tell Madam Pomfrey that he'd fallen down the stairs."

Professor McGonagall was staring at me with an odd expression on her face. At first I thought it might be because I'd been talking too fast, but then she spoke.

"Instinct...of course," she murmured.

"What?" I asked, bewildered.

"Nothing." She ran a hand over her forehead and sighed. "Very well, I believe you. Mr. Lupin's punishment will be cut to three weeks, and you will also receive three weeks' detention. The points taken from Gryffindor will remain the same, and I will write to both your parents."

"And the Slytherins?" I asked hopefully.

"I will inform Professor Equitas - and Professor Dumbledore, of course," she added. "They will not escape punishment."

"Good," I said, and brushing the tears from my eyes, I stood up and left.

***

"You did what?" Lily gasped. She was the only one sounding horrified, though - Sirius, Kacia, James and Peter were all laughing like loons. Remus looked as though he wanted to laugh, too, although his still sore ribs meant that he had to satisfy himself with grinning.

"Oh, God - I wish I could have seen Evan Rosier's face when you shot him into the air," Sirius grinned.

"It's not funny, Sirius," Lily snapped.

"No, trust me, it is," James said.

"Remus broke two of his ribs - don't you even care?"

"He's suffered worse," Sirius pointed out. "And he's fine now, so what does it matter?"

"It does matter, though - Gryffindor have lost seventy-five points."

"Lily, will you just stop going on about the House Cup and Gryffindor?" Kacia said. "It's so boring. Does it honestly matter if we lose a few points? You'll get them back anyway, Professor Flitwick loves you."

"You want to watch out, James," I said. "She'll be running off with him next."

James laughed, but Lily looked like she was going to cry.

"Stop being so ridiculous!" She got to her feet and ran up the stairs.

God, why did I always have to put my foot in it?