crushed - remus lupin

-thirteen-

"Let me down!"

"Only if you say the magic word!"

"Which one? There are literally thousands!"

"Please, you spoiled brat!"

"I am not a spoiled brat! If I am, then you're a party pooper!"

Celeste was slung over Remus's shoulder as a result of her beating Remus in a muggle game he introduced to her, something called Monopoly. Whatever it was called, she was so much better at it than he was.

Apparently, Remus Lupin is a sore loser.

Well that much is evident.

Today was August 29th, meaning it was Celeste's birthday. Usually people figured that she wanted to do expensive things, get lots of presents, and all the usual rich kid things, since they always figured that was what she was used to.

No one would imagine that she had spent every birthday since her eleventh in her room, with only her record player as company.

That being said, when Remus asked what she'd like to do, she simply said, "Spend time with you."

He had been fairly taken aback at her response, but if that was what she wanted, he was going to give it to her. That was why they had spent the entire day playing various muggle board games, and watching the Lupin's entire collection of Disney movies.

"I mean, I love romances as much as the next person, but it's always so much better when they can survive on their own. Like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty? That's pathetic. Wake up on your own, goddamnit! You don't need him." Celeste ranted.

Remus couldn't help but be distracted by the way her nose scrunched up adorably as she described how insufferable the patriarchy was and how the male gaze affected women day to day. She may look like a cold Malfoy at first glance, but with the way she was talking right now, he couldn't imagine that anyone could see her that way. She was just so passionate and intelligent and kind, he couldn't fathom how someone could be that perfect.

Perfect?

Remus backtracked through his thoughts for a moment.

A perfect... friend?

Nice save, dude.

"Rem? Did you hear me?" Celeste looked at him with a face that said she knew he didn't.

"Oh... err, no, sorry what did you say?"

Celeste let out a laugh. "Oh nothing, I was just saying that I think James and Lily will get together towards the end of this year, it's inevitable."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. James is an idiot, he won't be able to get her to date him until at least halfway through seventh. They're both too scared for it to be that soon."

"Care to bet?"

"Deal."

Soon enough, they had made bets on every potential couple in the castle.

"Mary MacDonald and Peter?" Celeste suggested.

"No offense to Wormy, but I don't think he'll be able to pull that off." Remus said,catching some popcorn Celeste tossed into his mouth.

"Hm, can't bet there, since I agree. What about Ella and Sirius?"

Remus took a moment to think. "They're both super rash and bold, so I think it'll be a while because they'll both expect the other to say it first."

"I see your point," Celeste hummed. "But I think that it'll be soon, and they'll both blurt it out at the same time."

"Five sickles?"

"You betcha, Moony."

The two had no idea how many bets were riding on them.

The number?

3,252

-

"UNO!!! I RULE AT THIS GAME!!"

Remus threw his cards down on the table in mock anger.

"You had to have been cheating!"

Celeste stuck her tongue out at him and began saying in a singsong voice, "Nope, you just suck at this!"

Remus was not going to let her get away with that, and so he decided to chase the blonde around the house, determined to make her admit that he was better at it than she was.

Celeste rounded a corner, nearly tripping over with her socks and the slick floor. As determined as Remus was, she was more so. She had a plan. Celeste ran through the door to Remus's room and hid beside the door frame. As soon as he ran through to catch her, she seized her moment, and jumped on his back.

Unfortunately, she hadn't thought it through completely, and Remus very quickly toppled over.

Leaving them in the very awkward position of them laying in the floor, Celeste on top of Remus.

No one dared to breathe for a moment. The air was thick with tension. It was as if the world had come to a halt. Neither of them moved in fear that the universe would come crashing down if they did.

"Hey, kids, so we'll get going to the station tomorrow fairly early so make sure you're packed and-" Hope Lupin stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the two.

The teenagers scrambled up off of the floor, chattering to Remus' mom in the hope that enough of a conversation would get rid of the situation they had just found themselves in.

Though no matter how much conversation they made, it didn't wipe the excited smile off of Hope's face. She and her husband, Lyall, had been waiting for those two to finally do something about their feelings since Remus had come home after his first year, telling stories of a beautiful blonde girl that made the best jokes and had the most gorgeous eyes and-

They couldn't even remember everything he said, since he seemed to be bursting at the seams with joy at the mere thought of this girl. They had been fairly worried for their child, because the kind of love he seemed to convey usually fell fast and crushed your heart along with it, and Hope and Lyall didn't want their innocent son to have to deal with that at such a young age. Because of this, they unconsciously seemed to have a distaste for the girl every time Remus would talk about her, and it didn't help that they both knew unsavory things about the girls family. Lyall was a muggle born, while Hope a pureblood, and so they had heard many things about the Malfoy family, and worried about this girls capacity for kindness. The two parents had also worried about how Remus' future spouse would deal with his condition. Most werewolves never found a partner, simply because they either couldn't find someone understanding enough to deal with it, or didn't want to sentence their significant other to a life of a werewolf, so could this girl handle it? And if she couldn't, how would Remus take it? Hope and Lyall couldn't help but be nervous about their sons' future.

That all changed when they met the girl in question. Celeste Malfoy radiated a light that everyone could see, it was hopeless to try and deny it. Her first words to Hope Lupin were, "I love your hair so much!" At the time, Celeste hadn't even known that she was Remus' mother, she believed it was merely a compliment to a stranger at the train station. That was when Remus' parents decided to stop worrying, someone like that would never leave Remus' side, even if he tried to push her away.

Hope knew it was only a matter of time before those two found their way to one another, because as much as they may be together physically, emotionally they were as far apart as can be. But they didn't want to be.

She could tell.

a/n

hey guys!

this is kinda fluffy just cause

love you all!

remember to vote and comment!

ella <3<3