A Love Without Time (Remus Lupin)

Nine.

-Remus- 
   
On March 10th, I turned 16. One more year to the day and I will be allowed to do magic like a free man. Ellie has been spending a lot of time with sixth year Garrett Chase, so I haven't really gotten to hang out with her. It's not that she can't have other friends, but I haven't gotten to spend time with her since she started helping Garrett.
   
On my birthday, I spent some time with Ellie. She found me in the Common Room, and exclaimed a happy little chorus of, "Happy Birthday, Moony!" While she handed me a Honeydukes bag full of chocolate.
   
"Awe thank you, Ellie," I tell her and we share a quick hug. She sat next to me on the couch, smiling happily.
   
"One more year until you're of age. That has to be exciting."
   
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it," I admit to her.
   
"Well, in the meantime, how are you celebrating your 16th? What are you doing today?"
   
"I don't know, I think that the other guys have something planned, but they won't tell me. Do you know anything?"
   
I asked her this knowing the answer already. She didn't know what the guys had planned. She was too busy spending all her time with Garrett these days. In fact, this was the first time we've had a conversation more than a few minutes since she started helping him.
   
"No, I don't. They kept it between the three of them," she told me, like I didn't already know.
   
Ellie smiled again and it was then that I realized something about her that I've noticed about her before, but it never really had an effect on me before. She's very pretty. Anyone with eyes knew Eloise was pretty, so it's not really a surprise.
   
My heart started beating very fast. I felt blood drain from my face. My stomach felt tight. I was nervous. Why was I nervous? I was just talking to Ellie. Maybe it's because we haven't hung out one-on-one like this in nearly a month that her beauty just caught me off guard for a second. I'm not used to it anymore.
   
Yeah, that had to be it.
   
We started talking about the newest History of Magic essay that Binns assigned the other day and we started to talk about preparing for the O.W.L. exams but our conversation was cut short when Garrett Chase came running in the Common Room shouting for Ellie. When he reached us, he handed her a piece of parchment and said, "Full marks! Look!"
   
"Oh Merlin!" Ellie exclaims, excitedly. "I knew you could do it!"
   
She stood up and hugged the tall boy. I was taller than he was, but Ellie is so petite that everyone seemed to tower over her no matter how tall they were.
   
"I have to go show McGonagall, so she won't kick me off the team."
   
"Oh I will come with you! I want to see the look on her face."
   
She turned to me, and said, "I will see you later, Remus. Happy Birthday!" And then she took off with Garrett.
   
I couldn't figure out why I felt so angry about this. She didn't have to go with him. But once again Garrett Chase is more important to her. It's like everyone is nonexistent since they have become friends. It's a pretty shitty way to treat your friends. Maybe she fancied him, and they'd end up together in no time and then they'd become one of those couples that are obsessed with each other and then we would all really be invisible to her.
   
Why did that make me so upset? Because Garrett is taking up all her time? Probably. It was something that I never thought of. She was slowly becoming a stranger again as quickly as she became my friend. I expressed this concern to Sirius and the others, but they all just teased me that I liked Ellie, which wasn't true. I did like Ellie, but not like that.
   
She also missed the Full Moon in March because of a late night study session with Garrett. Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs all waited nearly an hour for her, but she never showed up. This was what I needed to know for sure we were losing her.
   
The next day I expressed this concern to Sirius one night when James was at Quidditch practice. He chuckled at me and said, "Goodness Moony, you really are clueless, aren't you?"
   
"What do you mean?" I ask, my tone hard.
   
"We're not losing Ellie. You're not losing Ellie. She's in love with you."
   
"What?" I ask, shocked.
   
"I thought you were smart enough to figure it out for yourself by now, but obviously not. She fancies you. Not Garrett. How have you not noticed? I picked up on it right away mate."
   
"She told you this? Or is this one of your assumptions?"
   
"We've had plenty of conversations about it," he assures me, nodding. "I promised her I wouldn't tell you but since you haven't put it together by yourself I have to say something."
   
I felt a sudden rush of relief. Ellie fancied me. Me. Not Garrett. My heart felt so full. My stomach had butterflies in it. My cheeks felt hot. This feeling wasn't a hard one to figure out. Ellie fancied me, and I fancy her too. It suddenly all makes sense now.
   
"Sirius, I think I fancy her, too."
   
I've never seen him smile so wide and so happy. "About damn time, mate."