A Love Without Time (Remus Lupin)

Eleven.

Lily was okay after what happened. She put on a strong act. I kept telling her that I tried to make Remus step it but even she knew that James and Sirius wouldn't listen to him. That night Severus threatened to sleep outside of Gryffindor Tower unless Lily talked to him. That's what he told Lily at least. So she talked to him just to get him to leave, and told him she didn't want anything to do with him anymore, that he was heading down the Death Eater Path and she didn't want any part of that.

I don't like to say his name, but a Death Eater is a supporter of Lord Voldemort. He's on the rise gaining power and followers getting stronger every day. Some of Sirius's cousins are supporters of his. His cousin Bellatrix is a really big supporter of his. His cousin Narcissa isn't a Death Eater, but she's married to one and her sister is one so she is in the inner circle. They're all in their 20's and off being terrible people according to Sirius. He has one normal cousin though, she got disowned by his family when she married a Muggle born Wizard named Ted Tonks. They had a baby about three years ago now and they're very happy.

I prefer not to think about You-Know-Who gaining power and trying to take over the world. It's horrible to think about. I tried my best to think about other things. Like how things with Remus are going absolutely fantastic. I did tell him he shouldn't be so dismissive of James and Sirius's behavior just because they're his mates. He's a prefect and he should stand up to them when he knows what they're doing is wrong, but other than that we've been great.

I would like for him to meet my mum over the Summer Holidays. I think she would love him. He's respectful enough, and he treats me so well. She would love to see first hand how happy he makes me. Remus is important to me so I want them to meet.

I started bringing it up about a week into the Holidays that I wanted my mum to meet Remus. She agreed, and said she wanted to meet him. I didn't tell her he was a werewolf. I tried but then I chickened out. And then finally it was the day before Remus was set to come over, and I decided I needed to tell her because I knew she'd figure it out by taking one look at him.

She was cleaning up dinner when I joined her, deciding that it was time to tell her. "Mum," I say, getting her attention, "there's something that I should tell you about Remus."

"What is it dear?" She asks, keeping her eyes on the counter she was wiping down.

"He has something in common with dad," I told her, and that was all I needed to say. She stopped wiping down the countertop, but she didn't look at me.

"Do not tell me that your boyfriend is a werewolf, Eloise."

"Would it really be a problem if he was?" I ask, sheepishly. "Dad was and that didn't stop you from loving him. Remus is a human being, just like dad was."

Her whole demeanor just changes at my words. "Of course he is a human, but he's going to have such a hard life. You know your father struggled so hard to keep a job. He was so glad that you and Archibald didn't inherit his condition. He didn't want that life for you two. He didn't want it for me, either. I can't imagine he'd be happy about it, either."

"I understand, and I expected this reaction from you. But he is such an amazing boyfriend he treats me so well. I know you're just going to love him once you see that for yourself. He is absolutely one of the most amazing people I have ever met."

She sighs, I know that I had convinced her. Or at least I thought that I had. I was wrong. "Have you had sex with this boy?"

"Mum!" I shriek, "We've been dating for three months. No we have not had sex."

"Okay, okay," she says defensively. "You just seem very attached to him, I was just curious. I'm sorry for assuming."

Before I could say anything else, there was a knock on the front door, Archie called from the family room that he would get it. A second later I heard my brother calling for me. Mum followed me out to the hall to see who it was that was here for me. I gasped when I saw Sirius Black standing in the doorway looking like a lost puppy dog.

"Sirius," I say, stepping forward.

"This isn't your boyfriend, is it?" My mum asks.

"No, mum, but he is my friend," I tell her.

"I'm so sorry to drop in like this," says Sirius, "I had nowhere else to go. I wrote to James, but I couldn't stay in that house another second, and you were the closest. I'm sorry."

"You ran away from home?" I ask, shocked. He always talked about it, but I never thought that he would actually do it.

"Oh come inside, dear," my mum says in her most motherly tone. My brother stepped aside and Sirius entered the house. "You can stay with us until you get a reply from James. Eloise has told me about you. You're the Black boy, right?"

"Yes," he answers, nodding.

"Oh you poor baby," my mum is in full mothering mode. "Do you need a hug?"

There were tears in his eyes and his voice was strained as he said, "Yes," and then he threw his arms around my mum, and she held onto him as he started to cry into her shirt.

She rubs his back with one of her hands and says, "There, there, you let it out. It's alright." Then she takes his bag from him and hands it to Archie, telling him to put it in the guest room. Then she tells me to go start some hot coco. About a minute later she and Sirius are walking into the kitchen and my mum announced, "I'm going to go make sure the guest room is made up properly. I'll be back."

It was just Sirius and I told him to have a seat at the table. As I made up the hot coco, I said, "So do you want to talk about it, or do you want a distraction?"

"Regulus said he would join the Death Eaters if he had the chance," he says quickly. Not thinking about it, and then he added, "Of course I told him he was mental, and my mother told him he was doing the right thing. Suddenly I was the one in the wrong. I was just so sick of them that I couldn't control myself anymore. I had to get out."

"Well you came to the right place," I tell him, as I started pouring the milk for the coco. I walked the coco over to the table and I sat with him.

"Thanks," he says, taking the mug of coco from me. "I just can't believe that my parents are actually encouraging their son to join that...that...that terrorist that calls himself a lord. It's absolutely disgusting. I looked him right in the face and told him I will be proud to fight against him, because it's the right thing to do. Then I ran up to my room and packed my things and came here."

I placed a comforting hand onto his back, "You did the right thing getting out of there, Sirius."

"Thanks," he says and then sipped his coco. "Well, enough about me and how my summer has gone. How has your summer been going so far?"

"Pretty good," I tell him, "Remus is coming over tomorrow."

"Oh really? Is he meeting your mum for the first time?"

"He is," I nod happily.

"Aren't you nervous she's going to take one look at him and find out about his condition?"

"I told her tonight, actually, to avoid that happening. We were actually just talking about it when you showed up."

"Your mum is going to love him. There's no need to worry. Out of all of us, Remus is the one you take to meet your parents."

"Well that's good to hear," my mum said as she entered the kitchen again. She joins up at the table, smiling. "Archibald tells me that he's in detention a lot."

"Not nearly as much as James and I are, Mrs. Greene. He's very respectful. He gets a little irritable when it gets close to the Full Moon, but other than that he's great."

My mum chuckles at his little joke. "I like you," she tells him, smiling at him, too. "You stay as long as you want. If James's parents say there's no room at their place, you're staying here."

"Thank you," says Sirius, and I can tell from his tone that it was a very genuine thank you.

The next morning I woke up to my mum and Sirius making breakfast while my brother was sitting at the table drinking his morning tea. Sirius had his bed head curls tied up in a bun resting at the bottom of his neck.

"Morning Ellie," called Sirius when he noticed me, "What time are we expecting Moony over?"

"Um, a bit before lunch time," I told him. He nods.

"Hopefully James responds soon, but if not I should be here when Remus arrives."

"No one is rushing you out of here, dear," my mum assures him.

"I know," he says, "I just don't want to burden you anymore than I need to."

"You're not a burden, dear."

Sirius smiled at her in response.

When Remus arrived later that day, both Sirius and I waited for him by the fireplace. I ran up to him and hugged him tightly, wrapping my arms around his long, thin torso. He chuckled at my response to seeing him. "I missed you, too, Bunny."

We hugged for a good moment, even sneaking a quick kiss before my mum entered the room, and he was surprised to see that Sirius was here, but he was glad to hear Sirius was out of his family home. James responded to Sirius's letter soon after Remus arrived, saying his parents would be glad to take him in. He felt such relief at this news.

Sirius was a great buffer for Remus meeting my mum. He was a little nervous, but he was able to get used to her quickly and he became himself as the day went on. Sirius went to the Potters before dinner with his bag of clothes. Remus left after dinner that day.

I helped my mum clean up after Remus left. I just wanted to see what she thought of him. I started drying the dishes while she washed them. I didn't even have to ask her, she just started talking about Remus.

"I have to admit, I see why you like him."

"You do?" I ask, smiling happily.

"I do," she says, nodding, "He's very sweet, and kind, and respectful. Very handsome too, for a teenage boy I mean."

I laughed at that. "He's very handsome, yes," I agree with her.

"I think you may have found a good one, Eloise," she says, and I knew she meant it. It meant a lot to me, to know that she liked Remus. He's so amazing and I really hoped she would like him. I'm so glad that she does.

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Here's Part 11!

I know Sirius didn't leave home until he was 17, and he's 16 here. But it's my story so I switched it up a little bit.

-Emily Winchester.