Her Single Rose (Remus Lupin)

Twenty-Seven

Slightly skipping down the halls, Aries felt light and happy. It was her first time out of the Hospital Wing in a couple weeks and she rather liked her new found freedom.

Aries was alone and relaxed and since Pomfrey excused her to leave while everyone was in class, she took towards the library.

The raven haired girl breathed in the cold air as she passed through a corridor with open arched walls. Too long had it been since Aries felt the breeze on her face and surprisingly, she missed it.

Finding one of the only sanctuaries she had known, Aries stepped into the silence of the library. With a slight creak of the big old doors, she noticed that the only one else in the library was a boy with chocolate colored eyes, of which were staring right at her.

"Merlin, you're alive." Aries rolled her eyes at the cheeky joke, a smile stealing her lips.

Remus Lupin was sitting by himself bookmarking his page while Aries found a seat across from him. The window, only a table away from them, was open slightly ajar allowing a fresh cool breeze to inhabit the rather toasty library.

"It's not like I ever died, and if I did, I'd be back as a ghost like Nearly Headless Nick and haunt you and the boys for the rest of your lives." Aries retorted.

Remus grinned, "if you were a ghost like Nearly Headless Nick, wouldn't you be bound to Hogwarts? Even so, I'm flattered you'd spend your time haunting us. Just means we've grown on you." Aries shook her head, almost laughing at her next words.

"Not quite, I would be a ghost like Nearly Headless Nick, I wouldn't be bound, but I'd be a ghost. Put you through enough hell to make you hate me like you hate peeves." She wiggled her brows.

Remus only smiled softly, "Trust me when I say, I could never hate you. We could never hate you."

"Not even if I was a ghost like peeves?" Aries raised a brow.

"Not even a ghost like peeves." Remus shrugged.

The two laughed for a moment at the ridiculousness of their conversation before Aries settled, "So you decided to skip class for a book? You don't have an open class right now."

"Stalking me?" Remus asked wiggling his brows making Aries roll her eyes, "No I didn't skip class to just read a book. Professor doesn't let us eat in class and I had a craving." He shrugged before beginning to pull a chocolate bar from his pocket.

Aries chuckled slightly at the spectacle of Remus hiding a chocolate bar in the middle of class and getting caught. She thought for a moment about the knowledge she held on Remus Lupin and realized why he had decided on really skipping class.

He looked tired, slight shadows under his eyes. Aries hesitated for a moment before speaking such words with a tone of double meaning, "Remus, is it that time of the month."

The semi-seriousness of Aries voice made Remus' head snap toward her. A slit of fear was made known to her before he quickly covered it.

"I don't under-"

"Hand over the chocolate, Lupin, it's my time too." Aries let off a lopsided grin, holding out her palm. His reaction told her everything she needed to know about how he felt about her knowing. For the moment, she just wouldn't tell him she knew.

As soon as the words fell from her lips, his shoulders relaxed and his expression contorted into one of playfulness. He put half the bar in her hand making her raise a brow.

"I assume this is your stash of chocolate and you're giving me half the bar. Salazar, Rem. I must be special." Aries gasped in dramatics.

Remus shook his head with a chuckle.