A Love Without Time (Remus Lupin)

Thirty-Three.

It was a few days later, and I wanted to speak to Elllie in her office. Nothing particular, I just wanted to hang out with her. When I arrived there I started up the stairs and I heard the voice of Fred Weasley. I knew it was Fred because I could hear Ellie laughing. "Freddie, dear, that was highly inappropriate."
   
His tone sounded very persistent when he spoke, "I will win your heart one day, Eloise."
   
"That's Professor Greene, to you, Mr. Weasley. Now get out of here and quit flirting with me before I write to your mother to tell her how inappropriate her son is."
   
"You really think she'd be surprised?" He asked, his tone flirtatious and it made Ellie laugh at him.
   
"Not one bit, but she wouldn't be happy about it," she told him, that was when I reached the room. Ellie noticed me, "Remus, hello."
   
"Hello Eloise," I greeted her.
   
Fred was looking at Ellie with puppy dog eyes. The way Matt always looked at her. Typical that one of Molly's boys has a crush on her. She was younger and fit. If I was a teenage boy and she was my mum's friend, I'd fancy her too.
   
"Freddie," she says looking at him, "You have Quidditch practice and I know Oliver Wood will be very upset if you show up late for it."
   
"Right, well, I'll see you in class tonight," he says and then he exits the room.
   
"So, he has a crush on you?" I asked, and I couldn't help but smirk.
   
She sighed, sounding annoyed, "Since he was about 11."
   
"I don't blame him," I told her, smiling a little bit. "If you were my mum's friend and my Professor I would fancy you, too."
   
She smirked at me, "Oh yeah?"
   
I nodded, "Yeah, but lucky for me, you're not. So I can do this." I stepped over to her and I kissed her passionately. She gladly returned the kiss, and we stayed like that for a good moment until I pulled back from her. "I was wondering if maybe you'd come stay with me tonight?" I asked her, and she smiled up at me.
   
"I would love that," she said.
   
That was when Bradley walked into the room. As he started up the stairs he was calling out, "Mum! Are you here?"
   
"Upstairs darling!" She called out to him.
   
He walked into the room a moment later. In my mind, I've been calling him Mini Matt, because he looks just like his father. I had to remind myself that his name was Bradley, he was a Hufflepuff, and he wasn't his father no matter if he looked exactly like him. There wasn't a single trace of Ellie in either of her children's physical features. Bradley even sounded like Matt when he spoke.
   
"I made the team!" He exclaimed excitedly.
   
"You did?!" Ellie exclaimed too and then she ran to hug her son, who was 13 and only about an inch shorter than her. "I'm so proud of you, darling!"
   
I smiled watching her hug her son. She was such a loving mum, I saw it the other day with Lyanna, too. Her kids really are her entire world. It was so sweet. It actually made me glad that we broke up so she could have this. I couldn't give her children, so I was glad she did get them.
   
"I knew Cedric would put you on the team! I'm so excited for you!"
   
"Congrats, Bradley," I said, my tone wasn't as excited as his mothers was but he knew it was genuine. "What position do you play?"
   
"Chaser," he said, sounding proud.
   
"Like your dad and Aunt Marlene," I said, smiling.
   
He beamed happily, "Yeah!"
   
"Oh you're going to do so well," said Ellie and she pulled him in and kissed his cheek. "I'm so bloody proud of you!"
   
He hugged her again, "Thanks mum. I have to go meet Lyanna in the library but I wanted to come tell you first."
   
"Okay, baby, have fun," she tells him and then he's off.
   
"Are they close?" I asked, "Your twins, I mean."

She smiled at me. "Oh they're best friends. It's only been the two of them together since they were about 5, so they became super close. I would take them to the Burrow to see the Weasley's as much as I could. They pretty much grew up in this castle."
   
"That must have been so much fun."
   
"And also very lonely," she pointed out, "I hated taking them so far from kids their own age. They really only had each other. But Fred and George really took to them once they started here. They would always come by after classes and hang out with them while they did homework. It was so sweet."
   
"The only time I have ever seen Lyanna without George is when she's in class."
   
"They're best friends. I'm not quite sure they've figured it out yet but they definitely fancy each other. They'll figure it out when they're older."
   
I chuckled at that.
   
"You're an amazing mother, Ellie. I'm so glad that you were able to be a mother."
   
"I wish they were your children, too," she says without thinking about it. It surprised me how easily and quickly she admitted it.
   
"You don't mean that, you loved Matt," I reminded her.
   
"Not nearly like I loved you. I fell for him because he was there for me when I needed him, and he was sweet to me. It wasn't like I loved you. It was out of convenience, it took me a while to figure that out, but I'm glad that I did. You were always the one that I wanted to end up with. As much as I love seeing Matt and Marlene in my children after losing them, I wish they were yours."
   
"That's very sweet of you, Bunny, I'm flattered, really."
   
"I still think you would have been an amazing father, Remus."
   
"Maybe, but we'll never know," I shrugged. "I will see you tonight."
   
She nods, "You will."
   
So she came to my room that night, and a few nights in a row after that. We were making up for lost time. We deserved it, after all the time we've spent apart. I felt so great. The students were actually learning how to defend themselves, and according to Ellie they all loved having me as their Professor, especially her kids. On top of that, I had Ellie back.
   
We hadn't put a label on our relationship, but we're having fun and enjoying each other. Everything was how it should be. I was falling for her again. That was for sure. I couldn't help it. She was still so beautiful, and motherhood has made her even more of an amazing person. I was absolutely crazy about her.
   
Halloween was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the school year, and I found Harry Potter walking around by himself. I asked him why he wasn't in Hogsmeade with the rest of his schoolmates, and he said he didn't get his permission slip signed.
   
I offered to show him the grindylow in my office. He accepted this offer and we went to my office together and talked. Soon after we arrived, Severus appeared with the Wolfsbane Potion for me. Harry got nervous, saying Snape was after my job and I shouldn't drink the potion. I drank it anyway because I knew it wasn't anything harmful.
   
He was a bright lad, I was glad that I got that time alone with him. He looked like James, but there was a lot of Lily in him. He was kind, and kind of quiet. That wasn't the James in him. James made sure everyone knew he was there whenever he entered a room. Harry didn't want the attention, he'd be happy without it.
   
Tonight was the full moon, and I knew Ellie would be there with me like she was last month. After dinner, however, something terrible happened. Sirius had gotten into the castle. He tried to get into Gryffindor Tower, but instead he ripped up the Fat Lady's portrait when she wouldn't let him in. That's how the Gryffindor students found it after.
   
All of the students were sleeping in the Great Hall tonight. Ellie and I showered the Astronomy Tower together for any traces of our old friend. "This is ridiculous," she scoffed. "He's not here. He left after the Fat Lady refused to let him in."
   
"I know, but we have to check, Bunny," I reminded her. 
   
"Part of me wants to find him myself so I can kill him," she said. A fire was suddenly burning in her. I've seen her in full rage, and believe me it is terrifying. "He took way too much from me. He's the reason my children have no father, he's the reason all of my friends are dead. He took nearly everything from me."
   
"Not me," I reminded her.
   
She smiled in response. "No, not you. You're one of the few things that he didn’t take from me."
   
I kissed her then. Hard and passionately. We stayed like this for a good moment until we heard a voice. "Excuse me," said the voice of Severus Snape, "There is a killer loose in the castle. Would you two mind acting like you care?"
   
"We do care, Severus," Ellie protested.
   
"He's not up here, Severus," I assured him. "We checked thoroughly."
   
He gave us a disapproving look before he exited the tower and we stayed quiet as we heard his footsteps travel down the stairs of the tower."
   
Ellie sighed, "He's never going to let that go. Alright, you go to your office. It's getting late and you're going to change soon. I'll meet you there. I want to go check on my kids."
   
"See you there," I say and I kissed her once more before I let her go.

-Ellie-
   
The Hufflepuff's were right next to the entrance so I stopped to check on Bradley first. He was fast asleep. Lyanna was still awake talking to George. Fred and Lee Jordan were dead asleep next to them. I watched as Percy told them to go to sleep and they waved him off. I approached Headmaster Dumbledore and said, "Astronomy Tower is clear, Professor. Remus is in his office."
   
"Thank you, Eloise," he said, nodding.
   
"I'm going to say goodnight to my daughter and I will be off."
   
"Of course, Eloise, by all means."
   
I headed over to my daughter and George. "You guys should get some sleep," I said as I approached them. They both looked up at me.
   
"Is everything okay out there, Mum?" Lyanna asked.
   
"I am pretty sure he's gone," I admitted, "But we're still searching." Lyanna nodded, I could tell she didn't want me to be out there searching for someone who would kill me if I was alone with them. She didn't want to lose the only parent she had left. "It's okay, sweetheart. He's not going to hurt me." I knelt down in front of her. "I used to be very close with Professor Lupin while we were at Hogwarts together."
   
"You knew Lupin?" She asked, sounding shocked.
   
"We're the same age," I explained, "We were very close friends. He taught me everything he knew. If I ever run into Sirius, I will know how to defend myself against him."
   
"So that's why you're always in each other's offices and hanging out?" She asked.
   
"Yeah," I nodded. "So you don't need to worry about me. You still have classes tomorrow, so get some sleep, alright, sweetie?"
   
She hugged me tight. "I love you, Mum."
   
"I love you, too, sweetheart." I told her as we hugged. "Now go to sleep."

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Here's part 33!

So, I didn't realize how much I love writing her as a mother until now.

Every scene with her and her kids so far has been some of my favorites to write. She's so sweet with them.

-Emily Winchester.