Her Single Rose (Remus Lupin)

Sixty-Four

Astronomy Tower at eight. -R.J.L

Aries wouldn't stop looking at the note that Remus sent her. She was still mulling over the fact if she wanted to go or not, it was ten till eight and she was sitting on her bed with her fuzzy socks and matching sweater on.

"You should go." Mindy encouraged after reading the note.

"I agree." Marlene, "he might just want to apologize." She added with a shrug.

"I don't know, it feels too early for anything." Aries shook her head and sighed laying back on her bed in a huff.

"It's never gonna be the right time, you just gotta go for it." Marlene said as she laid down beside Aries and spun a lock of her own blonde hair around her finger.

Aries looked back to Mindy who gave her a nod, then looked at the clock. It was seven till eight.

She thought about it for a moment, deciding on going. She kept on her fuzzy top and socks, not putting on any shoes, and grabbing her wand.

"I'll go, but don't expect a summary when I get back." Aries said blankly, walking out of the dorm and quietly down the steps of the girls dormitories and pulled out her map.

"Sly as a fox." Aries muttered, the map of Hogwarts beginning to open and reveal itself to her.

Aries watched as Filch did his own rounds near the Ravenclaw Tower. McGonagall was asleep in her office and Dumbledore was seeming to be awake since he was pacing in his own office.

Once the coast was clear, Aries made her way through the cold and vacant corridors. She walked, step by step up to the Astronomy Tower.

Her nerves building with each stair she passed. Her thoughts were negative, scared of what he wanted to talk about, nervous about even looking at him.

Before she knew it, she was standing in the archway of the Astronomy Tower, Remus sitting on the edge and finally looking at her.

He didn't look nervous or upset, he looked blank, just like she was. Remus pat the concrete beside him, she walked over to his shadowy figure and took the spot beside him.

They sat in silence, thoughts swarming in their heads but not being able to put them into words. He sighed and looked up from his lap, turning to her.

"I'm sorry." Remus admitted, "I'm sorry I got so carried away and I'm sorry that I didn't-..." he started to say but broke off. He huffed and restarted. "You know what, no. I'm not sorry about getting carried away. Look at what he did to you, Aries. Look at the mark that you now have because a senseless guy doesn't have respect for women. I'm not sorry that I hit him, I'm not sorry that he has a black eye. I was being protective and I was acting like a boyfriend." Remus said, becoming breathless once he finished.

Aries stayed silent, her eyes wondering to his as he watched her in desperate relief that he even got her to look at him. It was killing him when she wouldn't even glance.

"I was confused." Aries admitted looking down at her hands with furrowed brows. "I didn't understand why someone would even bother to help and defend me." She said slowly. "I'm not used to people caring and I'm definitely not used to people treating me in that way. I didn't know how to process." Aries added.

"Well, you should get used to it, because Aries...I'm your boyfriend and I can't just sit still when your being harassed. I can't just do nothing about it when I can. Though I am sorry that I wasn't there for you and I am so sorry that I was so fast to leave you like that." Remus sighed running a hand through his hair.

"You've been talking to Marlene." Aries said turning her body to him and resting herself against the wall.

"This isn't about Marlene, Aries. Look, I-...I admit I went a bit far. But you have to understand that I would do it again if I had to. I would do anything to protect you." Remus said deeply.

"I believe you, Rem, I do. It's just...no one has ever done something like this for me, and it's strange to know that someone is willing to beat up another person for me." Aries said, her expression shifting into one that lifted her lips slightly.

"Like I said before, get used to it. I don't plan on not being protective anytime soon. I lo-" he cut himself off short of his words, his face turning a tinted red. "I like you a lot." Remus said quickly.

Aries smiled, a small blush creeping onto her neck. "I like you too, Rem. I guess it was actually kind of sweet, about what you did." She admitted.

"I try." Remus joked, the two sharing a short chuckle, before the silence took over. Aries shivered slightly from the cold breeze, giving Remus the impression she was obviously cold, even in the fuzzy outfit.

He pulled himself over to Aries, taking off his jacket and placing it over her shoulders. Remus could faintly see the blush along her skin, a proud smile glistening his lips but dropped at his next words, "I don't want you alone, Aries. This shouldn't have happened at all, but it did and you were alone. I can't even think about what could have happened if McGonagall hadn't found you." He shook his head.

Aries nodded, a sigh falling from his lips. She knew he was right and she knew it was time to let others help her. Aries realized in that moment that she didn't have to go at anything alone anymore. She would have her boyfriend there to help her and friends to comfort her, "Thank you...I feel like I don't say that a lot." Aries told him, finally looking at him instead of the starry night sky.

"You are very welcome. Plus keep the jacket. It looks better on you than me." Remus told her, placing and arm over her shoulder.

____________

"Where were you?" Sirius asked Remus as he walked through the dorm door trying to be discrete.

Remus nearly tripped on James bedpost from the voice of his dorm-mate, "Blimey!" Remus whisper yelled, his eyes widening when he noticed that, Sirius was the one who caught him. "What are you doing up?"

"What are you doing up?" Sirius countered, sitting up in his bed and taking a hand through his messy hair.

"I was just-..out?" Remus tried in attempt to lie as he was starting to go to his own bed.

"Is that a question or statement?" Sirius asked.

"Both?" Remus asked.

Sirius furrowed his brows, "it can't be both."

"Sure it can, and it is." Remus said, looking directly at Sirius as if everything he had just said made complete sense.

Sirius just starred at Remus in confusion, trying to understand what his friends logic was, "You've been hanging around my sister too much lately." He said before nodding off to sleep and leaving Remus with a sigh of relief.

Who knows what would happen if Sirius knew he was with his twin.