A Love Without Time (Remus Lupin)

Fifty-Six.

Lyanna Tapped her fingers anxiously on the Weasley's kitchen table, she was so nervous. Tonight, seven people were turning into Harry. Ron, Hermione, Mundungus Fletcher, Fleur, Fed, and George were all going to take Polyjuice potion to get Harry out of his Aunt and Uncle's house and bring him safely to the Burrow.
   
They had teams picked out of who got to ride with who, and Remus chose to keep an eye on George, because he said that he wanted to keep an eye on his daughter's boyfriend and keep him safe. It was very sweet of him to do that. Lyanna is freaking out. She is so scared that something is going to happen to George.
   
"How are you staying so calm, Mum?" She asked me, "Aren't you worried about Remus?"
   
"Oh course I am, Sweetheart," I admit, "But I know that he knows how to defend himself just fine up against some Death Eaters, and he's going to make sure that George gets back here safely."
   
That didn't seem to calm their nerves. The only reason that so many people are needed to get Harry was because they are afraid of a Death Eater ambush and they're trying to throw them off by having so many people that look like Harry.
   
The later it got, the more worried that they all became. Fred and Arthur were supposed to be back first. And they have yet to arrive. The first to arrive was Harry and Hagrid. They look a mess, too. We got them inside, and nearly the second that we were inside we heard my husband yelling for help. I told the kids to stay inside, but Harry didn't listen and he followed me.
   
Remus pointed his wand at me, it surprised me, "Remus," I said, slowly.
   
His expression was a cold, hard stare. "What happened leading up to when I told you I Love You for the first time?"
   
I know what he was doing. He was checking to see if I was an imposter by asking me something that only I would know. He was holding George up by himself. I could see the blood dripping on George's face from his ear.
   
"You mean when we were teenagers or adults?" I ask.
   
"The very first time, Eloise." He demanded. His tone was so cold.
   
"It was after a supermoon. We were dancing to Elton John in the Common Room, and you started singing to me. Then you said I love you as the song ended. Does that satisfy you or do you need more information? Because I can tell you all about how Sirius was watching us and we had no idea and it made him cry."
   
He lowered his wand, "Help me bring him in, Darling. He's lost a lot of blood."
   
I helped George into the house. Harry followed us in. We got George on the couch and Molly and Lyanna rushed to him to start tending to his injuries. Remus kind of lost his mind. He seized Harry, and then he cornered him. Hagrid shouts, “Lupin!” at him.
   
He has Harry pinned against the wall and is pointing his wand right at Harry’s face as he asks him, “What creature sat in the corner the first time Harry Potter visited my office in Hogwarts?”
   
“Are you Mad?” Harry shouts at him.
   
“What creature!” Remus demands.
   
“A Grindylow! It was in a tank!” Harry exclaims.
   
Remus starts to explain what’s going on, “We’ve been betrayed. Voldemort knew you were being moved tonight. I had to make sure you weren’t an imposter.” There’s a crack in the distance, and Remus rushes outside to see who it is, telling us to wait in the house.
   
Lyanna was at George's side the moment he was laid on the couch. George’s ear was basically gone, only remnants of it was left. He doesn’t seem to be in too much pain though, he’s not wincing, grimacing, or even whining at all. He just looks tired, somewhat exhausted. Lyanna stroked his hair, avoiding the blood soaked bit of it, trying her best to comfort him.
   
“Oh my boy!” Molly gasps walking over to George. She left the room only to get some things to clean up and tend to George's wounds.
   
Lyanna held his hand while Molly cleaned him up. He kept his eyes on her, "What happened to you, darling?" She asked as Molly walked away from us into the kitchen.
   
"I didn't see who did it, but whoever it was got me pretty good. I lost a lot of blood very fast, so fast that I thought I was a goner for a second. I was thinking about you the entire time."
   
She smiled as her fingers grazed through his hair again. In an attempt to distract him, she asks, "Were you now? Anything specific?"
   
He nods, lightly, he speaks in a low, groggy voice that sounded like it was as exhausted as he looked. "Just how much I love you and how much I wanted to make it back to you alive."
   
I smiled to myself, they're adorable together.
   
Arthur and Fred enter the house and Fred is at his twin’s side in a nanosecond, his face full of worry. “How do you feel, Georgie?” Fred asks as he kneels in front of his twin.
   
"Saint-like,” replies George.
   
Fred is confused. “Come again?”
   
“Saint-like,” he brings a finger up to his injured ear. “I’m Holy, Fred. Get it?”
   
Fred acted like he didn’t like that joke, but he had a smile on his face, “The whole wide world of ear related humor and you go for I'm Holy, it’s pathetic.”
   
George had a smile on his face as well, “I reckon I’m still better looking than you.”
   
That was when Tonks entered, and she was with my husband. I didn't even see him leave the house again, but I guess he did. Harry isn't here anymore, either. He probably went to go see who was arriving. She walks over to me and I hug her tight. "Thank God you're okay," I say as we hug each other.
   
"All thanks to Ron I am," she says and then breaks the hug, smiling wide at me. "Oh you should have seen him, Ellie. He was brilliant. I wouldn't be standing here now without him. But enough about me, how is he?" She brings her eyes down to George, who was still being tended to by Molly. "Remus said he lost a lot of blood."
   
"I think he's going to be okay," I tell her, "The bleeding has stopped at least. So that's good. We're staying hopeful that Molly can reattach his ear."
   
Ron, Harry, and Hermione all came into the house then. Ron ran straight over to George to see what was going on with his brother as Remus began explaining what happened to George. “It was Snape’s work! He lost his hood in the chase. I saw his face. Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape’s. I wish I could say that I paid him back in kind, but all I could do was keep George on the broom after he was injured, he was losing so much blood. I'm just glad we made it back before it was too late."
   
After that, Bill and Fleur came back. They both looked very upset. "Mad-Eye is dead," said Bill, solmney. He took one look around and said, "Mundungus disapparated at the first sight of Voldemort."
   
It was quiet in the room for a good, long moment at this news. After everyone was back, and we all knew George was going to be okay, we started talking about what happened and who could have sold us out. Fleur makes a good point, saying whoever it was probably just let it slip to the wrong person, an outsider, and that’s how Voldemort knew they were moving Harry tonight. All of our eyes shifted to Hagrid at this, he was the only person here who had a knack for telling people more information than he should. Even when he knows it’s supposed to be a secret.
   
“No,” said Harry kind of loudly, “I mean…if somebody made a mistake, and let something slip, I know they didn’t mean to do it. It’s not their fault. We’ve got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don’t think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort.”
   
“Well said, Harry,” says Fred after a moment of silence.
   
“Yeah, ‘ear ‘ear,” said George, with a half glance at his twin, who’s inner mouth twitched.
   
Remus was wearing an odd expression as he looked at Harry, it was close to pitying. “You think I’m a fool,” Demanded Harry.
   
“No, I think you’re like James,” Remus tells him, “Who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends.”
   
“I have to go,” Harry announces.
   
“And where are you going?” Asks Molly, it was clear she wasn’t going to let him leave.
   
“I can’t stay here!” says Harry, “You’re all in danger while I'm here.”
   
“Don’t be silly!” Said Molly, “The whole point of tonight was to get you here safely, and thank goodness it worked. And Fleur’s agreed to get married here rather than in France, we’ve arranged everything so that we can all stay together and look after you.”
   
Harry, of course, didn’t back down, “If Voldemort finds out I’m here –”
   
“And why should he?” Asks Molly, “There are a dozen other places you could be right now.”
   
“Yeah,” adds Arthur, “There is no way he will know which safe house you’re at.”
   
“It’s not me that I’m worried about,” Harry reminds her.
   
“We know that,” says Molly, rather calmly.
   
Harry eventually backed down, however. Once they told him after everything they did to get him here he needed to stay. We could all tell he didn’t want to, that he would feel safer if he weren't here, but he eventually said he would stay. Then Molly told him he could put Hedwig with Ron’s owl, Pigwidgeon, and Harry gulped. Something had happened to Hedwig, that was for sure.
   
That was when everyone started to get ready to go back to their homes. With George injured, I know Lyanna wouldn't want to leave his side, and Lily was already sleeping upstairs, so Molly offered us to stay the night. Bradley shared Fred and George's old room with Fred, and Lyanna slept on the couch with George. We had turned it into a bed for them. Remus and I were staying in Charlie's old room, since Fleur was using Percy's and Bill was using his own.
   
Remus put a spell on the bed to make the bed bigger and we shared Charlie's old bed. Lily slept peacefully between us. Despite how little she is she took up most of the bed at times. I woke up with her little hand in my face. She was still passed out cold, sleeping soundly. When we were all awake, we went downstairs to find everyone awake. George still looked very tired, and I didn't blame him. He had been through a lot last night.
   
Lily went to George and hugged him, in her tiny voice she asked him, "All better?"
   
"Yes, I'm all better now," he told her as they hugged, "Thanks for the hug, Lilypad."
   
I smiled when he said that, because James called his wife Lilypad all the time. It brought back some memories that I had nearly forgotten. Fred then stopped Lily up and brought her into the kitchen for breakfast. George has no idea that Fred is competing with him to be Lily's favorite. It was cute of them. We all know that Lily's true favorite man will always be Remus.

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Here's Part 56!

We're in book 6 now! This story is winding down to the end!

-Emily Winchester.