The Bet // Remus Lupin Fanfiction

40

A/n: This entire chapter is in third person's POV.

11 August, 1976

Once again, Athea found her way to the phone booth for talking to Remus.

She has been getting a hang of transforming from her animal form to her human form these days and she performed her first wandless transformation yesterday which meant she was in one of her happiest moods today. Talking to Remus would definitely make it better.

She dialed Remus' house landline number, hoping Remus is the one who picks it up. Last time it was Lyall Lupin, Remus' father. Athea panicked so much on hearing his voice that she cut the phone the very next second and refused to call him until Remus said he missed her voice.

"Hello", Remus' voice came from the other side of the phone.

"Hey sweetheart", Athea greeted back.

Remus, on the other side of the line, closed his eyes and smiled in pleasure on hearing the nickname. He really missed listening that word in her voice. "How are you?"

"Pretty good", Athea answered. "And I think you would be too since I listened to your pleads and called you."

They fell into easy talk, conversing about everything in general and nothing in particular. These were the times Athea would be happiest in the entire day, when she felt she could go pass that thin wisp of light and form a complete patronus.

"Sweetheart..."

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

There was dead silence from Remus' side. Remus didn't expect her to say that to him on any day, let alone after just a few months. He didn't know how to reply. He loved her, yes and he knew it, but saying it out loud would mean binding her to him completely, would mean binding an angel to a monster and he wasn't ready for that.

His mental health did get better in the last few months and he did start thinking that maybe, just maybe, they are actually made for each other but he wasn't that comfortable with it to tell her right now.

"It's fine you know, if you don't want to say it back. Don't feel pressurised", Athea said when she heard how quiet Remus went. She didn't lie when she said that. She really didn't mind if Remus wasn't comfortable in saying it just yet. They were just sixteen afterall.

Remus have never felt so grateful towards her before. She really was an angel.

"I.. umm.. have to go for lunch now", Remus said. They bid their goodbyes and went towards their different destinations...

...both of them unaware of the dangers Athea was about to face.

----

Athea reached her house but changed her lanes to go through the back door, saving her parents from coming to the front door for opening it. The back door opened using the family and Fera's magical signature.

She entered the house and tiptoed to the living room to scare her parents but stopped on her tracks when she saw the back of a person she had no idea who was, standing behind her parents, who had their backs towards the two of them, with her wand raised.

"Imperio", the mysterious girl said.

----

12 August, 1976

Headlines of the front page of Daily Prophet:

DARK MARK ON TOP OF THE ROSE MANOR; THREE DEATH EATERS AND ENTIRE ROSE FAMILY FOUND DEAD

Remus heard the devastating news the next day. He staggered in front of Rose Manor and stopped when he saw all the people standing outside her house.

"It's not true. It's a mistake", he kept on repeating to himself, trying to convince himself that the news was fake. There was some problem. It couldn't happen just now.