Selene || Remus Lupin

Ch. 60 - A Much-Needed Discussion

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

Selene couldn't sleep. She'd been trying for hours, but even as Sirius snored on the bed next to her, or as the clock on the bedside table ticked on, she was wide awake. So, rather than staring up at the ceiling, counting the number of spiders that travelled from cobweb to cobweb, she went downstairs in search of a late-night cup of coffee.

She tiptoed down to the kitchen, trying very carefully not to wake anyone. She opened a cupboard, wincing when it creaked. She pulled a mug out and turned to the coffee pot to start a pot of coffee.

And then she froze.

The coffee pot was steaming; it was already full.

"What are you doing, Selene?"

Selene whirled around, gasping. Remus was sitting at the kitchen counter, wearing his flannel pyjama pants and a t-shirt, a green mug held between his hands.

"Merlin, Remus, you scared me," Selene said, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "But what are you doing awake?"

"Couldn't sleep," Selene said simply. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down opposite him, clutching the mug in her hands. "What about you?"

"Couldn't sleep either," he said. "I had too much to think about."

The air in the kitchen shifted slightly, and Selene pressed her lips together.

Remus set his mug down on the counter, looking pensive. "Selene, do you remember the day that Sirius proposed to you?"

Selene's eyes flickered towards him, surprised. "Yes I do, like it was yesterday."

"Come on, Selene, come on!" Lily said excitedly, tugging her towards the portrait of the Fat Lady. "We're going to be late!"

"Late for what, Lily?" Selene said exasperatedly. "You haven't told me what we're doing! I'm not even supposed to go in there!"

"When has that stopped you before, Selene?" Lily asked, grinning. "Just come on – phoenix feather," she added, giving the password to the Fat Lady, who had been looking at her expectantly.

"Come on in," the portrait said, looking at the two girls knowingly.

Selene looked between the portrait and Lily in suspicious confusion. "Seriously, what is –"

"Just go in!" Lily exclaimed.

"Alright, alright, I'm going!"

She crawled through the portrait hole, and Lily followed closely behind. After a moment, they emerged into the Gryffindor common room, and Selene gasped.

Sirius, her very best friend, was kneeling on the ground before her, the common room empty except for their closest friends, all of whom were smiling eagerly and expectantly.

"Hi," Sirius said with a grin.

"Hi," Selene said breathlessly, still taking in all that was happening around her. She could barely believe her eyes, and despite herself, she'd already begun to tear up.

"Selene, come on, don't cry just yet, give me a minute to propose first," Sirius laughed.

"I'm so sorry," Selene giggled, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her jumper. "I'm so, so sorry. Please go ahead."

"Okay," Sirius said, a nervous edge to his voice. "Okay, I'll go ahead." He fidgeted with the ring in his fingers. "Selene, you're my very best friend, and you always have been. You were the only one who truly understood my life... even when I felt so distant from everyone because of my family, and who I thought I was... I knew I had you.