The Little Flower (Remus Lupin) ✓

forty - two

Exam week had started, thankfully and everything was going as planned. Nothing came as a surprise and Rosalie did her best to avoid the common room, too many people were complaining and she wanted to rid of the negativity. So most evenings she spent with Remus, helping him mark work for every other year group that were also doing some sort of exams. The comfortability between the two had fully returned, but it did not get rid of that pit she felt every time she saw him. Rosalie knew what she felt for Remus was caused future her pain as he'd never returned the feelings. But current Rosalie was happy just being around him, so she did not feel the need to ruin it.

"Can we put on some music?" Rosalie asked as she spotted an old music player in the corner of his office. 

"If you'd like," he replied but his hand stopped hers as she tried to grab her wand. "Do it without your wand." He told her.

Rosalie nervously nodded as he pulled his hand away. Her eyes lingered on it for longer than she meant before turning to face the old music player. The redhead concentrated on it, trying her best to move the stylus down but it was proving to be a struggle.

"Relax," she heard Remus say. "Don't think, just do. This is easy for you." She turned to him to ask how it was possible not to think about doing such a thing but when she did the music suddenly started to play. Remus gave a sly smile and a wink. "See easy." Rosalie could not help but breath a laugh. He always was right.

Time flew past in comfortable silence as they marked the first year's papers - though she struggled tremendously as some of their handwriting was horrendous. "How the hell can you read some of these?" She asked, her eyes squinting trying to read an answer.

"I think it comes with being a man. My handwriting used to be like that -"

"I refuse to believe it was that bad!" She interrupted, showing him the scribbles that she was trying to decipher, obviously stressed by it.

"That's correct," he said after a moment of reading.

"What? How can you read that?" She brought the piece of parchment back to herself so she could read it with her own eyes. "They are literally scribbles! It looks more like a picture of a dog than words!" She brought the paper closer to her face trying to understand what it possibly could say. "I refuse to believe you just read that." She finally huffed putting it back onto the desk.

"My writing was never that bad, but Peters was. I often helped him with homework and I had to learn how to read his writing to help him in the first place." Remus answered with a shrug of his shoulders. The conversation carried on for a while longer, and to Rosalie understanding, Peter did not seem like the brightest boy. He was just a tag-along in the group.

More time passed, and the redhead practically forgot about music until one came on she recognized. Without realising she started to hum the tune, her head bopping and feet tapping. She only stopped when she realised Remus was watching her.

"You know this song?" He asked, making her cheeks flare-up.

"Uh, I guess - I'm not sure." Her words stumbled. "Why? Is that weird?"She could not help but feel a sudden load of anxiety and she ensured to use her hair as curtains, she did not want him seeing her looking like a tomato.

"It was James' and Lily's wedding song," he answered, taking any pressure off the young witch. "I forgot I had this song. They loved it. James said something about it helping them to get together. They played it so often I actually started to dislike it," he chucked making Rosalie look up at him. She was worried her cheeks would flare up even more, his laugh was something that made her stomach twist.

"How do I know the song then?" She asked, realising she had never heard the song before but knew the tune.

"Well, you were there at the wedding. You were very little, I'm surprised you remember the tune at all." He laughed to himself, remembering a memory and Rosalie could not help but be nosy, wanting to know what made him smile so fondly.