⚯͛ Unfortunate - Remus Lupin ⚯͛

86.

The New Year had come and gone and it was now 1980. The start of a new decade. Even though it was the middle of January now, Remus felt as if he was still recovering from the New Years hangover and Maeve made fun of him endlessly for it.

But at this moment, she was completely concentrated. This was a very important moment. A moment she would remember if it worked.

She put down the book and looked at the portrait.

The portrait looked back.

After a moment he blinked.

She swallowed nervously, before breathing out the words, "hi Reg."

He cleared his throat and looked round his canvas, "...you couldn't have painted me a chair?"

"Oh, sorry...I'll do that," she nodded. "Shit...shit I can't believe this worked."

"How did it work? How did you do it?"

She couldn't believe she could hear him actually speaking. That was his voice. It was him.

"I found a book on magical portrait artistry in Diagon Alley," she said.

"Flourish and Blotts?" He raised a dark, perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Oh, no actually, the second-hand bookstore," she said.

"Huh," he nodded thoughtfully, before saying, "is it alright if I have a look around? I wanna try and see if there are any more paintings in the area, so I can make friends. I'm gonna be here a while after all.

"Oh," she looked at him, still at disbelief that he was there, she had managed to place his consciousness, his soul in a portrait, "sure, go ahead, I'll put you in a frame."

"Great," he winked, "see ya later."

"Yeah," she breathed, "see ya."

And he left the canvas.

What the fuck had she just done? She had to tell Sirius.

"Hey, who was at the door?" Remus asked as he walked in from the bathroom.

"There wasn't anyone at the door..."

"But I heard a voice," he frowned.

"It was Regulus."

His eyes softened and he walked closer, looking at her tentatively, "um, Maeve, Regulus...he's..."

"I know he's dead," she said, before looking at the empty canvas. "But I...I managed to put his soul into a painting."

"Ookay," Remus said unsurely, looking at the canvas, "I don't see him, babe."

"Well of course you don't, he's gone out for now," she said, turning to him, "I promise I'm not crazy!"

"I believe you," he nodded, but still looked uncertain.

"When he comes back you'll see."

"How did you manage it? Enchant the portrait, I mean," he said.

"I just used the book...it was kinda complicated...I had to get his wand from Kreacher and get a lock of his hair and a well-read book that he owned...but it seems to have worked," she said.

"Wow," he gave a shocked laugh, "that is seriously amazing."

"I know," she grinned, exhaling happily before pressing a quick kiss to his lips, "hey, what's the time?"

"Oh yeah, it's nearly half past, we need to get to the Order meeting really," he said.

"Aw damn it..."