INVISIBLE // FOR REMUS

[Deleted]

Remus stilled again. Snape? It got better, didn't it? Why Dorcus felt the urge to skulk around with his sorts... Slytherins, he would never be able to guess. The greasy-haired boy had hated him since their earliest years at the school, and Remus couldn't pretend to feel any differently in return.

"Snape, why on Earth..." Remus muttered, though Doe seemed to be a good enough judge of a person's character, and if she willingly sought out Severus' company... no, no, he didn't have it in his heart to reevaluate the Slytherin who his little foursome had declared their unanimous enemy since the beginning of their Hogwarts days. "You know," he mumbled quietly, not wanting to sound as if he was scolding her, "that disgusting place is considered off-limits for a reason."

[Deleted]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=style, border-left: #3A4748 8px solid; border-right: #839175 2px dashed; background: #d8d8d8; padding-top: 16px; padding-right: 16px; padding-left: 16px; padding-bottom: 12px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; width: 368px;] SHE WANTS TO GO HOME BUT NOBODY'S HOME THAT'S WHERE SHE LIES BROKEN INSIDE She could tell Remus seemed a bit angry that she was hanging around with Severus, but it was purely innocent and wasn't like they were best mates or anything. They'd only hung out the one time, but even then he'd practically saved her life from the Whomping Willow and even apologized for doing so, so in her book he wasn't as bad as the 'Marauders' thought he was. "Snape's a...decent person. He saved my life, so you can't think he's all bad...unless you want me dead," she said with a raised eyebrow, proposing that he should give Snape a little credit. Even if Remus didn't like Severus, he did save her life, after all - something she could never repay him for. "I know," she sighed. Doe looked at him and could tell he was slightly angry. But, was he mad because he knew what was in there or mad because she had actually gone there - with Snape, at that. "Remus, I'm sorry. I'm not going back there again, promise," Doe said softly, her eyes wide. She frowned slightly but bit her lip, moving slightly closer to him. She glanced down at his hand, tempted to grab it but fearful of doing so. She took in a deep breath before finally scooching over a little more and laying her head almost on top of his shoulder - not quite, but they were definitely close enough to be touching now. She closed her eyes, scared of his reaction. Would he pull away? Get up and leave? Damn, maybe she should have just stayed where she was. Her heart raced inside her chest as she laid there, still. Maybe he wouldn't notice. tag: REMUS words: --- template by eliza @ shadowplay

[Deleted]

Remus wasn't quite sure what she was talking about; what did she mean by want her dead? He didn't delve any deeper into the subject; he could offer no kind words on behalf of Severus Snape, so it was better - if Dorcus truly considered him a friend - that they lay the topic to rest for the good of her feelings. Remus would certainly be watching him from now on... perhaps with a slightly more lenient eye. He would, of course, recount nothing of this to Sirius, whose mind was set more firmly in stone than the cliffs the castle itself stood upon.

Doe's voice betrayed a hint of worry. Remus wasn't angry - did he even have the right to be? - but couldn't deny his displeasure at this unwelcome news. "I just want you to be safe," he said to cover his tracks. Soon after, though, he realized that this was the truth; if anything happened to her in the Shrieking Shack, well, he didn't know how he would live with it.

As he looked down to tell her this, Remus noticed that she was considerably closer than she had been before. His face reddened slightly, and he looked around at the other students. Nobody was paying them any attention; they were too preoccupied. He was taken aback by this sudden unexpected closeness, not that he minded it. Hardly thinking, he plucked the pin from her hair in a swift gesture. "If it matters at all," he said brightly, "I do actually like your hair down."

[Deleted]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=style, border-left: #3A4748 8px solid; border-right: #839175 2px dashed; background: #d8d8d8; padding-top: 16px; padding-right: 16px; padding-left: 16px; padding-bottom: 12px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; width: 368px;] SHE WANTS TO GO HOME BUT NOBODY'S HOME THAT'S WHERE SHE LIES BROKEN INSIDE Dorcas smiled as she watched the clouds, listening to his kind voice. "I'll try and be as safe as possible," she assured him, her voice dreamy. She couldn't help but be content laying next to him under the lovely blue sky, the autumn leaves beneath their forms. The brush of his fingertips along spots of her head made her turn her chin slightly to gaze at him. His eyes were on her in the most handsome way. If only she could muster the strength to lean in... and she did. For a moment, that is. Just slightly she moved, and then chickened out. Doe maintained her composure, though, despite the tears that cut deep into her eyes. "I like yours, too," she whispered, raising her hand and shaking his hair beneath her fingers. She giggled and then turned her head in the other direction away from him. She stared at the grass blades, some focused and some blurred in her vision. Alas she turned back toward him, feeling his shoulder against her head. Her brown eyes looked at him in admiration. "I bet you've already had loads of girls after you this year," she teased, though really had other reasons for joking about it. Doe needed to know if there were, in fact, other girls. Competition. tag: REMUS words: --- template by eliza @ shadowplay

[Deleted]

Remus moved his head back in the most innocent of gestures as Doe fell towards him; for a clumsy fall is how he internally explained their moment of proximity. He shifted on the elbow that propped him up. This girl. Doe was the only person who could have Remus so confused, so unsure, so always-on-his-toes, so profoundly absorbed in them.

Other girls? Perhaps all girls had this... effect? He had seen his friends go mad over women - not for overwhelmingly extravagant periods of time, mind - but Remus felt that this was different. There was something about her.

"Other girls," Remus repeated, supposing that he was meant to feel flattered. He did; the feeling faintly tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I don't think so," the smile broke out finally, and he found himself - despite it all - laughing. He didn't know what had come over him suddenly. "People think I'm a bit odd."

His laughter died down, lingering only in a wide smile. "I'm surprised that you don't."

[Deleted]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=style, border-left: #3A4748 8px solid; border-right: #839175 2px dashed; background: #d8d8d8; padding-top: 16px; padding-right: 16px; padding-left: 16px; padding-bottom: 12px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; width: 368px;] SHE WANTS TO GO HOME BUT NOBODY'S HOME THAT'S WHERE SHE LIES BROKEN INSIDE She couldn't contain the tickling within her bones as he laughed. He was amazing. His laughter even more so, and considering it was the first time he'd ever really laughed in front of her - well, Doe felt compelled to do what she'd wanted to do for a long, long time. Her eyes gazed into his and she took his hand in her own, sincerely whispering, "I'd never find you odd." And with that, she leaned in and brushed her lips against his, closing her eyes and cherishing the moment of their touch. Her heart practically jumped out her body as she pulled back away from him, realizing what she'd done. Her face grew pale for a moment before red took over and she scrambled up to her feet. "Oh, Remus, I-I-" she said, then frowned and began to run away hurriedly. She turned around halfway, throwing her hands over her mouth and staring at him, eyes teary. "I'm sorry!" she called out breathlessly, before turning and running toward the castle. Not exactly the first kiss she imagined. Well...the kiss was perfect. The aftermath could now begin. tag: REMUS words: --- template by eliza @ shadowplay

[Deleted]

"I'd never find you odd."

The voice was so gentle, so sincere, that Remus could hardly doubt it. He felt light, as if some burden had been lifted from his chest and now his breathing, the very beating of his heart, was easier. It was worry, he discovered. Her words had absolved his doubts. They drew them out like poison from a wound. His gray eyes took her in as he reveled in the feeling of utter security.

His brain had been so foggy until then. His muddled mind had been owing to the gentle lull of sleep deprivation, until then. His eyes were clouded by exhaustion and thoughts dimmed... until then. Until then. As Remus leaned in to the kiss, he absorbed every moment of it with crisp clarity. It surrounded him, engulfed him. The honey on her skin. The softness of her lips. The tickle of her light hair. And as soon as it began...

"D... Wh..." he stumbled over the syllables, but she was gone from his side. Her light footfalls carried her away, back towards the castle.

"I'm sorry!" Her words floated to him through the air, a last reminder of her presence before he succumbed to melancholy solitude. In that moment, he had felt the best that he could remember feeling all year. It would haunt his subconscious all night, and the next, and the next, he was sure. He wanted nothing more than to chase after her, ask her why, why had she done it?

And yet, as he watched her leave, he had no words.