Remus Has Something to Say

The library was quiet. At most, I could hear the sound of pages turning.

Yawning, I prepared to find a place to catch up on sleep. Thanks to Madam Pince, the library was quieter than most places, so I often slept here.

[What should I do in the library...]

[1. Charge into the Restricted Section]

[2. The sun is nice here, lie down on the spot]

[3. Tap-dance in the corridor]

[4. Forget it, go to sleep]

I was starting to lose track of what any of this meant. What did some of these options even have to do with romance?

[4. Forget it, go to sleep]

I looked around to see which spot would get the most sun at this time of day without getting too hot. As I looked, a familiar face flashed past. I backed up a few steps and saw Remus sitting there alone, reading a book and doing his homework.

"Lupin, why are you here alone?"

I sat down across from him. Only then did Remus notice me. He hurriedly began putting away the open book, but halfway through, he looked up at me as if he had realized something. He seemed to want to say something, but hesitated.

I looked at him in confusion. As I stared at him, he quickly averted his gaze, a blush creeping up to the tips of his ears. He lowered his eyelids slightly and spoke gently and slowly.

"Earlier... you called me Remus."

Only then did I realize that after using Episkey that morning, I had been so dazed and muddleheaded that my brain hadn't caught up at all. I had called him by his first name without thinking.

"I didn't sleep well last night, so my head wasn't very clear when I got up this morning. I called you by your first name by accident," I said sheepishly. "Sorry, I hope I didn't offend you?"

"That's not what I meant..."

Remus's voice grew quieter and quieter until I couldn't hear him at all.

I didn't pay it much mind. Because he was a werewolf, Remus always hesitated when he first faced his friends. But he had grown up in a loving family, after all, and I believed that with James reaching out to him this time, he would soon settle into his new life too.

I casually stood a book up on the table and laid my head down, ready to sleep, when I heard Remus ask uncertainly, "Are you... interested in werewolves?"

Why was Remus suddenly asking me about werewolves?

I looked at him, puzzled, only to find that he looked even more puzzled than I was. Seemingly noticing my questioning gaze, he pointed to the book in my hand. I took a closer look and realized I had happened to pick up The Werewolf Mystery.

I swore I had just grabbed a random book off the shelf!

"I'm pretty interested."

I rubbed my eyes and roused myself. "Back in ordinary human society, I heard quite a few stories about werewolves. I'm Chinese, and there aren't many werewolf stories in China itself, so I wanted to see what the magical world had written about them."

"How do Mug... ordinary humans view werewolves?"

Remus had noticed that I didn't like calling ordinary people Muggles, so he changed his wording as he spoke.

I knew that although Remus hadn't been born into a Pure-blood family, his family had fully adopted the wizarding way of life, so I began telling him the werewolf stories from human society.

"Since ordinary people have never seen werewolves, every story is different. Some people think werewolves are devious and cunning, while others think they're tall, devoted, handsome, and cute..."

Before I could finish, Remus's expression turned very strange. "Handsome?" His voice rose several pitches, and he repeated the second word in an even more incredulous tone. "Cute?!"

"People are free to have their own kinks." I couldn't help yawning again. "Some people just like beastmen."

Judging by Remus's expression, I had a feeling that ordinary humans had become even more wondrous to him than wizards.

"Western blockbuster movies often put werewolves on the screen too, like Wolverine. If you're interested, next time I can bring..."

Before I could finish, I saw Remus repeatedly signaling with his eyes toward the space behind me. I turned around in confusion, and Madam Pince's face loomed abruptly behind me.

Remus and I were then thrown out together for chatting in the library.

★

"Sorry, I got you thrown out with me."

After leaving the library, I made my way to a familiar tree. The ground here was flat and the grass was lush, making it a perfect place to rest. I sometimes came here to sleep too.

"I was the one who asked the question first. It wasn't your fault." Remus shook his head.

"How much homework do you have left?" I stared at the books in his hands.

"Just a little. Besides, it's almost the weekend, so there's plenty of time." Remus put his textbooks away. "If you don't mind, could you tell me more of those stories about werewolves?"

"Of course. Hardly anyone at Hogwarts is willing to listen to my stories about ordinary human society, so I've had no one to tell them to." Although I had started over many times, I really had rarely told these stories to wizards. I hadn't been in Gryffindor before and hadn't had much contact with Remus either, so now I went ahead and told him everything.

"The witch left him a rose. The rose would bloom only until his twenty-first birthday. If he could learn to love someone and earn that person's love in return before the rose wilted, the spell would be broken. But who could ever love a beast? As the days passed, the ministers gradually fell into despair..."

★

The voice by his ear suddenly stopped. Before Remus could react, a cool scent, green and sweet like candy, drifted over with the wind, and something fell onto his shoulder like an autumn fruit.

He went rigid at once.

Long black hair brushed against his neck, tickling him. At this distance, he could even hear Merlin's steady breathing. He raised his hand, then lowered it again. Never before had his arms felt so superfluous.

Has Merlin fallen asleep?

She had looked tired that morning, and she had kept yawning in the library too. She really seemed sleepy, yet she had been willing to keep telling him those stories.

Autumn sunlight spilled through the tree's shadow, broken into tiny flecks that swayed across the grass in countless shapes with the wind. Remus leaned quietly against the trunk, letting his mind go blank for once.

Ever since entering Hogwarts, he had always been tense.

Even though Headmaster Dumbledore had told him he would help him conceal it, and Madam Pomfrey had been helping him prepare, he still couldn't relax around his classmates. That was why he was always so apprehensive about James's friendliness and invitations.

He was grateful for James's kindness, but he couldn't stop himself from wondering what James would think if he discovered one day that he was a werewolf. Having a friendship and then losing it would hurt him more than never having had it at all.

He was always tense. Except when he was with Merlin.

From the very first moment he saw Merlin, Merlin had waved at him and given him a bright smile.

Not a friendly smile, but one full of joy-as if his very existence was already the greatest thing in the world.

Why had Merlin looked at him like that when he was a stranger? He couldn't control his thoughts, and he had stared at Merlin without realizing it until Merlin looked back at him.

He wanted to be friends with Merlin.

"That's not what I meant."

He leaned closer to Merlin, even though she couldn't hear what he was saying now.

"I just hoped you'd call me Remus instead of Lupin."

"Remus, what are you doing all the way over here?"

Just as everything was quiet and peaceful, a voice came from a distance. He looked up instinctively, and the movement caused Merlin, who had been leaning against his shoulder, to slip straight into his arms.

He caught Merlin almost on reflex. The next moment, Sirius appeared in his sight.

"I heard from someone in the library that you'd been thrown out. James happened to say he'd probably be discharged from the hospital tonight, so he asked me to come ask you..."

Sirius stopped short.

Even without a mirror, Remus was sure his face must be completely red. His burning face made him feel as though he were about to boil over. In stark contrast, Sirius's gaze quickly cooled, making him instinctively raise his arms to shield Merlin more fully.

"...What are you doing?"

"She fell asleep. She was leaning on my shoulder," Remus tried to explain. "When you came over just now, I moved, and she fell..."

Sirius didn't seem to be listening to him at all. He reached out and began shaking Merlin.

"Get up. Don't lean on Remus!"

Sirius was shaking so hard that he nearly shook Remus onto the ground.

★

[Sirius affection -5]

The voice that suddenly rang out in my head annoyed me. I couldn't make out what it was saying; I only thought it was noisy.

Is it morning? Where am I now? Am I attending Hogwarts, or am I undercover with Voldemort? Or have I died again?

"Lily... let me sleep a little longer..."

I tried to pull the blanket over my head, but after grasping around for a while, I couldn't find it. Instead, I seemed to have caught hold of Lily's hand-only for it to fling me away immediately afterward. Ah! Lily was so rough with me!

Was I wrong? Have I already graduated? No, that's not right either. I keep feeling very safe right now, and the scent is familiar too. The abundant sunlight and gentle breeze are nothing like the damp, cold atmosphere around the Death Eaters.

"Remus..."

I muttered the name of the person this scent reminded me of. Strangely enough, the hand stopped moving immediately.

[Sirius affection -5]

This time I finally heard it clearly. When I opened my eyes, I saw Sirius's face, already as dark and gloomy as his hair.

Sigh, I really haven't woken up yet. Why am I having such a terrifying nightmare?

─────

[Author's note]

★ Tip ★

When certain people's affection has reached the point where you can call each other by your first names, he will bring it up himself;

All the options are related to the romance plot. There is no doubt about that.

★ Side story reminder ★

[Sirius darkening value unlocked. Current darkening: 2%]