Lockwood Part 6

George had woken early in the morning to run a few errands, Lily had been up as well and the both of them quietly went about their business in the kitchen.

‘How’s Angie?’ Lily asked, sitting in her dressing gown and staring idly out of the back window to the garden that needed some work doing to it.

‘Fine.’ George nodded, praying something else would come to him. ‘Harry?’

‘Fine.’ Lily nodded and gave a polite smile. It was silent for a moment or two. George tided up a little, just trying to keep his hands occupied so that he didn’t have to look at Lily anymore. ‘When did you start keeping so many secrets?’ She suddenly asked, making George freeze.

‘I’m sorry?’ He said, pushing his glasses a little further up his nose.

‘We worked together for nearly twenty years and I never knew how little I really knew about you.’ Lily was smiling to herself in disbelief.

George took a breath and tried not to make things any worse. No words seem to come to him and before he could do anything, Lily stood up and went upstairs to Angelina’s old room where she and James were staying.

George went to the back door to watch the light rain float across the sky, he couldn’t believe his life had come to this, relying on his youngest child to save the world he’d strived to build for her.

He waited for five days for her to finish meditating, the last day was the most worrying, not quite understanding everything she was doing and worrying that she was trapped and he just didn’t know it. The second her eyes opened, she cried. Angie sobbed her heart out and curled up to try to contain the pain she felt.

When she told him what she saw, his heart broke, she didn’t deserve it, she had done so much good that the world owed her something in return and it was looking less and less likely that she would get her rewards for a devoted and purely led life. She described each memory she had about the prophecy, every moment she had spent either with the orb or talking about it and the signs were clear. She knew exactly who the Last Wolf was and what they would do to end everything.

George took her back to the house and helped her relax into a deep sleep, one that would help her recover quicker and be able to do some good. He let her sleep for a few hours before waking her just enough to ask her what she wanted to do about Remus. She asked him to go to Grimmauld Place and tell him to stay put, the war of the Lockwoods was no place for someone so important, he was exactly where he needed to be and where everyone would benefit the most.

The last thing his daughter asked of him, was to take a coin from the collection sitting on the kitchen table, one for everyone who chose to answer the call to fight. Angie would only call when she knew how to end things, but until that moment, they still had a lot of work to do and a lot of people to help.

George had hoped her friends would stay with the Order, but she warned him not to try to change their decision, they had to choose otherwise they wouldn’t have courage when they needed it. And they would definitely need it.

Valentine’s Day was here and Remus tried not to be nervous, he tried to keep it simple and cosy and everything Angelina would prefer over a big celebration. He was making her, her favourite meal for dinner, roast chicken, carrots and mashed potatoes, it had been her favourite since she was a child and he loved making it for her when she least expected it.

He had spent the whole morning cleaning the house, watering the garden and thinking on how his life had led him to this moment. All the uncertainty of going to Hogwarts as a child, returning to teach, Angelina’s extraordinary arrival in his life, his attraction to her, the ways they had treated each other in love and anger, every moment shared without knowledge of the consequence.

Remus now lived his life with absolute certainty that no matter what happened next, he was deserving of Angelina.

He tidied away a few things in the garden and said good morning to Rilee who was just back from a long journey. Remus fed her and looked up at the house to see Angelina leaning against the frame of the back door with a mug of tea in her hand. She wore his longer green shirt and thick beige socks, her silky, blonde hair was put up into a loose bun and Remus felt his heart skip a few beats.

He smiled and wandered over to her, feeling a little more normal for seeing her look so carefree. ‘Good morning,’ he grinned. ‘Garden’s finished, house is tidy and Rilee has dropped the post for today.’ He gestured the two or three letters in his hand.

‘That is very good to hear.’ Angelina smiled back at him, taking a deep breath. ‘What’s next on your agenda?’

There was something in the way she spoke, something playful and he was enjoying the moment for what it was.

Remus stepped up to his wife, barely standing two feet away from her. ‘Are you wearing anything under that?’ Her cheeks lit up pink as her smile widened, making Remus’s chest inflate with desire.

‘You’d better find out before my husband gets home.’ She raised her eyes playfully, sauntering back into the kitchen and making him chuckle.

‘Your husband?’ Remus stepped inside as well and leaned against the door frame the same way she had down, placing the post down and shoving his hands in his pockets. ‘I heard he was a beast of a man on occasion.’

‘Yeah,’ Angelina washed her mug out and bit her lip. ‘That’s what I like about him.’

Remus laughed and watched her for a few moments, moving around the kitchen tidying up a few things. He thought briefly about the age gap between them, ten years, that was it, but she far surpassed him in so many ways, she was wise beyond both their years, she was braver than he’d ever been in his life and she never valued things like money or jobs or status. Angelina valued love above anything else.

Remus took a deep breath and walked up behind her, slipping his hands around her waist, placing soft kisses from her temple down to her shoulder and listening to the small hums of approval coming from his wife.

‘Give me today.’ Remus whispered, feeling her warm body next to his. ‘Just this one day to forget everything outside of this house.’ He dragged his teeth over her earlobe and felt her hand drift up into his hair. ‘I don’t want to think about war, or duty, or anything that doesn’t involve us just being together.’ Remus let his fingers drift to the exposed skin on her thighs, making her breath hitch as she smiled into the movement. ‘Angelina, give me this one day with you.’

He listened to her breath a very heavy ‘yes’ and without hesitating, he spun her around and made love to her right there on their kitchen counter. It was brief, Remus not realising how much he needed her, they smiled and laughed and wished it wasn’t over, but Remus wasn’t ready to stop yet. He scooped Angelina up in his arms, kissing her beautiful face, whispering how much he loved her and placed her down on the bed, making love to her over and over again.

They stayed in bed for most of the day and in the late afternoon when the wind died down and the air was a little warmer, Remus grabbed a few blankets, a couple of chairs and a few bottles of butterbeer. They sat beside the lake, drank, laughed and told each other they loved each other over and over again until the sun began to set behind the mountains in the distance.

Remus let his fingers drift over her ankles as her legs draped over his lap, he memorised every patch of skin on her legs and watched her eyes close as the sun streaked over her features.

‘Are you happy?’ Remus asked, watching her wonderful womanly smile stretch across her face.

‘Don’t I seem it?’ Angelina’s blue orbs found his as she adjusted herself to watch him.

‘You seem… content.’ Remus leaned in a little closer, holding his hand out to hold hers.

She frowned just a little and tilted her head forwards to see him better. ‘Content? Not happy, but satisfied?’

Remus smiled gently. ‘What’s on your mind?’

Angelina sucked in a deep breath and looked out at the sun that was just peeking out from behind the mountains.

‘I know how this all will end,’ she said, sadness and guilt from choices she hadn’t made yet, laced her voice. ‘I can change my name a thousand times, but I’ll still be a Lockwood… “The Last Wolf will end the bloodline. A Dynasty will burn to ash. No Lockwood will be left standing.” That’s what the prophecy said, but you know that. We both know that it doesn’t matter what choice we make, at some point there will be nothing left to love.’ She turned back and he watched the tears falling silently from her ocean blue eyes, nearly all the light left from the sun was gone. ‘Remus I have lived my life knowing that the most important thing is this world is love, you know it as well, we built a home around it, we’re building our marriage, our life around it. We’ve not said it in so many words, but if it’s true and I die at the end of this war-‘

‘Angelina-‘

‘If I die TO end the war,’ Angelina took a breath and Remus could feel himself starting to lose control over his emotions. ‘Please just promise me one thing, one thing if nothing else goes our way… make every choice with love at the centre of it, no matter what, act with love and know that I will understand. I will always understand how hard this will be, but I will never blame you for making those choices, because I know my husband, Remus Lupin did his very best… no one can say otherwise, I guarantee it.’

Remus hadn’t even realised he was crying. The light from the sun was gone and the cooling air of night surrounded them. It had been a beautiful day, but now it was over and reality was about to set in. He brought his wife into his arms, he kissed her with all the passion and love he had inside of him and he held her close.

‘Angelina, I will never break another promise to you,’ he stuttered over his words. ‘So, if this is all you ask of me, then I will do everything in my power to do as you ask. I’ll make every choice out of love and I will be happy with our life as it stands… it is far more than I ever felt I deserved.’

Soon the night air became too much for them and Remus took Angelina inside, they ate dinner in front of the fire and barely spoke a word beyond Remus reading to his wife.

He looked down at her sleeping figure, her soft, blonde hair, full, womanly face, the small scars that were hardly noticeable, the nasty bite from where he’d hurt her, her scarred and slightly rough hands from years of field research, all of it made the woman he loved that much more beautiful. Angelina Lupin.

Remus lifted her into his arms and took her to bed, kissing her sleepy lips, letting her feel his body next to her and watching Angelina slip into a deep sleep, knowing she was safe and there was no need to worry about her while she was next to him.