Author's Note: Sorry I took so long to post another story for those of you who enjoyed my first. The rating is more for safety than anything. I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are appreciated, but only if they are critiquing. Thanks in advance!
I do not own any of the incredible characters in the HP books. Gala Crian is a character I made up for this fanfic and I do own her, if you really want to put it in those terms...
Utter darkness, complete, and deeply dreadful. A shriek of agonized pain and jeering laughter is surrounding it, and the crying stops abruptly with a muffled sob. He could not reach her, he was almost there, just hold on...
Remus Lupin awoke with a jerk and immediately reached for his wand hidden beneath his pillow. He could feel the sweat trickling down his face mixed in with his tears and a scream lodged heavily in his throat. Remus sat silently in the blackness of his small room in the hidden house of the Order of the Phoenix. The memory of the dream, of the unforgiving reality, weighed heavily upon him. His shoulders sagged, his head drooping miserably. The end would be coming, there would be more pain and misery, and that would be the hefty cost for the freedom soon to be had, hopefully anyway. Knowing he would not be able to sleep any longer, Remus rose from his bed, got dressed, and proceeded down stairs to the kitchen. He poured himself a strong cup of coffee, and sat wearily in front of the fire licking at what was left of the wood.
Thoughts and memories clouded his mind and pushed their way behind his closed eyes. Remus heard humming behind him, and turned to see his fiancée. Gala was preparing a light, very light, dinner for them, after all, money was short right now. She looked into his eyes and smiled delicately before the memory faded into wispy thoughts. Remus found himself staring at the table, where a moment before, he had seen his beloved. He shook his head, he did not want to think about Gala right now, it was too difficult and too early.
There was humming again behind him, Remus turned quickly expecting to see Gala, but finding Mrs. Weasley instead. She smiled a good morning at him, but when he did not return it, she came to sit by him. Remus was staring straight at the fire and appeared to be in another world. She placed her hand on his and gave a gentle squeeze.
Molly knew part of the story, almost everyone close to Remus knew part of it. She questioned now whether or not it was any of her business, but until recently, Remus had been spending more and more time in his own darkening thoughts. Molly, being the ever-dependent motherly kind, worried deeply about her friend. Remus's already gaunt face looked miserable, his body language nearly screamed with distress.
"I am always ready to listen if you need to unload." Molly squeezed his hand lightly again and smiled. She rose to start breakfast for those heading out on small tasks for the day. She started to hum again while setting pans to fry and bread to brown. Molly noticed Remus watching her, she turned slightly and met his gaze.
"My fiancée used to hum almost the same tune. It just reminds me of her." Remus stated, "What is the name of the one you hum? I have heard it before."
Molly smiled while continuing with breakfast, "Arthur and I used to listen to it while we were dating, and it became our wedding song. I can't remember the exact name or tune, but I know I am close. Something like Only You, I can't remember exactly."
"Just You and Only You?" Remus questioned her.
"Yes!" Molly answered excitedly, "That's it! I must remember that so I can get a copy of it somewhere."
Remus smiled sadly, "Yes, it is the same one Gala used to sing. I thought so, they were so similar in sound."
"Remus, do you have a picture of her?" Molly asked regretting asking the question.
"Of course," Remus looked longingly at the picture while handing it to Molly.
Molly gingerly held the old photo, which was slightly torn at the edges. A young Remus Lupin smiled happily up from the moving picture, and then turned with loving eyes to the woman beside him who had her arms around his waist. The woman could not have been more than twenty-five, if that. Her shoulder length hair was a dark strawberry blonde, and her eyes were dark green. Her complexion had a healthy and youthful glow. Molly suddenly recognized her, Gala Crian had gone to Hogwarts with her!
"I didn't know you were seeing Gala!" Molly chimed, "I remember her from school, she was such a nice girl."
"Yes, she was. And not many people knew we were seeing each other," Remus filled in for Molly, "Gala's father would not have approved."
"How he could have raised such a nice daughter is a mystery. Lord Crian was a monster!" Molly shuddered at the thought of the evil man.
"Yes, he was a very big supporter of Voldemort, but he did not raise Gala, his wife and house servants did." Remus continued, "She detested being in Slytherin as well, but that again was her father's doing. She was not involved in the sorting ceremony, her father wanted her in Slytherin and that is where she went. Money has a way of silencing old rituals."
"I always wondered how she got into Slytherin, she never did seem the sort." Molly continued to look over the happy young couple in the picture.
Remus's eyes stayed riveted on the picture in Molly's hands, his fearful looks made Molly wonder, "Do you have any other pictures of the two of you?"
"No," Remus looked at Molly sadly, "she worried about her father finding out about us."
"Why, if you made her happy what was the problem?" Molly handed the picture back.
"Her father ran her life even though he was never around. Lord Crian even made arrangements for Gala to be married practically right out of Hogwarts." Remus sounded disgusted as the thoughts darted through his mind. "She would have three years of study after Hogwarts, and then it would be off to the altar."
"What was his hurry? Didn't he care about her happiness?" Molly asked shocked.
"Gala was not the son he wanted, and her mother could not have any more children," Remus answered her almost spitting the words out, "so he wanted a grandson, immediately. His daughter would then be twenty after her studying abroad, and what better time to saddle her with a child, as long as it was a son. If not, she probably would have been ordered to keep having children."
"Such a shame." Molly shook her head sadly.
"Yeah, but Gala was able to put him off for almost three and a half years," Remus smirked, "She kept defying him until she couldn't anymore, then it began to become scary for her."
"What a terrible man!" Molly clucked.
"Its worse than you realize," Remus added angrily, "Lord Crian practically sold his daughter to the highest bidder. The Crian's were very old, very powerful money, and they were very pure-blood."
Molly brought her head up sharply, "Do you mean..?"
"Yes." Remus's anger scared Molly, "Lucius Malfoy was the top contender. Oh, Lord Crian was delighted his only heir would become a Malfoy after graduation. What I am guessing is Crian and Malfoy would help Voldemort to full power and then sit on his right hand."
"So what really happened?" Molly tried to change the direction of the conversation, "Gala met you?"
"Yeah, I was reading by the lake like I always did, and she just came up to me..."
I do not own any of the incredible characters in the HP books. Gala Crian is a character I made up for this fanfic and I do own her, if you really want to put it in those terms...
Utter darkness, complete, and deeply dreadful. A shriek of agonized pain and jeering laughter is surrounding it, and the crying stops abruptly with a muffled sob. He could not reach her, he was almost there, just hold on...
Remus Lupin awoke with a jerk and immediately reached for his wand hidden beneath his pillow. He could feel the sweat trickling down his face mixed in with his tears and a scream lodged heavily in his throat. Remus sat silently in the blackness of his small room in the hidden house of the Order of the Phoenix. The memory of the dream, of the unforgiving reality, weighed heavily upon him. His shoulders sagged, his head drooping miserably. The end would be coming, there would be more pain and misery, and that would be the hefty cost for the freedom soon to be had, hopefully anyway. Knowing he would not be able to sleep any longer, Remus rose from his bed, got dressed, and proceeded down stairs to the kitchen. He poured himself a strong cup of coffee, and sat wearily in front of the fire licking at what was left of the wood.
Thoughts and memories clouded his mind and pushed their way behind his closed eyes. Remus heard humming behind him, and turned to see his fiancée. Gala was preparing a light, very light, dinner for them, after all, money was short right now. She looked into his eyes and smiled delicately before the memory faded into wispy thoughts. Remus found himself staring at the table, where a moment before, he had seen his beloved. He shook his head, he did not want to think about Gala right now, it was too difficult and too early.
There was humming again behind him, Remus turned quickly expecting to see Gala, but finding Mrs. Weasley instead. She smiled a good morning at him, but when he did not return it, she came to sit by him. Remus was staring straight at the fire and appeared to be in another world. She placed her hand on his and gave a gentle squeeze.
Molly knew part of the story, almost everyone close to Remus knew part of it. She questioned now whether or not it was any of her business, but until recently, Remus had been spending more and more time in his own darkening thoughts. Molly, being the ever-dependent motherly kind, worried deeply about her friend. Remus's already gaunt face looked miserable, his body language nearly screamed with distress.
"I am always ready to listen if you need to unload." Molly squeezed his hand lightly again and smiled. She rose to start breakfast for those heading out on small tasks for the day. She started to hum again while setting pans to fry and bread to brown. Molly noticed Remus watching her, she turned slightly and met his gaze.
"My fiancée used to hum almost the same tune. It just reminds me of her." Remus stated, "What is the name of the one you hum? I have heard it before."
Molly smiled while continuing with breakfast, "Arthur and I used to listen to it while we were dating, and it became our wedding song. I can't remember the exact name or tune, but I know I am close. Something like Only You, I can't remember exactly."
"Just You and Only You?" Remus questioned her.
"Yes!" Molly answered excitedly, "That's it! I must remember that so I can get a copy of it somewhere."
Remus smiled sadly, "Yes, it is the same one Gala used to sing. I thought so, they were so similar in sound."
"Remus, do you have a picture of her?" Molly asked regretting asking the question.
"Of course," Remus looked longingly at the picture while handing it to Molly.
Molly gingerly held the old photo, which was slightly torn at the edges. A young Remus Lupin smiled happily up from the moving picture, and then turned with loving eyes to the woman beside him who had her arms around his waist. The woman could not have been more than twenty-five, if that. Her shoulder length hair was a dark strawberry blonde, and her eyes were dark green. Her complexion had a healthy and youthful glow. Molly suddenly recognized her, Gala Crian had gone to Hogwarts with her!
"I didn't know you were seeing Gala!" Molly chimed, "I remember her from school, she was such a nice girl."
"Yes, she was. And not many people knew we were seeing each other," Remus filled in for Molly, "Gala's father would not have approved."
"How he could have raised such a nice daughter is a mystery. Lord Crian was a monster!" Molly shuddered at the thought of the evil man.
"Yes, he was a very big supporter of Voldemort, but he did not raise Gala, his wife and house servants did." Remus continued, "She detested being in Slytherin as well, but that again was her father's doing. She was not involved in the sorting ceremony, her father wanted her in Slytherin and that is where she went. Money has a way of silencing old rituals."
"I always wondered how she got into Slytherin, she never did seem the sort." Molly continued to look over the happy young couple in the picture.
Remus's eyes stayed riveted on the picture in Molly's hands, his fearful looks made Molly wonder, "Do you have any other pictures of the two of you?"
"No," Remus looked at Molly sadly, "she worried about her father finding out about us."
"Why, if you made her happy what was the problem?" Molly handed the picture back.
"Her father ran her life even though he was never around. Lord Crian even made arrangements for Gala to be married practically right out of Hogwarts." Remus sounded disgusted as the thoughts darted through his mind. "She would have three years of study after Hogwarts, and then it would be off to the altar."
"What was his hurry? Didn't he care about her happiness?" Molly asked shocked.
"Gala was not the son he wanted, and her mother could not have any more children," Remus answered her almost spitting the words out, "so he wanted a grandson, immediately. His daughter would then be twenty after her studying abroad, and what better time to saddle her with a child, as long as it was a son. If not, she probably would have been ordered to keep having children."
"Such a shame." Molly shook her head sadly.
"Yeah, but Gala was able to put him off for almost three and a half years," Remus smirked, "She kept defying him until she couldn't anymore, then it began to become scary for her."
"What a terrible man!" Molly clucked.
"Its worse than you realize," Remus added angrily, "Lord Crian practically sold his daughter to the highest bidder. The Crian's were very old, very powerful money, and they were very pure-blood."
Molly brought her head up sharply, "Do you mean..?"
"Yes." Remus's anger scared Molly, "Lucius Malfoy was the top contender. Oh, Lord Crian was delighted his only heir would become a Malfoy after graduation. What I am guessing is Crian and Malfoy would help Voldemort to full power and then sit on his right hand."
"So what really happened?" Molly tried to change the direction of the conversation, "Gala met you?"
"Yeah, I was reading by the lake like I always did, and she just came up to me..."