Title: And They Lived Happily Ever After
Author: Kait
Rating: PG
Pairing: Remus/Sirius, Harry/Draco, implied Ron/Hermione
Summary: After the war, some people need help learning how to live normal lives.
Notes: Written for the collectivewords once upon a time challenge., Spoilers for OotP.


And They Lived Happily Ever After

You're still trying to figure out why you're at the party.

You've been here for over an hour, sitting at the table and chatting idly with whoever has the balls to wander by. You have been on their side for almost a year and still none of them trust you.

Except Potter.

Your eyes wander over to Potter, drinking him in. He is standing by the couch, a glass of something held securely in one hand while the other wildly gesticulates as he tells a story to Granger, Black, and the Weasley girl. They all laugh, giggle really, as he comes to a roaring finish.

You frown.

Why are you here?! You just don't understand it. You don't like any of them. Not at all. You don't like Black's crude jokes and you don't like Granger's sensibility and you don't like Weasley's loyalty and you don't like Ginny's bravery and you don't like Lupin's quiet wit and you don't like Tonks' clumsiness and you especially don't like Potter.

*You know,* a quiet voice in the back of your mind whispers, *you haven't lied that much in one sentence since you got splashed with that reversal draught.*

You try not to let that thought get to you and pour yourself some more punch, adding just a little bit of Scotch to it. While Mrs. Weasley has been actively slapping her children's (and by extension, Harry and Hermione's) hands away from it all night, you know that no one will even try to stop you.

"Can you pass that over here?" You're startled. You know the voice, remember it from four years ago, from a first Defense lesson where a boggart came out of a drawer and turned into your worst nightmare. You don't have to glance up, but you do anyway and you're not sure why.

"Shouldn't you be over there with Potter and your pet mongrel?" You try to sneer but the little laugh that escapes Lupin's lips leaves you more confused than contemptuous. You pass the scotch.

"I think they can handle themselves for just a bit." You watch as Lupin gazes affectionately at the other group, his eyes soft as Black ruffles Potter's hair and laughs heartily. You know how to read people better than anyone will ever imagine and you can almost relive the memories flashing through the werewolf's eyes along with him. You weren't present when Black disappeared but you were when he reappeared. You couldn't stand to watch the lovers reunite, kisses and embraces and too many tears. You turned away and made some snide remark to the only other person you could stand talking to, but Snape either didn't hear you or ignored you, a look of jealousy mingling with regret washing over his face.

You can almost understand what Snape was feeling - wanting something and knowing that you can't have it. Knowing that it belongs to someone else. Or everyone else, you muse, as you watch Potter move from Black's group to one consisting of even more Weasleys (good god, just how many of them are there?), Flitwick, and McGonagall.

You don't realize that you've been caught staring until Lupin makes a soft sighing sound. Your cheeks turn rosy as you glare at him, but he looks ready to comfort you rather than gloat about it.
"I fell in love when I was fourteen years old," he says softly. You try to look bored.

"And?"

"It was the most excruciating two years of my life. The time before I was loved back. Before I knew I was loved back." You pretend you don't know what he's talking about, but he puts a hand on your shoulder and you melt into the contact. Freeze. Then allow yourself to relax again.

None of the others have touched you.

None except Potter.

And you're thinking about him again, thinking about him as he looks bashful and uncomfortable in the overwhelming, suffocating praise of the Weasley matriarch. You shake your head, hard, and the hand on your shoulder squeezes.

"And what do you care?" The words slip out of your mouth before you even realize that you've admitted to Lupin's subtle interrogation. You notice his eyes when you glance up at him, notice that they're amber colored. It's the only wolfish thing about him and maybe, just maybe those things your father told you about him were all wrong.

"We've won, Draco." Lupin, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny are the only three who will call you by your given name. Most just bark "Malfoy!" or whisper it almost timidly. Yes, maybe your father was wrong about Lupin. "The war is over. In the next few months, we're going to have to learn to live life normally again. And it's going to be hard. Sirius has never had a normal life before. He's afraid." A pause. You know it's not about Black. He knows you know, but he adds the next bit anyway. "So is Harry." You don't say a word. "Sirius and I love Harry as if he were own our child. But Sirius is hardly fit to teach Harry about a normal life, he's going to be learning it himself. And that's what I'm for. Harry needs someone." Another pause. You finally take your cue.

"That's what Weasley and Granger are for." Lupin laughs again, something that still sounds foreign to you despite the fact that he has the sharpest wit of nearly any of the rest of the lot.

"No, I fear that Ron and Hermione will be off on their own quite soon, working on producing a new lot of Weasley's to pound down the halls of Hogwarts." He smiles and you actually manage a smirk.

"Just what the world needs, another batch of disrespectful, nosy, big mouthed red-heads." You can guess that little comment would have gotten a frown from almost anyone else, but Lupin rolls his eyes and grins a little.

"I'm here," Lupin says without segue, "Because I see me in you." You blink. "I mean... I understand what it's like to not be a part of it. To be different. To be ignored and left out and feared." You reckon he's right, but remain silent. "But once upon a time, there was one person who truly, undeniably accepted me completely for who I was. One person who stood up for me no matter what. The person who was the first to swear his allegiance to me after learning my secret. And we lived happily ever after. And while I'm not saying it always works out that way, I have noticed that in our group there has been a person like that for you. And I think he might need taking care of in a few months time. And I think you should see if you're up to the challenge."

You wonder, as you stare at Potter, now being pulled into a bone crunching hug by that big oaf Hagrid, if it's this obvious to everyone else, or if it sticks out to Lupin because of the similarities between you. You had never thought of yourself that way. Potter, Granger, Weasley... they had always been the freaks. But now he was the only "normal" one and the tables were completely turned.

Your mind is more muddled than it was before, and you attribute it to the scotch. Lupin pours himself another and you hold out your cup as well. He pours without the slightest look of disdain or disapproval and even holds his glass up in toast. You see, over his shoulder, that Black has broken away from the WeasleyGrangerWeasley group and is starting towards you.

"To happily ever afters," you mutter. Lupin looks confused until Black's hands lay on his shoulders. He smiles at the reference, and then the smile changes.

"To once upon a times," he adds softly, gesturing towards Potter who is approaching the table. You glance away from him quickly and drink from your glass. Lupin takes a sip and then offers it to Black, who merely places it on the table.

"My Moony," he whispers into Lupin's hair, his voice thick. "Just needed to touch you..." And Lupin is gone, his body still a foot away from you, but his mind focused solely on the man who's arms are desperately squeezing him.

"Happily ever after," you murmur, turning away and drinking deeply. Potter stops talking to Tonks and catches your eyes. The whole world grinds to a halt as he smiles and excuses himself without looking away. Soon he's sitting in the seat next to you, that soul-bearing smile on his lips.

"So, do you believe in once upon a time, Potter?" He looks confused. You smirk and pour him some Scotch.

"Pardon?"

"Nevermind," you say, offering him the glass. "Why don't we have a drink?" He accepts the glass. Your fingers brush together and he doesn't pull them away too quickly. You know you can blame your light flush on the liquor, but you also know that he doesn't have an excuse for his. And that smile again.

You make a note to thank Lupin later. Maybe there's something to his story telling after all.

-end-