I don't want the world to see me (REMUSS!)

[Annelise Westerhof]

Annelise walked to where the students were lined up, waiting to be checked off on a list so that they could be allowed into Hogsmeade. Everyone was in luck, for it was rather warm and sunny for February. She was honestly very excited. Not only was this her first time visiting Hogsmeade (for she never saw the point before), but also because it was her first date with Remus.

Annelise stood on the tips of her toes and peered over the heads of the students gathered close together. She couldn't see him, but at the same time didn't think that he would stand in such a group. If he was there, he would have no doubt stood to the side.

She stayed back, making sure she had her permission form that she had signed when she was thirteen. Her stomach was full of butterflies. She ran her fingers through her black hair, hoping that she looked nice enough. Annelise had only opted to wear a nice pair of black jeans, a yellow tank top and a grey cardigan. Should she have dressed nicer? She kept her eyes moving, making sure they didn't miss each other.

NOTES: Sorry about the short post, can't make them any longer on my Nintendo DSi
WORD COUNT: 200

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[Remus John Lupin]

Comment: no worries! We'll just go slow, I wouldn't want you to sacrifice the detail in your posts for the sake of going through the plot faster. (:

Remus was a tad late, thanks to Sirius - no thanks to himself. He'd been having breakfast with his friends and had let Sirius know he had a date and they'd ended up talking and discussing it for just a bit too long. Sirius had given him all sorts of advice, something Remus was grateful for, but then again he wasn't so sure if he should follow it. At least not to the letter, Sirius wasn't someone who went for relationships, after all, and Remus, well.. Remus sort of did. He thought he did, anyway. He'd never given the whole thing a lot of thought, it had been more of a fact 'I like her and not for just one quick snog'. Remus had never been the 'one night stand' sort of type, anyway, and had sometimes even openly disapproved of Sirius' antics. (Not that that was any of his business, but still..)
No, he had never really considered a relationship, but then again, did he have to even now? It was only the first date? Why would he think ahead? Wait.. Remus Lupin always thought ahead, why not now? Maybe he didn't want to get his hopes up. Maybe he expected her to be bored by the end of the date and to never look at him again? Remus wasn't sure, but for some reason, he had not really thought over the consequences of a relationship (oh, well, I lie: he had, but only briefly) and he wasn't going to now. Now, he was going to enjoy the day - with Annelise.

He spotted her not too far away, in line already, and made his way up to her (although other students protested a little, Remus apologised softly as he passed them). Once he reached her, he nudged her softly and smiled. "Hey."
Remus wasn't wearing anything noteworthy, but if you must know.. he was wearing jeans and sneakers, a black sweater and a dark brown coat that had been his father's and which he still needed to grow into (lengthwise it was fine, but Remus' shoulders weren't broad enough just yet), but it was warm and that was what counted.

[Annelise Westerhof]

Annelise couldn't help but wonder if she got stood up, or maybe even if she got the date wrong. Had he meant this Hogsmeade weekend or the next one? She bit her lip worriedly as students began to slowly file out of the corridor and towards Hogsmeade. She hoped that he would show up. A couple of her casual friends had already asked her if she was actually going to Hogsmeade this weekend, for they had never seen her in the line-up before. She didn't want to say that she was going, only for her to go back to the Hufflepuff common room. She had actually gotten herself worked up for the date.

Annelise felt a slight nudge, and turned to see Remus standing there. He looked nice. His coat was a little big, but she liked it nonetheless for some reason. She felt a smile creep onto her face without meaning it too. She couldn't help it. She was happy to see him, so why bother pretending to be otherwise.

"I like your coat," she said, a little quietly out of nerves. In her mind, she rolled her eyes at herself. Since when was she shy? Especially around Remus? Practically never! She supposed since this was their first official date, it was what caused her to be nervous. Annelise shook her head a little bit, probably looking like she was shaking hair out of her eyes to him. "I was honestly beginning to wonder if you had forgotten!"

Annelise laughed, as if she was just saying it casually. She looked away briefly, only to notice the corridor was now almost completely empty. That seemed to happen when he was around her - everyone always seemed to disappear a lot quicker. Then again, time always seemed to go by faster when they were together. "We, um, better get going. I never handed in my permission form in third year, so I better do it now before the professors leave."

Annelise gestured at the rather crumpled note in her hand. Many times she had considered handing it in, but always questioned the point when it came to it. She never really had anyone to go with before. She tried to flatten it against her thigh quickly, hoping they wouldn't get suspicious of the now-faded signature. She held it in front of herself and examined it, but realistically nothing could be done about it.

"So," she said, looking back at Remus while still smiling. "Are you excited?"

Word Count: 430
Notes: I'd rather post than not post for like, potentially a long time, so I decided short posts for a while won't be too bad for now... I have use of a computer cord this weekend, so the posts should be better for now... =]

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[Remus John Lupin]

Remus was glad to see her smile. One of his doom scenario's had been that he'd finally find her and she'd act as though she'd never seen him before in the world. It was nonsense, of course, but wasn't fear nonsense half the time? He smiled a little wider at the compliment. "Thanks, I guess. I'll let my father know he has taste," he said with a hint of a twinkle in his eye, "it used to be his when he was just out of school." Good thing his parent had always liked being quality things when they'd still been able to afford it - that was the only reason why they still even had the coat, because it had survived pretty decently all those years.
"I was honestly beginning to wonder if you had forgotten!" Remus blushed slightly. "Sorry! Sirius was drowning me in all sorts of Siriusy advice," he said, a little quickly, because the words had escaped his lips before he'd realised. He hadn't wanted to say Sirius had been holding him up, that sounded as though he had no sense of priorities and it was even worse that he'd admitted Sirius had given him advice, which made him seem utterly incompetent. He exhaled slowly and smiled at Annelise slightly, though, feeling nerves flair up again.

"We, um, better get going. I never handed in my permission form in third year, so I better do it now before the professors leave." Remus had hardly noticed how quickly the other students had been moving, either, and nodded. "Oh, yes, sure," he said, walking along with her and feeling just a little proud that she was going to Hogsmeade for the first time because she was going with him.
"So, are you excited?" Remus smiled, again. "Yes, really looking forward to it," for a moment he wondered if he should add he was nervous, maybe she was too and then that would be out of the way. But then again, he was sure Sirius had never admitted such a thing to a girl - but was Sirius ever nervous? He was a little lost for words for a moment, then returned the question. "And you? Figured out where you want to go and what you want to see yet?" Remus hoped that his nerves would die down soon. They probably would, they always did, eventually, anyway.

[Annelise Westerhof]

Annelise listened to Remus talk about how his coat used to be his father's. She thought back, and realized she didn't have anything of her mother's when she was in school. Then again, her mother had been taller than Annelise when she had been fifteen/sixteen years old. Considering both of her parents were above average height, it was a wonder to why Annelise was quite short. She didn't mind, however, for she liked being small. She wasn't very physically strong, and she never wanted to actually appear that way. She was glad her height matched her strength.

"It's nice that he let you have it," she commented, touching near the collar of it. It did in fact feel a little old, but it just added more character to it. She dropped her hand again. "My dad likes to pass things down to Jakob, too. I guess it's not as common for mothers to pass things down. Then again, with all the different fashions that have come and gone for women, maybe I should be happy she didn't pass anything down to me!"

Annelise chuckled lightly. She looked back at Remus to notice that colour had appeared in his cheeks, and she didn't know why. She thought back to the things she had said to him, and couldn't think of anything that was blush-worthy. Then again, he did the same thing to her: said completely normal things that made her blush. Maybe it was because they both liked each other, so even the most casual of things would make each other feel more emotional than they would have if they truly only saw each other as friends.

She laughed at what he had said about Sirius.

"Was he poking his head in where it didn't belong?" she asked, not even for a second doing what most girls would do and assume that Remus had asked for advice. It all had to do with that precious notebook, and now the Pensieve in the Room of Requirement, that she kept. She knew by now that Sirius would put in his opinion, even when it wasn't asked. She still didn't know if she felt it was a good trait (for he would be answering questions that some people would be too shy to ask) or a bad one (for he would be saying unnecessary things). "It's ok that you're late, though. It's not like you were so late that we missed being checked off to be allowed to leave."

She always had been a rather patient person. Annelise didn't even typically care if someone had an excuse for something that they had done. She knew that people always had an excuse in their mind, so it didn't matter whether she heard it or not. If someone was late, then they were late. She did appreciate that Remus gave a reason, however. She might not ask for a reason or even expect one, but it was nice when people gave one without even asking.

They walked up to the professor with the clipboard of students who were permitted to enter Hogsmeade. Annelise gave her note, and then the two were allowed to pass. She couldn't ignore the strange look the professor gave she and Remus as they left together.

Annelise couldn't help but smile when Remus admitted to be excited for their date. "I am too," she said casually. As the two of them headed towards the trail that led to Hogsmeade, she continued with, "I still have no idea, to be honest. Everywhere here seems to have its fans and haters. I'm sure I can trust your judgement for a nice place to go, or tour?"

She said it as more of a question than a statement. She didn't want to put the full responsibility on him, but at the same time really didn't know what to expect from the little town they were going to. She had asked some of her somewhat friends about good places, but places to avoid as well, to get a lot of mixed replies. Some said that Puddifoot's was the place to be, while others talked of it with tones of digust. Some said that the Three Broomsticks was fun, but others claimed that the place was dirty. Annelise honestly didn't know what to think.

Word Count: 744

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[Remus John Lupin]

Remus had sort of the same built as his father, which helped, although he was a bit more slender due to his quick working metabolism plus his father had worn the coat when he was nearly eightteen and Remus wouldn't be sixteen for another month. Also, it hadn't just been a father-to-son-thing, it had also been necessity. Remus had needed a new coat, as he'd positively grown out of his previous one, and as money was scarce, this had been a handy solution, as Remus wouldn't grow out of this coat for at least another few years and it was still in a rather good condition, despite how old it was.
Still, Remus was glad to have something that belonged to his parents with him. The homesickness he'd suffered from is first year was long gone due to good friends (among other things), but that didn't mean he didn't miss them at all. Especially now there were more reports of casualties in the Daily Prophet, he thought of them more often.
"It's nice that he let you have it." Remus nodded and smiled slightly, smile widening a little as she touched it. It still felt a little unreal to him, being here, with a girl - with Annelise of all girls. Remus didn't tell her it had also been a matter of money, the entire school knew his family wasn't too well off, it was obvious, and it was something he didn't want to focus on. "My dad likes to pass things down to Jakob, too. I guess it's not as common for mothers to pass things down. Then again, with all the different fashions that have come and gone for women, maybe I should be happy she didn't pass anything down to me!" Remus laughed softly. "Perhaps, who knows. I fear I can't be of much help on that subject, fashion sense is not one of those things I possess."

"Was he poking his head in where it didn't belong?" Remus chuckled and smiled at Annelise lopsidedly. "When doesn't he? - Don't answer that, that was rethorical," he added, quickly, grinning slightly still. He had appreciated Sirius' advice, though, even if he wasn't going to heed all of it. It was nice to know his friend cared enough to give him some advice. He'd been a bit afraid, at first, that Sirius would perhaps be annoyed with him for not spending the day with them. You never knew with Sirius, and the slightest things could send him into a bad mood.
Annelise's voice pulled him from his thoughts. Good. Remus didn't want to think of Sirius too much during his first-ever-date, really. "It's ok that you're late, though. It's not like you were so late that we missed being checked off to be allowed to leave." He nodded and shrugged at the same time. "Still, I'll be more punctual next time." ...if there was a next time. He hoped so.

Remus ignored the way they were looked at as they continued on their way to Hogsmeade. Surely, it wasn't the first time the professor had seen a couple going on a date in Hogsmeade, was it now? He didn't even want to consider what the adult could be thinking about them, and it didn't matter, all what mattered today was that he didn't cock this up.
While walking, Remus' hand eventually found Annelise's and he took hold of it gently, so that she could pull away from the grasp if she wanted, and, when she didn't (which, I suppose, we may assume happens) he smiled slightly to himself, squeezing her hand slightly. This wasn't going so bad at all, up until now. He smiled a little wider as she admitted that she was also rather excited about today, although she sounded a whole lot less nervous than he was.

"I still have no idea, to be honest. Everywhere here seems to have its fans and haters. I'm sure I can trust your judgement for a nice place to go, or tour?" Remus swallowed. "Well, I hope so," he said, half in jest and half serious. He had been thinking about where to take her. He had planned asking her to join him for a drink somewhere first, that seemed proper enough to ask, and then show her around the rest of the village. It was a simply idea and it could always be switched around if she wasn't thirsty or anything.
His first dilemma had, indeed, been whether to go to the Three Broomsticks of Puddifoot's. He wasn't much of a fan of Puddifoot's (although he had never been inside ever), but that was simply because it had always been filled with couples - but now he was also part of a couple.. right? Besides, he knew Annelise had helped with the Valentine Ball's decorations, so she would probably appreciate the place. Still - he planned to leave the choice to her, whatever Sirius said, Remus didn't know any better than to be a gentleman when it came to these sort of things.
As for the tour of the rest of the town, he guessed that would come naturally. He'd just walk her around, they'd talk a bit, they'd stop and buy something at one or two places, maybe - it wouldn't be a problem. Remus had contemplated showing her the Shack or not. He never really visited it, he didn't like the place (and the smell), but thought it might be more than a little suspicious if he didn't show her (as it was supposed to be 'the scary place in Hogsmeade'), so he was going to anyway. If she wanted to see it, that was. Remus secretly hoped she didn't.

"Oh, I'll be happy to show you everything," he answered with a smile. "Would you like to have a drink first?" His tone indicated that he didn't mind either way. Remus would be happy to lead, show her around and tell her an anecdote or two, but that didn't mean he had some sort of schedule worked out. Not at all, really.

[Annelise Westerhof]

Annelise laughed slightly at his comment about fashion. What boy did actually pay attention to fashion and trends? The most fashion that was required at Hogwarts was practically none at all. Pretty much all people wore were things like jeans and t-shirts. Who wanted to dress up when they had to wear uniforms to class? Annelise typically liked to dress a little nicer than the average girl, but she wouldn't classify herself as 'stylish.'

"I don't much either," she said with a casual shrug. "Not like I'm dressed with purple trousers and green shirts, but you know... who has time to keep up? I don't blame you anyways. Most boys don't keep up, and I'd be worried if they did."

Annelise looked away quickly when he mentioned 'next time.' Did that mean that he was expecting a next date? She certainly hoped so. She herself had a habit of talking a lot, and many people found it, well, rather annoying. It was the way she had always been. A lot of people found it fine at first, but after a while they'd get sick of her almost constant conversation. It wasn't like she couldn't keep her mouth closed, or even that she didn't like silences, for she did, it was just for the most part she liked to have conversations. Why not? If she liked someone, she wanted to get to know them. Getting to know someone, for the most part, did not consist of not speaking to them.

"Well, we'll have to see if you're more punctual next time, won't we?" Annelise replied, jokingly. "I don't think either of us are super Divination whizzes. Well, I guess you could be..." she added, quickly, as she realized that she had been presumptuous. She hated doing that, and disliked it greatly when people did it to her. She paused for a second before saying, "You just didn't really seem the type to be all about Divination."

She worried for a moment that she was rambling, and was being rude, and she hoped that Remus would understand that she didn't mean what she said to be taken the wrong way.

However, he grabbed her hand and she looked down as if she didn't know why he was touching her. It took her a second to realize that he was just holding her hand, and she looked at Remus and smiled. The way their hands fit together was nice. She was glad to realize that her hand wasn't sweating like she thought it would if he was to do something like this. Then again, it was still February after all. She doubted if her hand could sweat even if she wanted it to.

"Hmm... sure," she answered the question about getting a drink first. "Where to?"

Annelise was honestly curious to which place he'd take her. She wondered if it would reflect the kind of person he was, or if he was trying to find somewhere that she'd like. She was actually hoping deep down that those two places would be the same place. She hoped he wouldn't go somewhere that he didn't like in attempt to impress her or make her happy. She just wanted to see what kinds of places he liked.

Word Count: 564

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[Remus John Lupin]

Remus just generally wore jeans and shirts, sweaters, or blouses and hardly ever anything short sleeved. For the same reason, he never wore shorts - he didn't want people staring at his legs. Staring at a pair of female legs usually had a good reason, staring at his legs not so much.
He chuckled softly at Annelise's comment. "Well, in that case you will not have to worry about me in that aspect, I'm not much concerned with clothes apart from, well, their practical use - not so much their aesthetical value."
He felt his stomach squirm a little when he saw her looking away at his mentioning of a next date, fearing he had gone too far in assuming. But then she spoke and her words calmed him, and he even managed a chuckle at her: "Well, we'll have to see if you're more punctual next time, won't we?" Remus grinned boyishly, something he (despite being a boy) didn't do all that often. "I'll ask a watch for my birthday." It was a joking comment, he knew his parents could not afford a watch.
He smiled as she rambled and found it infinitely cute. Remus found himself realising he would happy listen to her rambling all day, no matter what the subject was. "I'm not the Divination type, no, not really. I'm not even the Astronomy type," he confirmed, still smiling a little. "It's not that I don't like stargazing, but I enjoy doing it for fun, not because I have homework to turn in." Despite popular belief, Remus did rather like other things than homework, as well.

He had been a little insecure about the hand-holding and was more than glad to see her smile at him. Remus smiled a winning smiled back at her - if things kept progressing as they were now, he was sure today was going to be a very good day.
"Whereto?" he echoed. "Well, there's the Three Broomsticks straight ahead. That has a more, eh, rustic feel to it, and there-" he nodded in the tea parlor's general direction "is Madame Puddifoot's, which is more in the style of the Valentine's Ball." He smiled at Annelise slightly. "Would you do me the honour of making the choice?"


Comments: Hm.. not much better, but at least a little bit!

[Annelise Westerhof]

Annelise somewhat grinned at his comment about clothes. "Well, it's all boys really should worry about when it comes to clothes... when you see those boys wearing shirts that match their shoes... makes me wonder a little bit if they're using their time effectively. It's not like you dress like you dressed in the dark ever, so it's not like you have anything to worry about anyways."

Remus grinned boyishly, and she liked it. It was an honest-to-God genuine smile, and those were hard to come by, particularly with boys. To Annelise, most of them seemed a little to self-conscious about the way they looked when they smiled. Most of them were worried because their eyes would crinckle, or that they'd get wrinkles in their foreheads, something that even girls worried about. She knew a fair amount of girls who never even smiled with their teeth because they were too worried about what their faces looked like when they did so.

Annelise then looked down at his wrist. "Huh, I always thought you had one," she said, a little randomly. She then looked back up to his face. "Is your birthday soon, then?"

She was actually a little curious to which of them was older. Considering her birthday was during that month (February), she assumed that she was older than him. She had actually almost forgotten about her birthday. Thinking of what day it was, she realized it was only in about four days. The thought suddenly got her excited. Who wasn't excited about their birthday, especially their sixteenth one? Sure, it wasn't as big as your seventeenth birthday, but it was still a happy occasion all the same.

"Stargazing is fun," she agreed, nodding her head. "Although Divination... well..." she had to pause to think of a polite way to put it. "Is a little sketchy. I mean, there are obviously psychics out there or whatnot, giving predictions... there are some renowned ones, but what's the liklihood that they'll come across someone so magnificent at Hogwarts? I don't know... the class just really isn't my cup of tea."

When Remus asked her which place she'd like to go to of either of them, she remembered how many people complained about Madam Puddifoot's, and she really did not want to drag him somewhere that he didn't want to go. Besides, the Three Broomsticks really was closer, and she noticed a lot more people going into that one than into Puddifoot's.

"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks," she offered, since he told her to make the choice. "It is closer after all. Besides, I've heard good things about it."

Word count: 458

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[Remus John Lupin]

Remus laughed a little about Annelises comment about 'boys who wore shirts that matched their shoes'. "Well, you never know - they might just have made a lucky guess," he said with a slight chuckle. "My secret is that I just don't have much to choose from, it limits the chances of mismatching." Remus was joking, obviously, he really wasn't concerned much with clothes. Okay, he had a favourite sweater, but who didn't? And he liked it because it was comfortable, not because it was dark green. Okay, maybe a little.

Honestly - Remus had never doubted about how he smiled before and couldn't imagine it, either. He sometimes wondered, in particular situations, if it was appropriate to smile (or laugh), but he was never concerned with the execution of it. Maybe boys were secretly more vain than girls were, but that didn't go for Remus.
The moment Annelise looked at his hand (well, wrist), he felt the urge to pull his clothes over his scarred hand, but didn't. He didn't want to seem suspicious about his scars, but most importantly, he wanted to trust Annelise desperately. He trusted her with a rather large number of things already, because she'd seen his scars before and had been nice enough not to ask anything, so he didn't want to come off as though he was hiding things from her (even though he was).
"Huh, I always thought you had one." Remus conveniently chose not to respond to it. Well, he had planned to respond to it, but it was just his luck Annelise never lingered on the question why he didn't have a watch and asked him something else, something simple. Something he could answer without feeling bad. "Is your birthday soon, then?" He nodded slightly. "Born on 10 May." Remus smiled slightly. "Sixteen this year, I'm sort of hoping Sirius will forget about it - I fear for my life." That was a joke, but then again Remus knew he could count on his friend when it came to surprises and partying, and he sort of hoped Sirius wouldn't organise a surprise party for him. Of course it would be infinitely nice, but Remus had had enough spotlight for the rest of the year. Sirius should've used the opportunity for his own birthday (although, he could imagine, organising your own surprise party wasn't really that much fun, unless you could obliviate yourself without leaving any permanent damage).
"When's yours?" he asked her. Remus felt he should get her something for her birthday. (He hadn't considered that it might be in a few days.)

"Stargazing is fun." Remus nodded as well. He liked looking at the night sky, ironically, and as it happens, stargazing was best done when it was a new moon. Perfect.
"Although Divination... well..." Annelise seemed to hesitate a little and Remus wondered why. Was she could to tell him she actually loved the subject? He couldn't imagine. "Is a little sketchy. I mean, there are obviously psychics out there or whatnot, giving predictions... there are some renowned ones, but what's the liklihood that they'll come across someone so magnificent at Hogwarts? I don't know... the class just really isn't my cup of tea." He softly laughed at the 'cup of tea', as reading tea leaves was one of the first things that was taught Divination (or so he'd heard). "Yes, well, I don't really know what to think of it, either. I'm glad I don't have to do it."

"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks. It is closer after all. Besides, I've heard good things about it." Remus smiled slightly and continued walking towards the Three Broomsticks. "I guess.. both locations have their positive points, as well as negative ones." Remus shrugged slightly, but smiled a little wider. He was perfectly fine anywhere if Annelise was there.
The door to the pub opened with a tingle of the bell above it and he was relieved to find it wasn't immensely crowded as it sometimes could be. Remus suspected that Valentine's day had tipped the scale in Puddifoot's favour for the weekend, at least for couples. He glanced around briefly for a place to sit and found an empty table near the fire that (considering the number of chairs) was probably meant for three, but actually the table was just a tad too small for three. Well, they were only two, so that would work. He walked over to the place with Annelise and waited until she'd sat down before asking what she'd like to drink.
Remus intended on paying, he had a little money saved up and knew he wouldn't need any new supplies anytime soon, as his parents usually send him a book and/or some school supplies for his birthday. He knew it didn't sound much like a present, but he knew his parents tried to give him something he would like, and honestly, the fact Remus was now at Hogwarts seemed the greatest gift life could've given him, anyway.

[Annelise Westerhof]

"Oh, so you mean you don't have your trunk overflowing with clothes like most of the girls in my dorm?" Annelise asked, grinning. Her mind automatically went to a certain girl in her dorm, who actually brought an extra trunk she kept under her bed. Annelise didn't. She brought enough clothes to last her a week if she didn't wear uniforms and didn't repeat, but that was about it. She didn't bother bringing too much considering she had to wear uniforms every day. She occasionally repeated outfits, but every now and then she'd use some of the money her parents sent with her to Hogwarts to buy a new outfit. She always went home in the summer with more clothes than she came with, but that was alright. It was better than having a different outfit every day.

"10 March? So it's coming up rather soon then," she commented, automatically thinking of things she could get him for his birthday. Maybe it was a little premature to think of buying birthday presents for each other, but she never really even had a good friend before, never mind a date. She was hoping maybe someday she could even call him her boyfriend, but she didn't want to get ahead of herself. Annelise laughed at his comment about Sirius. "It's a big birthday ... I can imagine him getting quite excited."

Annelise neglected to tell Remus that she had heard Sirius talking about having a big party in the common room for Remus for his birthday, mainly because she wasn't sure if Sirius was actually going to follow through, or if it was just an idle thought. Also, she couldn't imagine Remus liking the thought of a big party just for him. She kept her mouth shut, not wanting to ruin the surprise if there was one. She hadn't been personally invited yet, so she wasn't sure if it was going to be a Gryffindor-only party, or that it had just slipped his mind.

"Mine's actually early next week, on the twenty-first," she said, casually. Even though she thought of it for him, she had never guessed that Remus would even think about getting something for her. She was rather looking forward to her own birthday for what she assumed her parents would get her. "Sixteen as well."

Annelise nodded her head about his thoughts on Divination. "Sometimes I just enjoy laying outside in the middle of the night to look up at the stars. Can't really do it now, though, due to the fact it's winter... but it's the only thing I break school rules for."

She knew it probably wasn't the smartest idea to admit to a Gryffindor Prefect that she broke school rules, but she assumed he wasn't about to find her doing it and take House Points away from Hufflepuff. Look at his best mates, they broke rules all of the time and Remus didn't get them in trouble for it. She assumed he obviously considered her at least a friend, considering he had asked her on a date. So unless the date went terribly, she doubted that he would do that.

Annelise ordered a Butterbeer after they sat in the Three Broomsticks, and the waitress asked what Remus would like as well. When the waitress came back with their drinks, Annelise sipped from it, and the taste warmed her immediately. She felt extremely comfortable, and felt like she had known Remus a lot longer than she actually had. It was a strange feeling, and a feeling that she didn't feel like voicing in case he didn't agree.

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[Remus John Lupin]

Remus laughed out loud softly. "My trunk overflowing with clothes? Not really, unless you expect me to dress in books," he joked, light-hearted. He also usually dressed in his uniform, even after classes on weekdays, simply because it were the best clothes he had and he was comfortable enough in it, too.
He felt in an extremely good mood, and he guessed it was due to Annelise. Also, not to talk badly of anyone, but he liked for once not hanging out with his friends. They were his best friends, of course they were, but it somehow felt good to be a little independent of them, especially as Remus was, actually, quite dependent on them.

"10 March? So it's coming up rather soon then." Remus nodded a little. "I guess. I'm not terribly concerned about birthdays." He grinned and shrugged slightly. "I always imagine my birthdays after Hogwarts as just a small gathering of good friends. Big parties are not really my style - that's Sirius' style, and maybe James'." "It's a big birthday ... I can imagine him getting quite excited." Remus raised his eyebrows. "Is it, really? I don't know. It's only sixteen, I won't be an adult for another year." And boy was he glad about that.. he was under Ministry control, of course, but at the moment, all the paper work was his parents' responsibility. Once Remus became an adult, he would have to go to the Beast Division himself for annual checkups and loads of unpleasant and impossible paperwork.
The Ministry of Magic had been busy regulating werewolves since the Werewolf Code of Conduct in 1637 and somehow Remus had the feeling it had only gotten worse from there. The most confusing thing was the departments. The Werewolf Registry and Werewolf Capture Unit were both in the Beast Division, while at the same time the office for Werewolf Support Services was in the Being Division. He already knew the ministry officials would just use it as an excuse to send him from one division to another constantly..
But he was not thinking about that now. He was here. With Annelise. And he was not even sixteen yet.

"Mine's actually early next week, on the twenty-first. Sixteen as well." His expression brightened. "Really? I should get you something. What would you like?" Remus asked, not even hesitating or wondering if it was proper or not. He didn't care, he wanted to get her something. He'd manage to get some money somewhere, he was sure.

He grinned as Annelise told him about how she liked watching the stars in the middle of the night, but chuckled as she added - almost carefully - that it was something she broke school rules for. "Sounds like a good reason to break rules, to me," he softly commented, smiling a little conspiratorially.
It was true that he cut his friends an immense amount of slack, but he just hadn't the heart to tell them to stop being what they were - Marauders. Also, he knew most of the pranks were good-natured and even if they weren't.. he was usually able to calm his friends in that aspect. Remus was afraid that if he stood up to them, they would exclude him and that that would not only cost him their friendship (which was worst) but that they would also be more reckless without him, and someone (a certain Slytherin) might get hurt.. No, this was a far better way of monitoring them.

Remus also ordered a butterbeer and smiled politely as the waitress brought them their drinks. He paid and put the change in his wallet quickly. He could pick up sickles, although they burned, so it was usually a matter of speed (or gloves - why hadn't he remembered to bring gloves? the weather even made it a plausible situation!). He sipped his drink and smiled at Annelise, quite content indeed. More than content, absolutely positively happy.

[Annelise Westerhof]

Annelise laughed at the concept of Remus dressing in books. She came up with many different ways that someone could do it, and she resisted laughing at her mental thoughts, for she worried it might make her look a little strange.

“You know,” Annelise began with the mental image of him dressed in books still not out of her head. “You probably could manage to do that… although I don’t recommend it. I could imagine it being difficult to sit down if you were to do that.”

She probably could have listed a dozen ways for him to dress in books, but she felt as if it would bore him to discuss such things. Who really wanted to talk about ways to dress in books on their first date? Besides, she felt as if talking about it would come off as nerves. It was stupid, really. Besides, talking about birthdays and parties seemed more interesting anyways. She didn’t exactly know why she felt so flustered. Well, Annelise had a feeling it had to do with the boy next to her. She never really felt nervous around boys before, even the ones that she had liked. In fact, she had been fine with him in the previous weeks as they got to know each other. What was different now; just because this was their first official date? She sincerely hoped that every time they went on a date, she wouldn’t be like this.

“Well, if it’s Sirius and James’ style, then they’re probably going to force it on you,” she said, knowingly. She could imagine it now; the whole Gryffindor common room filled with students partying. She felt a little bad for thinking it, but she wondered if half the people who would show up would only show up because of Sirius and James. As far as Annelise was aware, he only had a handful of close friends. It wasn’t like it was a bad thing. She knew that she herself probably had fewer friends than Remus. It was the way she liked it. She had yet to make it into Rita Skeeter’s article, and she hoped it would stay that way. “Yes, well, it might not be your coming-of-age birthday, but I can imagine it being exciting all the same, I suppose.”

Annelise shrugged. She always found anything over fifteen years old as an exciting birthday. Anything under that age always felt, well, young. She wondered what her parents were going to get her for her birthday this year. She sort of wished that her birthday was closer to some kind of holiday so that she could see her family for it. She always had fun at Jakob’s birthdays, for he had been born in the summer, and had been envious of him for it.

Remus offered to buy her something for her birthday, and she blushed madly. She never had any one of her friends even offer to buy her anything for her birthday. She had never been close enough to any of them. She looked away from him, suddenly. “No… really, it’s fine,” she replied, in a smaller voice than what she typically used. “As long as I get to see you, I’ll be happy.”

Once again, she said exactly what was on her mind. If she had some time with him alone then, she would be happy enough. Realistically, if he even remembered her birthday she would be ecstatic. She never reminded anyone when it was her birthday, for she didn’t want to be a bother or for people to think she was self-obsessed. It was just a birthday… as long as her family remembered - which they of course always did. Honestly, she was making a mental list of things she could get Remus. She didn’t want to get him a book, for that seemed much too obvious of a present. She’d have to think of something, but she didn’t know him quite enough to get something that was very personal. Annelise decided to keep an ear out in case she heard him mention something for she didn’t want to outright ask.

Annelise smiled as Remus said it was a good excuse to break rules for. She internally sighed. “Maybe one day you could come out and join me,” she suggested, sipping her Butterbeer again. Well, she looked like she was sipping, when in reality she was gulping it. She had picked up a handy trick in which it looked like she was being ladylike, but realistically was being quite the opposite. Annelise wasn’t really ever worried about rejection, but not because she didn’t think Remus wouldn’t turn down any ideas, but because she had accepted a long time ago that rejection was a part of life and was inevitable.

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[Remus John Lupin]

“You probably could manage to do that… although I don’t recommend it. I could imagine it being difficult to sit down if you were to do that.” Remus laughed at that, identical images to the ones in Annelise's head invading his mind. "I could probably do it.. but the thought of the pages damaging when I try to sit down.. rather not. And what if someone decides to start a food fight - disastrous! Gravy over the pages and all that." He grinned a little, feeling a colony of butterflies fluttering about in his stomach, as if trying to find their way out. Remus hoped they wouldn't escape, really - he sort of liked the feeling, to be honest.

Remus really wasn't too concerned with his birthday, but Annelise was right - no matter what he did to prevent it, James and Sirius would never miss an opportunity to organise a party and if they did organise a party.. it would be spectacular. "I suppose so," he said with a shrug. "Oh well, I'll just sneak out of the common room if it's too crowded." He sent Annelise a smile. "Or I'll invite you in." Yes, that was Remus implying that even when it would be too much for him, he would feel better if she were there. It was the truth, too, really - not just something said to flatter her. Remus couldn't lie to Annelise. Well.. not very well, anyway, and some things simply had to be lied about.
“Yes, well, it might not be your coming-of-age birthday, but I can imagine it being exciting all the same, I suppose.” He was silent for a while, slightly pensive. "I suppose," he eventually echoed. "It's always nice to celebrate you've survived another year, especially when you consider who my friends are and the trouble they get themselves into sometimes." It was a lighthearted joke, but Remus knew for a fact that his mother always hugged him extra tight every summer when he returned from Hogwarts - it was as though she'd never stopped worrying that he'd tear himself apart one moon.

But none of that now - they were discussing nice things. Parties and presents and stuff. Or were they? Annelise looked away from him and avoided his eyes, and for a moment, Remus wondered if he had, perhaps, offended her when he'd offered to buy her a present.
“No… really, it’s fine. As long as I get to see you, I’ll be happy.” He blushed slightly, more touched by that statement than he was willing to admit, and smiled slightly (although he felt like smiling a mile wide). "If you feel uncomfortable with it, I won't buy you anything." Remus would just ask his father if he had any books that would interest an aspiring dragon-tamer (which he almost certainly would have). That would not include any buying, and his father would be happy to see his books go to someone who was interested in them.
For a moment, Remus almost beamed - he felt pretty smart and very pleased with his plan.

“Maybe one day you could come out and join me,” Remus smiled and nodded. "Maybe I could - it sounds nice." He smiled a little wider and sipped his beer as well. It was pretty damned perfect, really, as stargazing was usually done during a new moon, so there was no reason why he should worry (unless she would suggest moon-gazing, he would be less inclined to accept that particular invitation). Of course, he knew the moon phase by instinct - she was currently waning, so who knew.. in a few days time.
He rested back in his chair, quite comfortable in his current situation and glad that he was. Remus had expected himself to be an idiot on dates, especially on first dates, but he was doing pretty well. Of course, he wasn't as suave as Sirius, but Remus didn't want to be Sirius (granted, he was a little jealous sometimes, but he would never want to actually be Sirius). Pushing his thoughts away, he focused on Annelise again. "So.. anything in particular in Hogsmeade you want to see first?" he asked, just to make conversation and to see what they'd do after their bottles were empty.

[Annelise Westerhof]

Annelise began to laugh at Remus describing what it would be like to wear books as clothes. She couldn’t help it – her mental images got the better of her. It was also the tone of voice he was using. He sounded happy; eccentric, even. It just made her feel good. He made her feel good. They had only gotten into the Three Broomsticks, and already she felt as if she was having a good time. It was almost as if she felt, well, a connection with the boy she was sitting with. It sounded cheesy even in her head. She just liked everything about him, she realized, as she looked at him. She liked his lopsided smile, the way he looked at her, the way he talked… everything. She hadn’t found, as of yet, a single thing about him she didn’t like about him. It didn’t matter how often she saw him, she never grew bored. She was sincerely hoping it was the beginning of something good. He had even passed up the chance to hang out with his best friends in Hogsmeade to spend time with her. It wasn’t as if she expected boys she liked to not hang out with their friends, but it was nice that he wasn’t completely dependent on them.

“I think Madam Pince would break down in tears if that were to happen,” Annelise said, grinning at the thought. As much as she enjoyed reading, she disliked the librarian very much. “Heart attack potential, even. Poor woman.”

Annelise smiled at his comments about his birthday. She wished she had friends that were as important to her as Sirius, James and Peter were to Remus. She sometimes wondered if girls just couldn’t have the same sort of connection that boys could… unless she was just missing out herself. She certainly hoped there was nothing wrong with her preventing her to get a close girl friend. She always wanted one, but it had yet to have happened. She assumed somewhere in Hogwarts there was someone who would make a brilliant friend for her, but she hadn’t met them. Her guess was that her unknown best friend was most likely in a different House. Lately, all she wanted lately was for a girl she could gush about Remus to… not in a gossipy sense, though, more just in a girly fashion. No matter how much a girl claimed that she didn’t do such things about boys, it was a lie. They all did, and if they didn’t, it was because they were forcing themselves not to. It wasn’t like she was planning on telling personal stuff about him, just so that someone else other than her knew. It was very stress relieving to tell people such things, or even get opinions. Yes, her little brother knew about Remus, but writing through letters was nothing in comparison to what it was like to talk to someone in person.

“Well, I’m sure if your birthday party gets too out of hand, McGonagall will put a stop to it,” Annelise said, still smiling. It was like she had some kind of Cheering Charm put on her. She couldn’t make herself not smile. She didn’t mind whatsoever, of course. “Not that I think that’ll make a difference, but I’m sure that if someone was found in a… compromising situation, she’d fix it before leaving. As long as they don’t go so far as to put a pirate ship in the common room – I heard about that one, but I was never sure if it was true or not. How on Earth would it fit?”

Annelise was rambling somewhat, but what else was new? She didn’t really know how to answer his question about birthday presents, however. Would it be nice to get a gift on her birthday from Remus? Of course. But she could never actually ask him for one. That was beyond awkward. It was just the thought in her mind. It made her feel like there was a little burst of sunshine in her stomach that she was important enough to him that he would want to give her a gift, especially since it was well known that the Lupin family wasn’t the most financially stable.

“Like I said, it’s fine,” she said with a kind smile. She put her hand on top of his on the table before she even realized what she had done. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel herself blush. She found that it had just felt natural to do so. She thought for a moment about Hogsmeade, and suddenly wished she knew more about the place in order to give suggestions. “Well… think of the most interesting places, and take me there. Sound good?”

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