How soon is now? [Lena]

[Lena Marie Becket]

Clothing: clicky

Lena smiled and shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to impose on your family for that long. But maybe I could come and visit sometimes after this?” She hoped that they would allow her to come visit more often. She didn’t have family of her own so it wasn’t as if anyone but her house elves would be missing her. Of course, she had never told Remus about it because she didn’t want him to suddenly treat her differently or as if she was a glass flower. She loved their friendship as it was and would never want him to pity her for not having her parents.

Lena could tell Mary wasn’t going to ask her for any help, but she was going to offer it anyway. She really wouldn’t mind helping out around the house because they were letting her stay with them. She smiled and looked over when she felt Remus nudging her slightly under the table and nudged him back. “I’m sure I will. And I might end up forcing you into helping me with some experiments.” She grinned at her friend, teasing him about it.

She blushed slightly but smiled and rolled her eyes as he called it her obsession. It was an obsession, but his parents hadn’t needed to know that. She shrugged slightly as she thought over what they could do. “You know I don’t do flying so that’s out. Maybe you could just show me around outside for a bit and then we can figure out what we want to do from there?” Lena noticed his parents leaving them alone so they could have time to talk to each other and she appreciated it. They needed time to be together and she was hoping his parents weren’t thinking they would end up being a couple. “By the way, I didn’t mean us doing homework yet. I’m not going to do any of that mess for another month at least.” Lena was very punctual and even early with her homework assignments at school but during the summer she allowed herself to take her time. They didn’t need to be turned in for two months anyway.

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus smiled and nodded. "Yes, of course - you're always welcome." He was just like his mother, that wasn't completely true. Oh well, if Lena's plans and the moon would clash, they could think of an excuse later. He didn't want to hold back and seem reserved towards his friend, because he really did enjoy her company, though he did think it was a little odd she didn't suggest him coming over to her house sometime. Maybe her parents were just a little reserved, or maybe they didn't have enough space (though that later reason seemed unlikely to Remus - Lena appeared to be well-to-do). Then again.. her parents were probably Asian as well, it might be a cultural thing. Remus decided not to bother. Lena coming over his house was fine too.
I have to admit I can't tell for sure how Remus would treat Lena if she were to tell him her secret. Maybe with a little more care, but then again Remus also had a secret that tended to make people treat him differently and he hated that too. Be it hatred, like most, or be it protectiveness, like his parents - if anyone knew how annoying it could be to be treated differently without wanting to, it was Remus, so it was also quite possible that he'd handle it better than Lena thought he might.

“I’m sure I will. And I might end up forcing you into helping me with some experiments.” Remus grinned back and stuck out his tongue after. "Helping is fine, just don't test anything on me," he teased, grinning a little. Au contraire to Lena, Remus usually did his homework in the beginning of the holidays, while he was still in a studious mood, just to get rid of it. He noticed that the longer he put it off, the greater the chance he wasn't ever in the mood for it later.
For now, though, no experiments or homework. Remus had half-forgotten Lena wasn't into flying, or maybe he'd assumed she didn't like flying as in playing Quidditch. Either way, he was fine with not flying. Walking was fine. He was better at walking anyway. "Maybe you could just show me around outside for a bit and then we can figure out what we want to do from there?" He nodded. "Sure, it's still light enough out." Not that he minded walking around outside at night, but that was mainly because he knew these fields and could see well in the dark. He was not in the mood to have Lena break her ankle in some ditch she hadn't been able to see.

The garden surrounding the Lupin residence was maked by a fence which was in need of some drastic repainting. Remus knew his father had been putting it off for years and that he actually couldn't be bothered because there was no one to see and comment on it anyway. Mary was different that way, and often teased John about the long-postponed chore, but with an undertone of seriousness. She did want it done. Even if no one could see it, she wanted her home to be clean and well-kept.
Although the garden seemed to be mostly filled with plants for their aesthetic value, a trained eye would spot magical plants between the petunia's and a vegetable patch near the kitchen window. In the back, there were a few fruit-bearing trees, which produced only small, but sweet fruit (mostly pears) which (Remus knew) could be turned into a feast by his mother once they were ripe in the autumn. She had once sent him her famous cooking pears when he was in Hogwarts, because Remus was never at home in the autumn when the fruit was ripe, and he and his roommates had enjoyed the present thoroughly.
Beyond the garden and the tree with the tire swing, lay the fields, mostly. In past times, these had been the farmer's ground where he had kept some cattle and grown a number of wheats. Some of these still survived and came back each year, sowing themselves naturally, but the straight, square, neat shape in which farmers usually sow had disappeared, other kinds of grass and wild flowers mixing with the original plantlife. Also, the fields were by no means flat, ditches and small ponds fed by small streams (from the nearby forest) sometimes seemed to emerge out of nowhere. The nearby village was no more than a light spot in the distance and on the other side of the fields, about an acre inwards, began a forest, though it was not very large.

Rolling up his sleeves and stuffing his hands into his pockets, Remus walked next to Lena, into nowhere in particular. "I think in an hour or so the fireflies'll come out," he commented with a bit of a shrug and a lazy smile. It was so good to be home. It was quiet and if you listened to the buzzing of insects in the grass and in the air enough, it was almost too easy to forget the misery that was growing on the horizon of the wizarding world.

[Lena Marie Becket]

Clothing: clicky

At the reiteration of his mother’s ‘welcome anytime’ she smiled again. It was really nice of them to offer it. “I’ll keep that in mind then, for sure. It would be nice to just get away from things sometimes.” She still hadn’t told Remus she lived alone and she really just didn’t want to bother him with the fact that she had no one. He’d worry incessantly over her, she was sure. So it was just better that he had no idea. Maybe someday she’d get up the courage to tell him.

She winked and shrugged. “No promises that I won’t accidentally test something on you.” She laughed softly and leaned back. “I’ll try not to though. Wouldn’t want you to start not trusting me.” She definitely didn’t want that to happen, considering he was her best friend.

Lena tucked her hands into her pockets as well as they moseyed across his lawns, just looking around and enjoying the evening. She gave him a smile in return at his comment. “I love fireflies. I used to try and catch them when I was a little girl.” She looked up at the sky for a moment, thinking about how the stars should be starting to show soon as well. Everything about the night time was just really peaceful to her. The tour around the gardens and lawns had taken a while as there was so much of it there at the Lupin’s home. But it was amazing in how most of it was taken care of and it was obviously special to their family. She couldn’t help but appreciate her surroundings even more now. Being in the country was certainly a lot different than living in London but Lena found herself liking the differences a little bit. At least for a while. She didn’t know how long she’d be able to live a continuous country life.

[Remus John Lupin]

“It would be nice to just get away from things sometimes.” Remus nodded, agreeing quietly. Plus his home really was a place to get away from business and cities and people. Part of him hoped it would be this way forever, but he knew it was naive to think that. Even if they survived the war, his parents would die. Would he live here, after that? On his own or with someone else perhaps? It seemed abstract and far away, Remus didn't want to think about it.

Remus laughed along as she did, about the potions experiments. “I’ll try not to though. Wouldn’t want you to start not trusting me.” He grinned a little. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that you never know what might happen." Especially when there were things Lena might not take into account - such as the fact he wasn't human. Remus couldn't just use any potion, some not working, some working very differently, and as he was no potions talent by any means, Remus couldn't always tell which was safe to use or not.

As Lena reminisced about when she was younger, trying to catch fireflies, he smiled. "Yeah, me too. Never caught one though, not fast enough - not tall enough either." The latter reason wasn't hard to imagine, as Remus had only had his growth spurt last year. He'd been a rather short boy, before that. "Where'd you see fireflies?" he then asked. "I don't suppose there are any, in London?" It was just a bit of a random question bubbling up from the calmth in his brain and Remus wondered if Lena had maybe lived in a more rural environment as a child. They had never really discussed their childhoods, not that he could recall, and he sort of liked hearing about other people's childhoods. Those were often happy stories.

Walking on, Remus fell silent. Not necessarily pensive or pondering, he was just appreciating the silence. Hogwarts seemed never silent and it was sometimes medatively pleasant to just walk through the high grass. Hear it snapping under their feet (Remus' own being bare), feel it brushing their calves. There seemed nothing else, like the world was made of grass and cool sky.

[Lena Marie Becket]

Clothing: clicky

“And I would certainly never want to hurt my best friend after all. So that makes you pretty safe from any experiments on my end.” She smiled softly and bumped into him with her shoulder as they talked. Lena was good with potions but no matter how good she was, she wouldn’t risk one of her friends. Maybe a Slytherin or two but not a friend.

She couldn’t help but laugh, thinking about a short and small Remus running around and trying to catch fireflies but failing terribly because he just couldn’t reach. “Well at least you grew into your height a bit. I stopped growing at the age of 11.” Lena rolled her eyes and pouted but smiled a second later, not minding her 5’2” height much anymore. When he asked about where she’d even seen fireflies, it wasn’t that unusual a question considering where she lived. She shrugged before looking out across the way while they walked. “When I was younger my parents used to take us all on little trips to like the beach, or camping or something. Just normal family time. So I was able to be outside a lot as a kid. I miss it sometimes.” She hadn’t really gone anywhere outside of London except to go to school since her parents had died, until now.

When the wind blew softly, she let out a soft sigh and leaned into Remus, relaxing. She hoped he didn’t mind but she just felt the need to lean and walk with her best friend and enjoy the silence. Her head tilted up toward the sky as she started looking for signs of the stars coming out.

[Remus John Lupin]

He laughed softly, more near a chuckle than an actual laugh. The silence somehow made him want to be more quiet, though he wasn't sure why. "I'm glad you don't want to see me poisoned," he joked. "Not that I'd expect you to," Remus added with a smile, "you're way better at potions than me."

"Grew into my height?" he echoed. "You mean 'grew so tall you appear even thinner than you were'." Remus rolled his eyes. "I turned into a stick figure, I'd rather be short." True, his muscles were starting to fill out, but only a little, and next to James and Sirius, he did look rather more willowy than he'd like.
He smiled at Lena's mentioning of family camping trips and whatnot. "I loved those. My mom doesn't like them that much, but my dad used to take me out when I was little." That had ended after Greyback's attack, though, as his parents' protectiveness had skyrocketed after that. It was one of the few memories he had from before the change, even if it wasn't a complete memory, more a feeling and a few distorted images and impressions. Still, thinking about it cheered him up. "I believe they took me to France once, to visit family? I don't remember anything, but I look happy in the pictures." He grinned.

Rem couldn't help but smile a little as she leaned into him. It was good to see her relaxed and happy, like he was, so he loosely looped an arm around her shoulder and strolled on happily. "There's a ditch in about five steps," he quietly warned her, as he noticed she was looking at the sky. Not only did he know it was there, he could also see it, and he was quite sure Lena probably wouldn't see it even if she was watching her step and he didn't want her to break her ankle or anything.

[Lena Marie Becket]

Clothing: clicky

“I’d still be worried about it though,” she said, smiling softly at him. It was nice being complimented about it all the same. “And you’re better at some classes than I am, so we’re even.” She snorted and laughed. “I would say you should eat more and that would fatten you up but I know how you eat. And you look fine the way you are. Very cute,” she teased him. “You may not look like the others but I promise you, you still set little girl’s hearts to fluttering.” She shrugged. “And I’d rather be tall and skinny than short so shush it, Mr. Lupin.”

“Oooh France sounds fun. I’ve never actually been out of the United Kingdom before. Maybe someday I will. It would be cool to just travel the world.” And probably safer because it would get her away from the brewing war. She knew the dangers, knew what was beginning to happen, and she was worried about her friends more than herself. Lena was certain that if she could be useful to keeping people safe by staying, she would stay and help. In whatever way she was needed to help. “We could always do a little camping out thing one night while I am here, if you want.” She smiled softly, thinking it a good idea for them because they both would be able to revisit their childhoods.

She was glad when he seemed to be just as relaxed as her as she leaned into him. It had taken him a while to get used to her little touches, but she was glad when she finally succeeded. He had even thrown his arm across her shoulders and she let out a happy sigh at how good her first day in his home was going. At his words though, she paused and looked at the ground, trying to see where the ditch was so she wouldn’t fall into it. She walked a couple more steps and still couldn’t see it, but she did find it when the tip of her shoe dipped down more than it should and she gasped, jumping across the ditch quickly, stumbling a little bit before laughing. “Well I’m certainly a clutz. You tell me where it is and I still manage to hit it.”

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus smiled back at Lena. It was so nice to realise she cared about him, in the way he cared about her. He couldn't always put his finger on it, but despite all the things between him and Lena that weren't being said, they were pretty close, really. That and the fact that she tended to be a better listener than Sirius. James was a good listener too.. but Lena's advice tended to be better. Oh well, everyone had their strong and weak points and that also applied to his friends. They were all wonderful - in their own ways.
“And you’re better at some classes than I am, so we’re even.” Remus shrugged and stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets. "I suppose we are," he said. "Then again, life is not about grades, is it now?" It was so easy to just think about passing tests and school, but life was more than that, wasn't it? It wasn't just about passing or failing, but also about the means you used in order to do such things - and an infinite amount of other things, of course. Growing up was exciting, responsibilities and freedom were tempting, and yet it was also very intimidating and, dare I say it?, terrifying.

Remus snorted as Lena teased him about being cute. “You may not look like the others but I promise you, you still set little girl’s hearts to fluttering.” He rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up, you," he muttered, though smiling, willing the blush off his cheeks (good thing Lena probably couldn't see it in the fading light!). "I think those little girls mostly just think I can get them a date with the infamous Black," he added, and he was only half-lying. It was true that some of the girls who took the trouble to talk to him tried to get into his friendzone so they'd be closer to Sirius. A stupid idea, Remus thought, because he could smell their intentions from miles away and Sirius was enough of a ladies man to just talk to a girl as long as she giggled and winked at him - no need to get close to Remus, just wear a short skirt and make sure you walk up the stairs with Sirius directly behind you.
By the way, Remus wasn't sure if he ought to feel bad about knowing such things. It surely didn't make him feel any manlier.
"Don't be silly, Lena - you look fine as you are." Remus smiled and nudged her slightly. Only slightly, he had just stopped her from breaking her ankle in a ditch and wasn't about to knock her over himself. "We both know you're gorgeous, especially when walking next to me for comparison." He was surprised to find he could easily say this, no blushing, no awkwardness, just friendly reassurance. He smiled to himself. This was nice; Lena really was an amazing friend.

“Oooh France sounds fun. I’ve never actually been out of the United Kingdom before. Maybe someday I will. It would be cool to just travel the world.” Remus nodded and said, slightly smiling: "La France? C'est pas terrible. Mais la langue, ce n'est pas facile." He knew the grammar to be more or less correct, but he butchered more than half of his words when it came to pronunciation. It had been a long time since Remus had spoken French - the last time had been when his mother had been teaching him, he assumed.
His ears picked up when Lena suggested camping in the fields. "Oh, yes we could," he said, grinning slightly. "I think we have an old muggle tent in the attic!" He would rather like that and suddenly Remus wondered why he had never done that with his friends. Just watching Sirius and James trying to pitch a tent would've been worth it!

Remus made sure to hold onto Lena as she seemed hesitant to keep walking - he didn't want her to think he'd let her find the way by herself and allow her to fall. The grass would break her fall, sure, and there weren't any hidden rocks around, as they had been removed by the farmer decades and decades ago, but that didn't mean stumbling in the dark was harmless.
“Well I’m certainly a clutz. You tell me where it is and I still manage to hit it.” Remus laughed softly. "I didn't tell you where it was exactly. Besides, I've been walking these fields since forever, I know them like the back of my hand." Plus he could see amazingly well in the dark, of course.

[Lena Marie Becket]

Clothing: clicky

Her lips made a little thoughtful curl as she shook her head at his question, thinking about all the newspaper reports that were going on. “No…life isn’t. But at least the grades and the classes help get us ready for the real world.” And the dark and scary place it was becoming. If her parents weren’t already gone, she would probably fear for their safety. As it was, she only had her friends to worry about and hope nothing happened to them while they were on their summer vacation.

Even though she had a feeling he was probably right about girls trying to use him to get near Sirius, there was NOT a twinge in her chest, she didn’t think all the girls were that terrible. “Stupid thought. I bet a lot of them want to date you because you’re you, the great Remus Lupin.” She nudged him back at his comment about her not changing, laughing softly. “I know I do. I just think that if I had the choice to change, I would probably want to be taller if anything. I don’t know about gorgeous though.” A slight blush grew across her cheeks on that compliment before she nudged him again, a little harder. “And you look fine yourself. Don’t compare yourself to the others, you know. Not even me. You’re special the way you are and, honestly, if some ditzy girl blows you off because you’re not like Sirius, I mean who else is anyway?, then she’d not worth your time and your awesome self.” Though he probably couldn’t see her in the fading light she nodded with utmost conviction.

She blinked and laughed as he suddenly broke out in French at her, not understanding a single word but it was fascinating listening to it. She couldn’t even tell that his pronunciation wasn’t correct. “You should do that more often at school. Girls love accents and other languages.” It wasn’t even needed probably for him because of Annelise but last she had noticed, her and Remus hadn’t been talking much so she didn’t know how all that was going, but she didn’t ask. If Rem wanted to tell her, he would.

His excitement over the idea made her smile widen, glad that she had an idea that made him so happy. “Sounds brilliant. We can do that and have a campfire, the stars, ‘smores, the whole works.” Now she was really looking forward to it. Camping with the best friend would be fun.

Lena felt his arm tighten and rolled her eyes playfully even though he couldn’t see, but was happy all the same that he was doing it to try and protect her. She continued to walk carefully with him, waiting for that hole he mentioned when she hit it anyway. Thankfully he helped her stay upright. Lena couldn’t help but snort playfully at his words. “Even if you told me exactly where it was I probably still would have ended up hitting it. Anyway. Do you have a pond or something to swim in on your property?” She couldn’t remember if he had mentioned that or not.

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus was silent for a moment, then asked: "You really believe that? You think the classes really prepare us for what's out there?" His tone was doubtful. "I mean - of course they will, to a degree, but once we leave school, it will be learning from our mistakes that'll actually teaches us what life is like." He shrugged and half smiled. "Sorry, I don't mean to be negative. It's just the closer graduation gets, the less prepared I feel. I have no idea what'll happen after." It wasn't something Remus liked talking or thinking about, but the more he tried not to, the more he realised he wasn't going to be able to hide from this. Part of him had actually started to believe that was the reason why he wanted to be a teacher so badly: never leaving school meant not facing the world, in a way. Then again.. was he a Gryffindor or not? If anything, he ought to charge the world head-first!

“Stupid thought. I bet a lot of them want to date you because you’re you, the great Remus Lupin.” He laughed softly, but didn't comment. What to say to a thing like that? Rem knew by now that denial would only make Lena emphasise it all the more. He chose to listen to Lena instead, as she talked about what she'd like to change. They were so the same - they both had their charm, and neither of them seemed comfortable admitting it.
He slightly smiled to himself as Lena ranted on about girls not being good enough if they were only interested in Sirius and whatnot. "Don't worry too much about it," he answered with a bit of a shrug. "I have no ambitions to be a ladies man." Nope. Just a lady-man, of a particular lady - that would be Annelise.

He looked a little surprised, but tried to grin as though he'd known his French would impress her. In truth, Remus Lupin felt sort of good that he'd been able to fool her, because his French was almost worse than his COMC. “You should do that more often at school. Girls love accents and other languages.” Remus snorted. "I've got a better idea. I'll just teach James some very stupid sentences and tell them they're insanely romantic - can't wait until he tries that on Lily," he concluded with a grin. He couldn't deny he felt a little sorry for his friend, trying so hard and never succeeding, but what could he do? James was too stubborn to give up, this just begged for a small prank. Just a slight one. Besides - Remus was sure Lily wouldn't at all mind if James made a fool of himself.

“Sounds brilliant. We can do that and have a campfire, the stars, ‘smores, the whole works.” Remus nodded and grinned. "Yes, awesome - I'll drag you to the attic to help me find the tent tomorrow!" Pity it was just the two of them. Pity that the war was there, or he'd have suggested a camping holiday for the lot of them, after graduation, a few weeks together before.. before what exactly? Still.. they had a year, who knew, the war might be over by that time. If only.
He laughed softly as Lena stumbled again. Rem couldn't help it. “Even if you told me exactly where it was I probably still would have ended up hitting it. Anyway. Do you have a pond or something to swim in on your property?” Remus half-grinned. "Shall I take you back inside, then, before you end up as an invalid for the rest of the summer?" he teased, then thought about her second question. "Pond? Hm - I think there's a small lake, large pond sort of thing in the woods back there-" he nodded over at the dark shadows of the trees behind them. "Hadn't thought about swimming in it, I suppose we could give it a try?"