The New Life

A/N: Another one today.... hope you guys like it

2. the start-of-term feast

The feast starts as it always has. I say a few words, Remus leads the scared first-years in to be sorted and I stand up to hold my speech.

It has me at a loss for words. I have spent days trying to find the right words to say, but now that I’m standing here, with hundreds of young students looking up at me expectantly, I find none of them adequate. There is something I can do, the only thing I really want to do. Boldly, I do it. I smile.

A collective gasp rises from the student body, and most of them look at me as though I have gone insane. Possibly I have.

I speak to them about the changes and about the new professors. At the mention of Potter’s name, the hall erupts in applause. Same with Granger. Honestly, they get bloody applause while I get a frightened gasp? We all have the same order of Merlin, you know. Though I did get some cheers when I told them to eat their blasted food.

I sit and eat my food. No more than thirty minutes in the castle, and the little idiots have already found a way to befoul my mood.

To my left, Granger is bent over her plate, whispering to Potter while to my right, Remus holds me captive in a useless conversation about his son. I am quite ready for this night to end.

I accidentally brush my hand against Granger’s, and I feel her stiffen. I seem to be drawing rather odd reactions from her today. However, Remus doesn’t leave me the time to ponder it before he starts to question me. I have been waiting for it since this morning, but I had thought him wiser than to bring it up at supper.

“So, Severus.” He starts, and I sigh. “Do you care to enlighten me on the origins of those marks you have shown us today?”

I am fully aware of every person within earshot leaning in to hear my reply. Just what I need.

“No.” I reply without looking up, angrily stabbing at my vegetables with my fork. Maybe it was smart of him to bring it up now. He knows I won’t hex him in front of the entire school. He just has to push it.

“How about the reason you were running through the castle this morning?”

That comment earns him one of my famous death-glares. I hope you die, I hope you die, I hope you die. No such luck. He smirks at me. Fine, I’ll throw them a bone, something to gossip about.

“I don’t kiss and tell, Lupin, you of all people should know.”

It is with great satisfaction that I see him turn scarlet, and now it’s my turn to smirk. All of our colleagues turn back to their food as fast as they can, though I am sure they will start to interrogate Remus as soon as I’ve left. I wondered for a few minutes what the topic would be. My orientation, that of Remus, or what we have done? Well, I just made it his problem. And I wonder how many times he has to tell them nothing happened before they’ll believe him.

I hear him sigh, though I knew he was following me. I step aside to let him step onto the revolving staircase, and follow him up.

“That was low.” Remus mutters.

A low chuckle escapes me, but I don’t reply. It was, and I know he’ll be going through hell for at least a week at the hands of our gossip-happy colleagues. No doubt it will make it to the students within a day. Within a week, they’ll have us married and with child. It never fails to amuse me.

I follow him into my office and settle myself on the couch next to him. Summoning two glasses, he pours us some fire-whiskey, and we sit in silence, enjoying each other’s company for a few hours before turning in for the night. It has been a tiring day.

A/N: thanks for reading, please review^^