#twilight crossover

Since the arrival of the new potions assistant, Miss Cullen, Remus has been… Quite restless.

Something about her made his wolf particularly alert, uneasy. However, he couldn't pinpoint what actually made him tense. She seemed competent in potions, knew what she was doing, and was surprisingly great at giving directions. Which was a fortune, seeing that Slughorn lacked in that category.

Everyone seemed to adore her. Her insanely gorgeous looks– supernatural beauty, inhuman even– made guys and girls swoon altogether. The more intellectual students fell for her Victorian kind of speech, though. Her immense knowledge of infinite subjects. Everything you could think of, well… She knew it.

She also looked somewhat normal… Save for her unusual honey gaze and fair– verging on pale– complexion, that is. She had an eerie vibe around her, a veil of mystery and danger flowed at her every step, a bride proudly walking down the aisle on her wedding day. Having her piercing gaze on yourself… It felt like knives kissing your skin, drawing blood in their wake. Yet, her honey eyes were alluring. No matter how hard you tried, they always caught your attention, always pulled you in. And once you locked eyes with her… Looking away was beyond the bounds of possibility.

A single glance of hers should have triggered everyone's flight instinct. Ironically, it wasn't the case. The Hogwarts population seemed to hang on her every word, kissed the ground she walked on, students and professors both.

This situation bewildered Remus. Was he really the only one seeing her for what she was? A mortal danger, a siren. He kept on getting mixed signals from her; sometimes he felt she was to be trusted. The remaining times, however… His safety was compromised. Alerting the guys about his suspicions was also a lost cause. No matter how serious or grave his tone was. They, too, had fallen for her undeniable charm. And sadly, there was no way out.

Unless he could out her. Yes, he could seek out a proof, anything that confirmed his theory. He would read every book held in the library about monsters, mythical creatures, foreign legends; Because she was not human. That much was clear to him. He just needed to find out what she was.

From that point forward, he began to devote less time to his friends and more to conducting research in a secluded corner of the library, partially concealed by the shelves and the piles of dusty books that occupied every available space on his table.‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, ‘The Book of Imaginary Beings’, ‘The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic’ became his primary sources, and he was never seen without at least one of these books in hand.

It had become almost an obsession. He *had* to find out what she was. Definitely not a werewolf like him, he would have smelt it for sure. Not even a mermaid, because they couldn't walk on earth. A siren, perhaps? She was just as cunning and as deadly beautiful as described, but the same problem persisted; Didn't have legs and couldn't perform spells. The issue was that she seemed to execute perfect spells, and not even one being in the books was said to be able to have magic like wizards do. But she could. It complicated everything further.

To optimize time, he scanned the books with the information he had; pale skin, magnetic eyes, wizards’ abilities, inhuman beauty, bronze eyes. Nothing matched her description. He once had come across a chapter about vampires, and it partially fit what he knew about her, but then again there were one too many inconsistencies. She had no red eyes, she wasn't bald– unlike most vampires were depicted as– and then again, she could perform magic.

At some point, Remus dropped the research altogether, resigned and unmotivated to continue searching. It was a lost cause. The failure took a hard toll on him, and it worried his friends. Nor Sirius, James, or Peter had ever seen him so… Lifeless. Passionless. During the meals, they tried to engage him more in conversations, spit out jokes that once made him laugh out loud like a madman.

They tried everything. Sirius even dropped his shenanigans and sat down to study for real to get a reaction out of him. Peter stole a couple of his chocolate bars, James messed up his ironed socks to get a rise out of him. It didn't work. Nothing worked. Remus just… Stared straight ahead of him, apparently absorbed in his thoughts, eyes completely blank. His favourite books remained untouched on his desk, left to gather dust. So unlike him.

However, they noticed that in potions class, his usual spark was regained, no more lost into the endless oblivion of his mind. He was hyper attentive, eyes following Miss Cullen's every move like a hawk eyeing his prey. How she glided across the desks with her spine stiff like a board to correct eventual mistakes, how she could hear muttered conversations from students sitting all the way in the back of the class. How she always seemed to stop her wandering eyes on himself for a few seconds too long. He was careful to not lose even an imperceptible detail about her. His behaviour unsettled them greatly. His obsession with her had become unhealthy.

They came to the conclusion to confront him about it after the lesson ended, strong–headed on helping their friend out. They couldn't understand his reasons, Miss Cullen was nothing short of brilliant and professional. There was nothing to suspect about her.

Remus begged to differ, though. She strode over to him, honey gaze set on him and his cauldron, a slight smirk pulling on her lips as she stopped by his desk and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

“Pray, Mr. Lupin, everything alright? You are not, perchance, lagging behind in today's lesson, are you?”, she muttered in her sultry voice, hand grazing his arm to look over his notes.

Remus, already frowning at her unexpected approach, suddenly let out a sharp gasp, his whole face breaking in surprise. Merlin's balls, she was freezing. His widened eyes slowly looked up from her pale hand to her eyes, only to find them already staring right back at him, almost like she was challenging him.

Her body temperature seemed under zero, it was like touching a dead body. He hadn't accounted for this in his research, of course he couldn't find a match. He was so back in the game.

He gulped and inhaled deeply, as if he was trying to get back his composure, lost by a single fleeting touch of her hand. There was no time to be scared or hesitant, he needed to take action. She was right in front of him, looking pleased with herself for her little mind game and the effect it had on him, and he couldn't waste this opportunity to confront her directly. To let her know he was on her tail.

“Everything’s going smoothly, thanks for asking, Miss Cullen. However, I do have a question for you, since you've got so much knowledge”, he spoke up confidently, looking straight in her eyes, telling her he wasn’t by any means enchanted by her ways.

Her eyebrows shot up, and her lips curved in sheer amusement. “Well then, proceed with your inquiries. It’s a portion of my duties to resolve any doubts harboured by the students, no?”

He only smiled wider, taking great enjoyment at her veiled jabs, concealed by politeness. “Of course, of course… Do you know if monsters or fantastic beings can perform magic? Like us wizards?”

“It's for a DADA essay, you see”, he was quick to add.

She, obviously, had caught on to his intentions, and only after staring at him for a few seconds, chuckling under her breath incredulously, did she answer, a mischief spark lighting up her otherwise dull eyes.

“Indeed, it is so. Divers turned monsters may yet retain their ability for sorcery. A salient instance is afforded by werewolves. I daresay you are already well–acquainted with such creatures, am I not correct?”

Remus stood frozen in his seat, jaw, and fists clenched. So she knew. And his reaction only fuelled her amusement, it seemed. She shot him a last smile, returning to her full height and smoothing out her satin skirt in utmost calmness, as if she felt victorious of their little competition.

“You made a spelling mistake on line fifteen, word twelve, by the way”, and with that, she got back to her route with a pleased sneer painting her god–sculptured lips. While Remus was left seeing red in his seat, clenching his quill so hard it was a miracle it didn't break in half.

‘Sly bitch’ he repeated bitterly in his head, glaring daggers at her back, until Slughorn's voice called for the class to be dismissed, and his mates materialized in front of him, wearing worried frowns.

“Moony… What's happening to you mate?”, asked James, in a soft voice he didn't use even with Lily.

“Yeah, we're worried about your little obsession with Miss Cullen. I get it, she's smoking hot and incredibly fit and just so my type–”, continued Sirius, interrupted by Peter's eye roll and a muttered ‘we get it, mate’. To which Sirius couldn't help but reply with a nasty glare before looking back at Remus with a concerned frown.

“–But that is not your case”

Peter spoke up, “… why do you hate her so much? She did nothing wrong, did she?”

Remus just sighed exasperated, packing his things with more strength than needed, refusing to look at them. “If you guys would just listen to me for once, you'd understand that she's trying to fool us all. Actually, I'll tell you more. She's succeeding”

And with that, he stood up abruptly, speeding out the classroom without looking back.

“… He's near a full moon and we didn't notice?”, asked Sirius

James sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

There had to be somewhere. It'd be impossible for her to be some creature yet undiscovered. He grabbed a book from the highest pile on his library desk, skimming through it impatiently.

Not a mermaid, not a siren, not a merpeople– definitely not an aquatic creature. That left out land creatures. He opened the next chapter. Not a werewolf, not a centaur, not a dryad. He crossed out land creatures. Opened the ‘Night Creatures’ chapter. Not a banshee, not a succubi, not a ghoul.

Nothing.

She was nothing, according to this book.

And what can a frustrated seventeen year old boy do with a completely useless book? Throw it away, of course!

Perhaps it wasn't one of Remus' brightest ideas. Who goes with the lame learns to limp, right? ‘If you sleep with dogs, you'll wake up with fleas’, would be more fitting for Sirius. However, his mates all had a disgusting amount of luck following around them. And this time, bless Merlin and his balls, it rubbed off him too.

Books were scattered everywhere. On the desk, on the floor. But one in particular stood out among the chaos of pages: a brown book cover, old and ruined by time, covered in dust. The black title had partially faded, the only word he was able to make out was ‘Quileute’, whatever that meant. He picked it up from the ground, careful to handle it, removing the layer of dust with his hand.

All his frustration dissipated as he opened the ancient–looking book, coming face to face with the first page.

‘Collection of legends of the Native American tribe of the Quileutes’, it read. He never heard about them, never even read about their existence. However… He was already wasting his time reading all those nonsense books, why not waste a couple of minutes more to read this one?

He searched for the contents table.

Bayaq – Raven, T'ist'ilal – Thunderbird, Dask'iya, Q'wati, Apotamkin – the Cold Ones.

His eyes skimmed over the words, yawning loudly. He had been on the verge of giving up a second time, perhaps definitively. Yet, this book gave him a spark of hope. He didn't need to necessarily know why, but he sure as hell wasn't complaining. Native American legends, as far as he knew, were numerous. And that meant that surely there would be her kind.

And so, he sat up straighter, cleaning the desk in front of him and brought the lamp closer. One by one, he read through each chapter with care and focus, starting from the first one written in the contents table.

‘Bayaq (the Raven), is a trickster figure, who sometimes aids the Quileute Tribe despite his reputation of greed, cleverness, laziness, arrogance, deceitfulness, and rudeness. In the legends, Bayaq often misbehaves, and gets in trouble for it. He brings light to people by creating the sun, moon, stars, or causes the tides, so people can harvest clams and other shellfish. To do this, he often transforms into a completely different shape.’

Miss Cullen had nothing to do with the Raven, he decided. As much as Remus swore he hated her, he could not say she was arrogant or lazy. And neither could she transform into various shapes. With a sigh, he opened the next chapter; T'ist'ilal – Thunderbird.

‘T'ist'ilal, or Thunderbird, is a vital figure to the Quileute Tribe. It's described to be an enormous bird, with equally huge wings, and with its strong claws, it can carry up to a whale. Its beating wings are said to create thunder and vicious storms.’

… Definitely not Miss Cullen.

‘Dask'iya, often called Basket Ogress, is a cannibal ogress who captures children in her basket and eats them in her home. Her figure is typically used to scare children and earn them away from bad behaviour.’

Remus let out a chuckle at reading that.

He pictured the Quileute children, trembling before the dangerous and vicious child–eating ogress.

His parents had told him something along the lines, too, when he was a toddler. He recalled the times when he'd stare at the dark forest from his window to catch a glimpse of the black, evil man lurking in the shadows, waiting just for little Remus to wander in the woods.

And while still laughing under his breath, absorbed in memories, he stilled and froze in his seat when the noise of a chair scratching on the floor reached his ears.

He waited for someone to appear from the dark shelves, sitting on the edge of his chair, breath caught in his throat.

He couldn't see anything, it was too dark to make out anything.

The only source of light in the whole library came from his lantern, and its beam only illuminated his desk.

He didn't dare to move a single muscle. His hands were gripping tightly the book, knuckles white from the force, a cold sweat running down his spine.

His mind was playing tricks on him, of course it was. He probably was imagining everything. There were no sounds. Over the library reigned a still silence, so still that he was certain it was all made up by his brain. He convinced himself of being alone, that it'd be impossible for anyone else to be there– not many would choose the library for their nightly rendezvous.

… But why was his heart thumping? Perhaps that was it. Just his too–loud heartbeat ringing in his mind. It could be mistaken very well for a chair being moved.

However, the sound that followed could not.

A quiet, sultry chuckle. A quiet, sultry chuckle that sounded too near.

He looked at his right, eyes squinting at the dark. Then, he grasped the lamp and pointed it towards the shelves. The dim yellow light didn't do much, but what he glimpsed was enough to make his blood freeze.

There she stood. Tall, still, and breathtaking. With the lamp’s glow casting shadows on her face, pitch black orbs piercing through him–

Wait. Black?

And before he could even start freaking out about it, she stepped into the light, timeless beauty that had to distract him from her deadliness blinding him. She was not wearing her usual little smirk. A frown was pulled into her lips.

He gulped soundly. “Not in a good mood, Miss Cullen?”, he deflected, his voice trembling. ‘Damn me’, he lectured himself.

She was silent for a few minutes, just… Observing him. Dissecting his soul piece by piece with only the intensity of her eyes. And after what felt like an eternity, she took some steps closer to him, circling his desk like a proud leopard would.

One of her hands moved to lay on the dark wood, fingers gliding across the edge of it with an excruciating gentleness that radiated off the opposite feeling. He was anxious. His thoughts had stopped running a mile per second, frozen by fear, pinned by her stare. His heart was however thumping so loudly he thought he was gonna drop dead at any moment. He was sure she could hear it. Could smell it.

She came to a stop right in front of him, the dusty piles of books acting as the only thing separating them. Leaning over the desk, she took a few more seconds to just look at him. Perhaps she was thriving on the sweet smell of his blatant fear.

“You're out past curfew, Remus”, she whispered in a low, sultry voice that scraped his brain in a way that made him want to recoil.

When she wasn't met with an answer, she paused for a second, and he saw her eyes dropping to the book he was grasping onto for his dear life. “I should have burned that book when I first found it”, she claimed.

“But you've found it, there's no point in getting rid of it now”, she reasoned with herself. “Might as well do you a favour and allow you to reach your long–awaited peace of mind”, she purred out.

Remus’ muscles hadn't shown any sign of bolting away yet.

The sight only pulled an amused chuckle out of her. “Not talking yet?”, she asked, head tilted slightly.

His fingers twitched around the old book.

“Very well”, she smiled. She looked around the dark corner, humming delightfully when she saw what she was searching for.

The eerie silence was abruptly broken by the sound of a big wooden chair being dragged. She was dragging a thick, black ironwood chair to the desk like it weighted nothing. As if a feather was heavier than the chair.

Once she had come back and placed the chair across from him, she took a seat, swinging a leg on top of the other, watching him with a mischievous glint in her oddly black eyes.

“Very well, Remus. Tell me what you've found”, she sighed amused, looking at him expectantly.

At this point, Remus knew he had to swallow his little girl fear and stand his ground. She was right in front of him. Challenging him once again, like she had previously done a few hours prior. Yet, this felt more… Intimate. Or perhaps it was that feeling of false sense of security she seemed to radiate. This game; the cat and mouse, the research they were playing… It was dangerous. He could get hurt– or worse– if he kept playing it. But the way she was looking at him at that moment… Bless Godric, it only spurred him further.

And so, he swallowed, hard, and took a deep breath, begging his heart to calm down. He glanced briefly at the book and looked back at her with a newfound courage. ‘Try to bring me down again’.

He opened the book at the page he had left off his reading, and tossed it to her. “I figured you weren't a well–known creature, so I ditched the standard Care of Magical Creatures book. I came across this one, but it seems to be just as useless”, he declared.

She watched him with great interest, laughing lowly. “Useless, you say?”, she asked incredulously. “Let's take a look…”, she mumbled while gently picking up the volume. She flicked through the yellowing pages, reading bits of each one, and stopped on a page.

She looked up at him through her eyelashes, her grin now wider than ever. “Are you sure of what you've said, Remus?”, she inquired, fighting the urge to burst out laughing in his face.

But at that, his eyebrows only furrowed. He mouthed a perplexed ‘what?’ before leaning towards, snatching the book from her grasp.

‘Apotamkin – the Cold Ones’, read the chapter title.

His jaw clenched. If only he had continued reading… Then with a huff, he frustratedly started skimming through the text, a few words catching his interest;

“Cold–skinned. Undead. Vampire. Drank blood. Enhanced strength. Immortal”

His breath caught in his throat.

An involuntary chuckle from her broke the spell. He cautiously– afraid, perhaps– glanced up at her, jaw and fingers clenched. “You're…”, he started, still shook to the core by the notion to finish the sentence.

“A vampire? Yes”, she grinned, comfortably seated on the wooden chair. “A Cold One, if you're meticulous”, she shrugged, her smirk only widening as the seconds ticked by.

“But where I'm from, my kind of vampires is the only one existing”, she added.

“… Why are you here?”, he asked, no hint of amusement in his voice, unlike her.

“To teach, naturally. Professor Dumbledore was kind enough to inform me of a vacant assistant’s post in potions at Hogwarts, which I accepted. Therefore… Here I am”

“You know damn well that's not what I meant”, he glared.

She sighed, and leant forward, resting her arms on the desk, black shining eyes hardening slightly. “Listen, Remus. I do not know what you think I am, but I am not a murderer”, she said slowly, her tone almost threatening.

“How can I trust you?”, he leaned forward too, staring right back at her.

“I haven't fed on a human in decades”, she said lowly. “And before you add some more bullshit, I pride myself on my diet. You won't find many vampires willingly renounce to human blood”

She stood up, turning around to head to the exit. “It'd be wise of you to return to your dorms, Remus”

“This doesn't mean I'll let you off the hook, Miss Cullen”, he also stood up, raising his voice.

“Didn't expect you to, Mr. Lupin”, she grinned before stepping away from the light, darkness enveloping her figure, until all that was left was a deafening silence.

In the following week, James, Sirius and Peter had taken notice of Remus' new behaviour towards Miss Cullen.

They didn't address it. Everything was back to normal. During the day, they pretended to pay attention to classes, and planned their pranks. During the night, they put their plans into action.

The Marauders were back in business. And Hogwarts was just about to witness it.

Their biggest prank. The riskiest they had ever come up with.

The plan was laid out. Sneaking out at dead of night, meeting up just outside the kitchens. A tiny vial of veritaserum– courtesy of Slughorn’s personal collection– was all they needed.

Sirius insisted on being the one to do it. And so, he poured the entire vial in the pumpkin juice the house elves had prepared beforehand.

They were grinning like idiots.

“Now we wait until breakfast tomorrow”, said wickedly James.

“And we'll watch a truth–chaos unfold right in front of us, sitting comfortably”, finished Peter with the same look.

And that's exactly what they did. They surprisingly got down to the Great Hall for breakfast on time– it never happened. It should have been a tell–tale for everyone that a Marauder–signed prank was about to happen.

One by one, everyone took sips of the corrected pumpkin juice. It was like watching a bowling match; with one single throw, the bowling pins clattered with great noise.

Everyone was spouting out secrets, confessions and whatever they wouldn't have had the balls to say if not under the effects of the truth–serum. The Great Hall had never been so loud.

“I slept with your boyfriend, Mark–!”

“I stole your jumper the other day, and I accidentally made a big hole in it! It wasn't Mr. Fluff’s fault–!”

“I lied when I told you I liked the pie you baked. It was utterly disgusting–!”

And the Marauders? They were laughing their asses off, high–fiving and slapping each other’s backs like they’d accomplished a Herculean labour. And the most hilarious fact above all, was that even the professors were victims of this prank.

And naturally, they had to take advantage of the situation. They strutted across the enormous room, headed to their number one professor; Minnie.

She was glaring at them, but no real anger was in her gaze. “You four! It's always you four!”

“That's us”, grinned Sirius, leaning on the desk.

“Listen, Minnie. We had a vital question for you”, started James while grinning like a fox.

“Yeah, a matter of life or death”, spoke up Peter.

“We're your favourites, right Minnie?”, finished Remus, staring at her expectantly.

McGonagall rolled her eyes and scoffed, like it was obvious. “What kind of question is that? You four are the reason behind my wrinkles!”, she stated. “But I do have to admit you are not all that bad… Even if you cause most of the problems around here”

At that, they burst out celebrating, chanting some ode to McGonagall.

“Heard that, Wormie? We're not bad!”, laughed out Sirius.

“Not baaaad!”, sang off–key James, side hugging a crazed out Remus.

However, he could feel a pair of watchful eyes on him… And he knew where to look. There they were. Those damned gold eyes. That damned grin. Was she always this amused?

James noticed that had gone silent, and found him staring once again at her. “You sure you don't fancy the prof, Moony?”, he teased lightly, which only made the werewolf roll his eyes.

James shrugged. “Just asking– Hey, I got a splendid idea”, he grinned wider.

“What idea, Prongs?”, asked Remus.

“Why don't we ask her some questions? It'd be so wicked!”, he explained. He was practically buzzing with mischief. And before Remus had even the chance to categorically turn James down, Sirius had jumped in the conversation, slinging his arms around their shoulders.

“That is the best idea you've ever come up with, mate”, he smirked. “Why, thanks mate”

They dragged him in front of her, standing between the two idiots, grinning like they had just won an award. Her smirk hadn't fallen yet, perhaps it widened at their sudden appearance.

“Good morning, guys”, she greeted in a smooth tone, her chin resting on her hands. “Having a great start of the day, I hope?”

“It's always a great day when I get to look at your gorgeous self, love”, flirted unabashedly Sirius, earning an eye roll from Remus and a chuckle from her.

“I'm fluttered, Mr. Black”, she answered. “Please. You can call me Sirius”

All she could do was laugh, clearly having a blast watching Sirius charming his way into her pants. And it strangely caused a knot to form in Remus' stomach. ‘I’m not jealous. She's a vampire, for Merlin's hairy balls’, he thought.

However, it wasn't enough for it to go away. On the contrary, the knot only tightened when he saw how Sirius was checking her out. He was so frustrated he could break something.

“How about you, Remus? Have you concluded your essay on the Dark Arts? I should be most delighted to lend you mine aid in your researches, should you have need of it”

Her voice had snapped him back to reality, and it felt like an ice–cold bucket falling over his head. Was she really teasing him after last week? How could she find the situation amusing? He was forced to swallow the frustration and– in the deepest part of his consciousness, he knew it– the jealousy who were currently stuck in his throat.

“Yeah– yeah, I finished it. Thanks for asking, though. It was really… Kind of you”, he forced out, glaring daggers at her mirthful golden orbs.

“Fret you not, this is the least I may offer. Yet, should you desire another pair of eyes to peruse it, do inform me, yes?”, she answered back, her sweet smile almost mocking him.

“I will”, was the only thing he could get to say without telling her how much of a bitch she was right now.

Though, that tension didn't go unnoticed by his friends. Of course not. They had him cornered as soon as they set foot in their dorm.

“She's mad about you, Moony. I'm telling you”, declared James with the confidence of a guy who could tell when a lady was interested.

“Mate– not that I disagree. She totally fancies Moony– but you're not in the position to say that so confidently. I mean, Lily has been rejecting you since first year–”, interjected Peter, voicing out the thoughts in Remus' mind. However, he had been cut off by James’ hand raising, as if with that action alone he could express all his offense.

“–That’s where I have to stop you, Wormtail. Lily is clearly in love with me– head over heels even! She's just trying to deny it ‘cause she knows how much I enjoy our bickering”, explained the bespectacled boy.

“Yeah, sure”, mumbled Peter rolling his eyes.

“Point is, Moony, she's into you”, spoke up Sirius. “As much as drop–dead gorgeous she is, she's all yours”

Remus huffed exasperated, giving them all a deadpan look. “Guys, I don't *fancy* her. I couldn't possibly do it! For one, she's a *professor*. And *two*, she's a fucking vamp–!”, he announced annoyed before realising he had blurted out too much.

James, Peter, and Sirius fell silent. And Remus would have normally blessed every saint out there for a moment of quiet. However, this was not the time.

“S– She’s a what…?”, whispered Peter, suddenly frozen on his spot, voice wavering like he had just seen a ghost.

James was the first to put two and two together, connecting every warning and attempt he had made to convince them to steer clear from you. “That's why you had it out to her”

Remus rolled his eyes, yet once again, crossing his arms over his chest. “Nice of you to realise it now”

Sirius took a step closer, holding his hands up in surrender. “None of that, yeah? How could we know? You made it seem like she kills blokes for fun!”

Remus stared at him, incredulous. “I literally told you she was dangerous! I didn't know why yet, but I warned you! And for all we know, she could be doing just that!”

“Please. She offered to help you on your essay, Moony. How can a girl so sweet be killing hundreds behind everyone’s back? She looks like she wouldn't hurt a fly!, argued back Sirius.

“She needs blood to survive! Of course she kills!”, he yelled in exasperation. He took a deep breath, calming his nerves. “Actually… She promised she hasn't been murdering anyone…”

“Wait. You guys have talked?”, piped up James.

He sighed. “Long story”, was all he said.

“… Still, she's into you”, mumbled Sirius, followed by a chorus of “yeah” and “definitely”

Remus shook his head, a smile creeping up his scarred face, looking fondly at his friends. “… You guys are unbelievable”

“– Mate, honestly. Have I ever lied to you?”, asked Sirius lounging on the armchair by the fireplace.

Remus glanced up at him from his book with a ‘are you serious?’ look.

“Okay, let's not go there. But I'm serious, man! I'm black serious”, he defended himself with the most innocent face. His joke didn't go unnoticed by James, sitting on the carpet with Peter playing a game of wizard's chess, who broke in a fit of loud laughter. “I'm black serious–!”, he choked out, barely even breathing.

“Har har, so funny, Pads. Not like you haven't been using that joke since first year”, mumbled Remus sarcastic, gone back to his reading with a huff.

“It's a classic,” he grinned before schooling back his expression into one of solemnity. “Just go there, Moony. Trust me”

Remus sighed and closed his book in irritation. “So, let me get this straight. Tonight– the designed day to focus solely on my reading– I should go to the Astronomy Tower– where it'll be freezing– to do what, exactly? At least give me a reason to do it!”

“Can't tell you, mate! It's a surprise! I can't spoil your surprise, it's like the number one rule of surprises!”, answered Sirius, backed up by some murmurs of agreement from Peter and James.

“I say you give it a chance, Rem. What's the worst that could happen?”, piped up Peter, frowning and flipping off James as he won yet another match.

Remus groaned loudly, his hands covering his face in despair. “I hate you all, hope you know that”, he said, his voice muffled by the palm of his hands.

“I'm going, okay? Are you satisfied?”, he groaned again, reluctantly standing up from the plushness of the sofa. He gave Sirius a last glare as he wrapped his shawl snugly around his shoulders, heading to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

“Gosh, I love you so much, Moony!”, snickered Sirius as he called out after him. As soon as he had set foot outside, Sirius's grin morphed to a smirk, sharing a victorious look with James and Peter.

“Part one of our mission accomplished”

For the entire duration of the walk to the Astronomy Tower, Remus had been complaining under his breath, hugging tighter his worn but well–loved shawl.

‘Fuck everyone. Why did I even agree? This is so stupid, I'm going back to my bed’, he thought while going up the creaky wooden stairs of the tower, teeth shaking and nose red.

When he reached the top, he had almost completed his transmutation to a werewolf–flavoured ice lolly. An irritated one. The tower was completely desolate! No fireworks going off, no marauder jumping out yelling ‘we got you!’. No nothing!. He hoped his friend had already started running, ‘cause he was certainly going to kill him after the stunt he pulled.

He let his head fall back, groaning frustratedly. “Fuck!”, he yelled out. He walked to the railings and grasped the cool metal, shoulders sagging and head falling towards. “I'm freezing my balls off out here…”, he mumbled, little white puffs of air coming out of his lips for the cold weather.

“I'd advise you to cover up more, in that case”, spoke up a smooth voice behind him, amusement clear in the tone.

“I should have done that, huh?”, chuckled him humourlessly, turning his head to the side, locking eyes with her. ‘Huh, gold again?’, he asked himself as he noted the hue of irises.

“I catch you out of bed after curfews way too many times, Remus. I ought to give you a detention one of these days”, she chuckled calmly, staring at the starry night above them.

“Why haven't you already?”, he asked, a small smile growing on his face despite the earlier frustration.

She shrugged, humming a melody he didn't recognise. “I like you, Remus Lupin”

He chuckled out loud, unguarded– the first genuine laugh in her presence. “You like me?”, he asked amused.

She nodded, while a small fond grin of her own was making its way onto her face. “My, of course. Lord knows how much you’ve entertained me with your little silly research”

“It was not silly!”, he argued wholeheartedly.

She laughed, the sound melodious to his ears. ‘Merlin, she's beautiful’, he caught himself thinking as he watched her laughing, her face lighted up with joy. A stark contrast to the cocky bravado she had around him.

“You're the first human to have ever challenged me so openly. Never in my 138 years”, she shook her head, chest rumbling with laughter.

He widened his eyes at the mention of her age. ‘Damn she an ultra granny’. “You’ve been around that long?”

Her laughter died down, fingers tightening slightly their hold on the railing as a nostalgic look came over her eyes. “Born on the eighteenth of June, 1839”, she sighed, memories of her human life resurfacing.

“I was a respectable noble lady. I had everything. Wealth, health, luxury, good friends. Yet, I was such a curious girl, back then. Perhaps, it'd be more accurate for me to say naive”

Remus had straightened, gaze stuck on her as she got lost in memories. He wouldn't have dared to stop her. He didn't know why. He didn't even know how they were having a civil conversation after all that happened between them. He was a werewolf, she a vampire. Two sides of a coin, never meant to stand beside each other, enjoying each other’s company.

“… And what happened, then?”, he asked softly.

Her smile took a nostalgic note, sighing as she reminisced in memories and feelings she had long buried under centuries of new experiences. “Well… I met a boy”, she grinned lightly, shooting him a look of complicity. “… And this boy had me tripping over my own feet in just one night”

She straightened her back, hands grazing the railings, looking at him with a light grin adorning her lips. “As I said, I was very naïve”

Then, just like that, that hint of a smile vanished.

“He was a vampire”, she confessed while staring in his eyes, looking back at her with just as much solemnity.

“That… Crush marked my death”, she said somberly. “I've never been like that ever since. Naïve, I mean”

“Watching decades, centuries pass in front of you, Remus… It changes your entire view on what surrounds you. You can no longer allow yourself to easily place your trust in just anyone. It is now a matter of kill or be killed. Survival. Bloodlust. Murders. So yes, it is a curse. I am cursed to be a murderer, a monster. And for what? Because I fell in love with the wrong man? Life is unfair. The sooner you learn that, the better it is”

Her words left him breathless. The crudeness, the honesty. It all was a blow to his heart. His own insecurities floating in the crisp night air like snowflakes. Monster… He knew what it felt like to feel one. He was a slave to the moon. And in a way, she was too. And that meant that in a way, they were alike.

“… You're not as heartless as I thought”, he admitted, voice a whisper in the starry cold night.

“Thank you, I guess”, she chuckled, glancing at him with a genuine spark of amusement, making a breathy laugh escape him too.

“So… Cullen?”, he asked, curious. She hummed, “what about it?”

“Is it…”, he left off the question, almost sheepish to ask her another question about the past she seemed to want to keep ten feet under her high heels soles.

“It's a cover–up second name. I'm part of a coven, even though it feels more like a family. Carlisle helped us– me and my brothers– to keep our humanity intact. He's like the father we have long lost”

“Tell me about them”, he egged softly.

“Carlisle and Esme are my parents. They're really caring, and selfless. Then there's Edward, he's really angsty. Jasper and Alice, they're soulmates, they complete each other. Where he's closed off, she's sunshine and bright”, she chuckles, shaking her head softly.

“Emmett and Rose. They're iconic. Emmett is the funniest guy I've ever met in my whole life. You should see him. Actually– Mr. Black reminds me of him. And Rose, she's protective of us all. Doesn't have a filter”

Remus’ lips almost automatically tugged up at seeing her fond expression. And when he caught himself in the middle of it, he realised it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If someone had told him he'd be looking at her with stars brighter than the ones above their heads, he'd have burst out laughing.

Suddenly, he understood that he'd grown to enjoy her company, grown to love her.

He once was repelled by her honey gaze, cold shivers running down his spine when it was set on him. Now he was entranced.

He used to disdain her ever–present smirk, that reflected how she always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone. As of tonight, her grin only spurred him to do better, be better. It had become a playful challenge between them, both battling to have the upper hand. Despite that, his all–time favourite had to be her smile. Her unguarded, genuine, fond smile. The one she wore when she talked about her family, when talking casually.

And when they parted ways– as she insisted he slept to be up and about for the following day’s lessons– he accepted his fate; Miss Cullen had eased her way to his heart. Unequivocally.

While she chuckled incredulously upon hers. A seventeen year old werewolf student managed to make her do the one thing she'd promised to ever do again; love.

Fate was peculiar. However, as someone had said, ‘Omnia vincit amor: et nos cedamus amori’.

“Your my beta, of course I’ll come visit you.” Scott smiled bringing Y/n into a hug.

“And your our friend.” Lydia smiled, pulling her into a hug after Scott.

“Your family now.” Derek stated he had a soft spot for the Swan girl. They had a lot in common.

“Well, I should warn you guys that there is another pack that lives in the area. On the Rez, but their not like us.” She explained as she shut the door.

“What’s that mean?” Scott asked with a furrowed expression.

“There more like shapeshifters. I have a back on them and there history.” Y/n told the pack.

“Great! So we can look it over during pizza.” Stiles clapped his hands together, ready for food.

“Pizza?” Derek questioned with a raised eyebrow. Did all he think about is food?

“Yup. Cause we are ordering pizza.” Stiles spoke as he turned with crossed arms to face the sourwolf, as he calls him.

“Y/n, who are all these people?” Charlie asked confused on why he came down the stairs to his living room full of teenagers and a adult.

“Dad, these are my friends from California.” Y/n smiled as she had told him they were coming to visit. But she didn’t blame him if he forgot. Work had been crazy for him.

“Nice to meet you Mr. Swan.” Lydia smiled

“Do you like to be called Mr.Swan or Sheriff Swan?” Scott asked as he reached out to shake the older man's hand.

“Either one’s fine.” Sharlie shook the hand of the young man. To Charlie the kid was just being polite but to Scott he was trying to make a good impression on his beta’s parent.

“That's right, you're a sheriff. My Father’s one to.” Stiles smiled at the comparison.

Charlie nodded awkwardly. “That's great. Well, I have an extra long shift tonight so don’t wait up. But don’t stay up to late either.”

Y/n nodded smiling. “Got it dad.”

“Bye Mr.Swan.” Scott and Stiles called out as Charlie left through the front door.

^     ^     ^

“I can smell them.” Paul stated as they ran through the forest.

“Me to.” Quil agreed

“We all can.” Jared said coming up behind them.

“Who are they?” Embry questioned as they watched the group of teens.

“That's what we need to find out.” Sam stated before the pack left back towards Emily’s to talk.

^     ^     ^

“Do you hear that?” Emmmet asked as the whole Cullen family and Bella stopped on their walk through the woods.

“Yeah.” Rosealie nodded in acknowledgement.

“Is that a wolf?” Bella asked as they all looked out in the distance.

“Its not part of the pack.” Jasper stated

“No, it’s smaller. But it seems off. Not animal like.” Carlisle agreed, stepping in front of his family.

“It smells different.” Rosaelie added.

When the wolf took off, the Cullens and Bella decided to follow the creature. From far enough away they stopped watching from a cliff nearby only to be very shocked.

“Oh my God.” Alice gasped, how did she not see that in a vision before?

“Isn’t that your sister?” Edward asked, looking at Bella in slight shock.

“Uh huh.” Bella nodded as she went to walk down the near by hill towards the clearing her sister was standing on as she just turned back into a human. She was very shocked and confused. The cullens followed also curious. “Y/n?”

Y/n turned around shocked to hear her sister's voice and see the Cullens behind her. “Bella. Everyone.”

“What- I don’t-” Bella shook her head in disbelief. How was hee sister able to turn into a wolf and how did she not know?

“I can explain.” Y/n said as she looked at all of them. Ready to explain.

^     ^     ^

“Your a werewolf?” Rosealie questioned a s Y/n sat across from her in the Swan residence. Cullens on one side and Y/n and the Beacon Hills pack on the other.

“Yes.” Y/n answered

“But not like Jacob?” Carlies asked, tilting his head in curtotisy.

“Very different.” Y/n nodded

“And this happened because he but you?” Emse looked on concerned about the girl that had become a good friend to her family.

“Yes. An he did it to save my life.” Y/n smiled softly towards Emse to show she was okay.

“You saved her life?” Alice turned her attention to Scott after Y/n’s statement.

“Uh, yeah.” Scott nodded sheepishly at all the yes on him.

“Thanks.” Bella nodded at Scott, gratefully for saving her sister.

“No problem. She’s my friend, practically family.” Scott smiled.

^     ^     ^

“Is that them?” Quil asked as the pack hung out at La push with Bella.

“It smells like it.” Jared nodded as they saw the group walk onto the beach.

“Is that who?” Bella asked confused on what they were talking about.

“With your sister.” Jacob pointed out.

Bella looked over. “Oh that's her pack.”

“Her what?” Paul looked over to Bella in shock.

“So she's a wolf?” Embry asked curiously.

“And you didn’t know this?” Sam asked, turning his attention to Paul.

“Yeah, Paul. She is your imprint.” Jacob smirked at the slightly older wolf.

“I was a little busy imprinting to notice.” Paul fired back defensively.

“Well, let’s go talk to her.” Sam stated as he, the pack, and Bella headed over to the Beacon Hills pack that had gone down by the water.

“Hey.” Y/n nodded to her sister as they approached her and her friends.

“Hey.” Bella nodded back.

Y/n looked around at the pack of shapeshifters, noticing their body language Y/n asked. “Okay, what's with the standoff?”

Paul decided to just come out with it. “You know we’re mates. Don’t you?”

Y/n nodded. “I felt it. Yes.”

“You didn’t mention your a wolf as well.” Jake pointed out.

“Different type but, it didn’t seem like the time to say anything about it. Not like you can just go around telling anyone or everyone.” Y/n explained and it seemed they understood. 

“An this is your pack?” Sam asked, nodding towards the people behind her.

“I’m a part of it, yes. These are my friends. They are like my family.” y/n nodded glancing back at them as they all stood around behind her ready to protect her if necessary.

“Who's the alpha?” Jared asked curiously though he had a hunch between two of them who it could be.

“I am.” Scott stated stepping forward, next to Y/n.

“This is Scott.” Y/n introduced him as he stood beside her. “Scott Mccall. He’s a true Alpha.”

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