Together Forever – Claudia Bakker

Written for Mugglenet Interactive and published on that website on August 28 2007. Edited to correct grammar in 2019.

For the thirtieth time, Dora checked herself in the mirror. She knew pink suited her best, but there was a lot of pink in her wardrobe to choose from. Pink dresses, pink trousers, pink tops, pink negligé… She smiled cheekily. Her date would not feel comfortable if he knew she was thinking about that! If she estimated him correctly, he was the type of guy that wouldn’t dare going past holding hands, until at least the tenth date! And this would only be their first.

Perhaps she had pushed him in to this date, but if she’d gone by his rate, she’d be covered in wrinkles before he would have asked!

She had flirted with Remus every time the Order had meetings at Grimmauld Place. Sending him secret winks and softly touching him every time they talked. At first he had been shy, averting his eyes and turning away from her. But she caught him watching her on several occasions, when he thought she wasn’t looking.

Three months ago, Molly had seated them together at dinner. Dora had been delighted for this opportunity to actually talk to him! Before that evening, their conversations had never beheld more than “What would you like to drink?” and “Could you pass the salt, please?” To her surprise, he hadn’t been shy with her during dinner at all! They had a pleasant conversation about the influence of role models. He had listened to her opinions, mulled them over and had given his own views on the subject. What had interested her most, was that he had never disregarded her arguments, no matter how rubbish they were. He made her feel like she was the centre of the universe; all his attention was solely focused on her. He gave her the impression she was all that mattered to him, in that moment in time.

She was used to being the centre of attention of course. With her being an Metamorphogus and her colourful dress sense, not to mention her clumsiness, people always knew when she was in the room. But he didn’t just look at her. It was more as if he was peeking directly into her soul… and approved of what he saw. She found herself yearning for more of this undivided attention, it felt like she needed it as much as clean air to survive the day.

At one point, Remus had been talking to Molly, telling her how much he enjoyed her cooking skills. Dora had looked up into the amused eyes of Sirius at the other side of the table. His lips curled up in a smile and she realised he had been watching her fall in love with his friend all evening. She had blushed under his gaze and looked away.

After dinner, Sirius had taken her aside in the hallway, before she could leave. He looked at her with earnest eyes. “You are my favourite niece Nymphadora, but I won’t allow Remus to get hurt.” She had looked back, bewildered at this accusation. “What makes you think I would hurt him!” she fired. “Remus is wise enough to establish his own judgment, Sirius, he doesn’t need your protection. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but he’s been doing fine without you, since you spent your years in Azkaban!”
Sirius had squeezed his eyes for a moment, before he threw back his head in a roar. Then he embraced her in his arms. Dora had been too flabbergasted to respond. When he released her, Sirius gave her a genuine smile. “You are really something special, you know that? I think you are exactly what Remus needs!”

After that, Sirius had taken every opportunity to make sure she and his oldest friend spent time together. He had asked Molly to keep the seating arrangements from the latest meeting. His reasoning was bizarre; he told the members of the Order that he needed the constant factor in his life and this was the least they could do for a locked up dog like himself. His speech was awarded with a suspicious glare from his own neighbour, Snape. Molly must have indulged because she felt sorry for Sirius, who had no distractions other than to come up with silly demands. The others didn’t care much and Dora was glad for this. She sent Sirius a grateful smile which was rewarded with a wink.

Whenever Dora was standing in the kitchen, helping Molly cook, Sirius made sure he sent Remus in with a message. She noticed he kept lingering afterwards and it made her more certain that his feelings matched hers.

A couple of weeks ago, she had started suggesting a date. But every time she mentioned the possibility of going somewhere together, he started to get nervous. He usually made an excuse and left, leaving her disappointed and insecure. She only perused because of Sirius’s reassuring nods. She suspected that the two men discussed her in private, and Sirius wasn’t a man to give her hope when there was none to be sought. So she kept dropping hints about her favourite restaurants and her passion for taking long hikes on the heath.

But last Wednesday, she’d had enough of it. At some point action needed to be taken, otherwise she would never be able to focus on anything but Remus again. Because, she reminded herself, she did have a life! At least she thought she did, until she had met this self sacrificing man who swept her off her feet.

So she cornered him, at the same spot where Sirus had so bluntly told her not to hurt this man. Remus had given her his trademark smile, the one that made you feel comfortable around him at first sight. “What is it, Dora?” he had asked. She had practised a very good speech, but she couldn’t remember a word when he looked at her, waiting for her to speak her mind. She made herself talk, figuring that if she’d just started somewhere, she’d eventually reach a point.

“I was wondering, since we have been getting along so well, and I think you are really cute, and I think you think I am too, if you would like sometime, anytime, to take me on a date?” His expression changed and torment set on his gentle face. “Dora..” he broke off and looked away. “I do like you. That’s a certainty. It is also a certainty that I am an outcast, a werewolf ..,” he looked back up in her eyes. “And I would never want to put you through that trouble!”

She had reached for his hand and they both watched as their fingers touch.

“Look,” Dora had smiled, “we both have hands..”

After a few moments, he had put her hand in his, and given it a loving squeeze. She had detected the emotion in his voice when he told her he’d pick her up that Saturday at seven o’clock. He refused to look at her when he grabbed his coat and left the house. When the others curiously asked where Remus had gone so quickly without saying goodbye, she had told them a little white lie. She had caught Sirius’s eye and smiled at him. He understood, and it showed on his face that the thought of Remus and her getting together made his day.

Dora decided on a cute white top, combined with a sweet little pink skirt. With a little focus on her hair, she coloured it bright blue. She was happy with her reflection smiling back at her through the mirror. She checked the time and saw it was nearly seven. He could be arriving any time now! As she walked down the stairs, she heard the knock on the door and an exited rush went through her veins. Remus!

Almost tripping down the last few steps, she was barely able to catch her breath. She put her hand on her heart with a smile. This man was more than she could ever hope for. Her intuition told her, he was the one she had been waiting for. They were meant to be. She opened the door and greeted the slightly uncomfortable man standing in the doorway.

She would tame the wolf and they would live happily ever after, she thought, taking the arm he had offered her. She looked up at him and smiled. He looked back at her and couldn’t resist her radiance. A laugh broke free on his face. “You are irresistible, Dora, has anyone ever told you that?” She laughed too. “So are you, Mr. Lupin!” Her heart skipped a beat, when she noticed the warmth in his eyes. As they walked on, a childish chant went through her head, making her smile.

“Remus and Dora, together forever, always and ever.”

Dora hoped, with all her heart, that this dream would come true.

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