Lupuloi
a Harry Potter story
by midnight_angel_girl
Charlie Weasley eyed Remus Lupin with concern as the man finished coughing and took a long drink of tea. Remus had caught cold a few days ago, and his weakened state before the full moon made getting better difficult. "Remus, are you sure you should be alone tonight? It might help to have some one there in the morning."
"I'll be fide, Charlie. I've dode it before, ad I'b sure I'll do it again.. Adyway, whed I'b sick, she lets be sleep. Heh-hihsshooo, aaiisshoo, huhesshoo. " The older man blew his nose firmly in a handkerchief, as if that were the final word on the subject.
"Sãnãtate." Charlie told him as Severus Snape walked in.
"Your potion." he stated, coldly, handing over a steaming goblet.
Remus downed the potion quickly, wincing, not only at the taste but at the pain in his throat. "Thak you, Severus." he responded, formally. He lacked the energy to try to be friendly towards the cold, dark Slytherin.
"As usual, I'll expect a report on the transformation tomorrow." He reminded the lycanthrope.
Remus nodded quickly, bringing his hand to his nose to catch the forthcoming sneezes. " EhChishh. Certaidly. Ihhcheshhh, ehhkishh. Excuse be." He turned his head and blew his nose.
"Perhaps Wednesday would be better." Snape relented. "I don't particularly relish the idea of you sneezing all over my office and infecting me with whatever disease you're carrying now."
"That's fide. I should get going. It'll be dark soon." Remus got up and left the room. Charlie looked at Snape. "Is he going to be alright?"
"To my utter dismay, yes. And he wouldn't have to report to me on the potion if he'd let me be there." he said, anticipating Charlie's next question.
"One could almost say you cared."
"Scientific interest. I don't care for his presence and certainly don't wish to be in it one second longer than necessary."
"Where does he go? I'm sure you know."
"To his place in Dover. One would say you do care."
"And so what if I do?" Charlie was instantly defensive.
"Doesn't matter to me. It's your life. Do what you need to do." With that, Snape swished out of the room.
Charlie sat there for a minute, then went upstairs to grab a few things before sitting down to dinner. An hour and a half later, he stood before the floo. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the fireplace, threw a handful of floo powder and called out Remus Lupin's house.
Seconds later, he stood in the fireplace of a small house. It was shabby but immaculate. Charlie stood there for a minute, trying to think of where Remus would be. Looking around, he noticed a door with a silver knob and deadbolt. He went and opened it, knowing that the action he performed without a thought was one full of trepidation and pain for his friend. Quietly, he descended the stairs to the cellar as not to disturb Remus. Remus, fully transformed, lay in a ball on the floor, shivering in his slumber.
An ache rushed through Charlie. Picking up his wand, he muttered the animagus incantation. Where the man had been, now stood a large, gray timber wolf. He padded over to Remus. Sensing him, the werewolf opened his eyes and sniffed the wolf in front of him. As if recognizing the scent, it lowered its head to go back to sleep. Charlie laid down next to him in hopes of keeping him warm. It must have helped because Remus stopped shaking, and eventually, Charlie also fell asleep.
Charlie awoke at dawn the next morning the next morning when he felt the wolf beside him begin to transform. Transforming back himself, he set about getting Remus's clothes ready, knowing that Remus probably didn't want him to witness the transformation from werewolf back into man. He placed a charm on the clothes to warm them. It only lasted a few minutes, but for an ill man who had spent the night on a cold stone floor, the warmth, however brief, would be welcome. He heard coughing from behind him and turned around. Remus lay on the floor, shivering. Charlie grabbed the clothing and went over to him.
"Charlie?" the lycan asked, weakly.
"I got worried. Let's get you dressed. It's chilly down here." He helped Remus stand and handed him his shorts, allowing the older man to balance on him. Charlie made it a point to focus on the man's face, ignoring the scars that crisscrossed the man's body, as well as a much more interesting portion of his anatomy. Then, he helped Remus with his shirt, trousers, and sweater and guided him to the stairs where he instructed him to sit as he put on the man's shoes and socks. "Ready to go upstairs?" he asked.
Remus nodded. "Thanks." Charlie helped his weak friend up the stairs, standing beside him, lest he fall. Remus halted at the top. "The door...would you bide terribly..."
Understanding, Charlie reached around Remus, unlocked and opened the door. They entered the living room, and Charlie had Remus lay on the couch. He grabbed the knapsack he brought with him, charmed a blanket to stay warm, handed it to Remus and went to make tea. He returned a few minutes later and handed one of the steaming cups to Remus.
"Thak you. Charlie, why did you cobe? I thought I told you dot to."
"And I thought you knew me well enough to know that I would anyway. Are you mad?"
"Do. I'b glad you were here this bordig. I hav't had adyode here for awhile. I ha...hah-shishh. I had the oddest dreab last dight, though. Hah-eschoo . I dreabed there was a wolf with be. I dow that's crazy. Uhh-heshhoo, heh-kemshh, kuhchesshh ."
"Noroc. Blow your nose." Charlie reached into his pocket for his handkerchief. Remus took the soft cloth, warm from Charlie's body heat, and tended to his nose.
"Thaks. Adyway, it was a dice dreab. She gets lodely sobetibes."
"You weren't dreaming." Charlie told him, standing up. He took out his wand, transformed into his animagus, then back into himself.
"You cabe last dight." Remus smiled.
"I was worried about you."
"How cobe you dever told be your adibagus was a wolf?"
"I didn't know how you'd feel about it."
Remus looked sat. "I would have welcomed it. She likes it. So ode's dode this for be sids Sirihh... ihchushhoo, uhcheshh ...sids Sirius."
"I know. I thought I'd take a chance..."
"Why?"
Charlie looked at him. "Te iubesc, Remus John Lupin. Te iubesc." he uttered in Romanian.
Remus stared at him; he didn't understand the words, but the meaning was clear. A smile broke across his tired face as he leaned against Charlie. "Te iubesc." he whispered, stumbling over the unfamiliar language. " Hah-chushh. "
Noroc." Charlie wrapped his arm around Remus and pressed the smaller man against him. "We'll rest here for a bit, then head back."
Remus nodded, fighting back more sneezes, not wanting to ruin the moment, but the sneezes eventually won out. " Keh-chesshuh, Kur-chushh, kehchishh. "
"Sãnãtate, Remus." Charlie whispered. "Now, sleep." He held Remus in his arms, and the werewolf and the animagus both drifted into dreams.
Romanian (not sure if this is 100% correct)
Lupuloi - wolves
Sãnãtate - health
Noroc - luck (both are used after someone sneezes, one is totally informal and the other is formal and informal)
Te iubesc - I love you (if you couldn't figure that out from the story)
Not mine - JK Rowlings - no money for me - lots for her