(no subject)
Title: 47 Minutes In Diagon Alley
Author: killerforhire_
Rating & Warnings: PG
Prompts: 26, "It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities", Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, a day of significance
Word Count: 783 words
Summary: Remus Lupin spends 47 minutes waiting for someone, thus letting his insecurites and courage battle one another.
Author’s Notes: I tried my best to incorporate a mystery theme into it, but I don't think it came out too much.
Remus Lupin was sitting at a table in front of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor in Diagon Alley. He had restless leg syndrome and couldn't seem to concentrate on the task at hand; eating a bowl of chocolate ice cream. His eyes kept darting around the crowd and then back to his watch.
I know she's not late, but she's not early either.
Remus tried eating some ice cream to calm his nerves, but for once in his life, he didn't feel much like chocolate. He took a deep breath and turned around to see if maybe she was coming from behind him.
Oh nice, look at that. A couple snogging in front of Gringotts.
He turned around and looked at the ice cream melting. How long had he had it out? 30 minutes? 40? Why was he here so early?
No, no, Remus. You're not nervous. You've done this loads of times. OK, maybe not.
He looked at his watch again and saw that she was two minutes late. Two minutes! He looked up panicked and instantly met Florean's eyes. Florean looked at him in shock and ran over to Remus.
"Remus, is something wrong?"
Now, what do I do to make him do that?
"No, no, of course not. Everything is just uh...", Remus looked at his liquid ice cream. "Fine, just fine."
"Then why'd you give me that look?" Florean followed Remus' gaze to the ice cream. "Is something wrong with the ice cream? Did you find a hair? Did it taste bad?"
Remus turned red. "No, no, none of the sort."
Why, oh why do I always look down when I'm nervous?
"Then what was the look for?"
"What look?"
"That look like someone just died."
"Nobody died, Florean. Except for my fish Milton. Very tragic, very tragic-"
"You're not telling me something."
Remus looked at his watch and saw that she was six minutes late.
I knew she wouldn't come. What was I doing setting up a plan like this? All the wrong signals, Remus. All the wrong signals. I always do this.
"Remus, are you waiting for someone?" Florean gave a smile.
"Why else would I be here for 47 minutes without touching my ice cream?"
"People watching, I don't know. I've seen a more unusual use of 47 minutes than you think I have."
"Is that so?"
"Who are you waiting for?"
Say her name and he'll think we have a thing. But what if we don't have a thing? What if that thing was all in my head? Why am I calling it a thing? Why don't I just call it a relationship? Oh right, because a relationship MEANS MORE.
"Oh, doesn't matter. I don't think they're going to show up anyway. I was going to go once I uh... Drank the rest of this up."
Right, I'll go home and curl up in a ball and cry, for that is one more failed thing to add to my list.
"What if they show up?"
"Oh no, no. They won't."
"It's a girl, isn't it?"
"Spot on, you should be a fortune teller."
Remus looked up at Florean and saw a smirk on his face.
He's laughing at me from the inside, I know it. Everybody will be.
"Now, this is where you meet at a crossroads, Remus. You can either choose to stay, wait for the girl, embark on a road full of bliss and happiness and all that other crap we're supposed to believe love is. Or you can choose to leave, not wait for the girl, and embark on a road full of bitterness and thoughts of 'what-if' and that other crap we know not being in love is."
"I do not go on thoughts of 'what-if', I go on thoughts of 'what-now'."
"Even worse. Thinking about the future is a lot more stressful than the past. The uncertainty kills you."
"Florean, I don't think she's into me, anyhow."
"Then why'd she accept to meet you here?"
"To be nice."
"And how do you know that?"
Remus looked at the melted ice cream. He didn't know what his reasoning was. All he could go on were things from the past.
They always did it just to be nice.
"Listen, Remus, I've got to go. But think about the girl, OK?"
Florean got up, but Remus didn't say a word. He looked at his watch and saw that she was 15 minutes late.
Maybe something's kept her up at work... He sighed. I'll wait.
All of a sudden, two hands covered up his eyes and he felt breath on his right ear.
"Wotcher, Remus. So where are we going on our first date?"
Author: killerforhire_
Rating & Warnings: PG
Prompts: 26, "It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities", Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, a day of significance
Word Count: 783 words
Summary: Remus Lupin spends 47 minutes waiting for someone, thus letting his insecurites and courage battle one another.
Author’s Notes: I tried my best to incorporate a mystery theme into it, but I don't think it came out too much.
Remus Lupin was sitting at a table in front of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor in Diagon Alley. He had restless leg syndrome and couldn't seem to concentrate on the task at hand; eating a bowl of chocolate ice cream. His eyes kept darting around the crowd and then back to his watch.
I know she's not late, but she's not early either.
Remus tried eating some ice cream to calm his nerves, but for once in his life, he didn't feel much like chocolate. He took a deep breath and turned around to see if maybe she was coming from behind him.
Oh nice, look at that. A couple snogging in front of Gringotts.
He turned around and looked at the ice cream melting. How long had he had it out? 30 minutes? 40? Why was he here so early?
No, no, Remus. You're not nervous. You've done this loads of times. OK, maybe not.
He looked at his watch again and saw that she was two minutes late. Two minutes! He looked up panicked and instantly met Florean's eyes. Florean looked at him in shock and ran over to Remus.
"Remus, is something wrong?"
Now, what do I do to make him do that?
"No, no, of course not. Everything is just uh...", Remus looked at his liquid ice cream. "Fine, just fine."
"Then why'd you give me that look?" Florean followed Remus' gaze to the ice cream. "Is something wrong with the ice cream? Did you find a hair? Did it taste bad?"
Remus turned red. "No, no, none of the sort."
Why, oh why do I always look down when I'm nervous?
"Then what was the look for?"
"What look?"
"That look like someone just died."
"Nobody died, Florean. Except for my fish Milton. Very tragic, very tragic-"
"You're not telling me something."
Remus looked at his watch and saw that she was six minutes late.
I knew she wouldn't come. What was I doing setting up a plan like this? All the wrong signals, Remus. All the wrong signals. I always do this.
"Remus, are you waiting for someone?" Florean gave a smile.
"Why else would I be here for 47 minutes without touching my ice cream?"
"People watching, I don't know. I've seen a more unusual use of 47 minutes than you think I have."
"Is that so?"
"Who are you waiting for?"
Say her name and he'll think we have a thing. But what if we don't have a thing? What if that thing was all in my head? Why am I calling it a thing? Why don't I just call it a relationship? Oh right, because a relationship MEANS MORE.
"Oh, doesn't matter. I don't think they're going to show up anyway. I was going to go once I uh... Drank the rest of this up."
Right, I'll go home and curl up in a ball and cry, for that is one more failed thing to add to my list.
"What if they show up?"
"Oh no, no. They won't."
"It's a girl, isn't it?"
"Spot on, you should be a fortune teller."
Remus looked up at Florean and saw a smirk on his face.
He's laughing at me from the inside, I know it. Everybody will be.
"Now, this is where you meet at a crossroads, Remus. You can either choose to stay, wait for the girl, embark on a road full of bliss and happiness and all that other crap we're supposed to believe love is. Or you can choose to leave, not wait for the girl, and embark on a road full of bitterness and thoughts of 'what-if' and that other crap we know not being in love is."
"I do not go on thoughts of 'what-if', I go on thoughts of 'what-now'."
"Even worse. Thinking about the future is a lot more stressful than the past. The uncertainty kills you."
"Florean, I don't think she's into me, anyhow."
"Then why'd she accept to meet you here?"
"To be nice."
"And how do you know that?"
Remus looked at the melted ice cream. He didn't know what his reasoning was. All he could go on were things from the past.
They always did it just to be nice.
"Listen, Remus, I've got to go. But think about the girl, OK?"
Florean got up, but Remus didn't say a word. He looked at his watch and saw that she was 15 minutes late.
Maybe something's kept her up at work... He sighed. I'll wait.
All of a sudden, two hands covered up his eyes and he felt breath on his right ear.
"Wotcher, Remus. So where are we going on our first date?"