Title: Love through potions

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Reader

Word count: 4847

Published: 26 July, 2020

Author: Heloise Daphne Brightmore

Notes: I got this request by khyati1379  a couple of days ago. I hope you will like this one shot and I didn't get away with your story line too much :)

Request:

Remus Lupin was a lone wolf suffering through the loss of his pack. Since his best friends, James Potter's and Peter Pettigrew's death and Sirius Black's imprisonment, he was nothing but a sad man full of sorrow. He has been trying to keep himself composed, but losing all his friends at once was something he was struggling to get over. Understandably, of course.  

You didn't know much about Remus though. One afternoon, he walked into your Potions shop on Diagon Alley, right across Ollivanders. His eyes held deep despair, which was accompanied by a pair of deep black sockets under them. He seemed like someone who wasn't familiar with the importance of sleeping. He had a tall, lean figure, which seemed to be skinnier than a man of his height should have been.

It was the first time you have seen him in your shop. 

He was looking around all the ingredients sitting on the shelves. He started asking about different kinds of plants and their preparations, however he wasn't subtle enough about his questions. You could clearly spot which ones he was interested in, while the rest were simply provided as a fill in, not to seem suspicious. At first you didn't understand what he wanted, until you realised the hopeful glint in his eyes, once he mentioned the ones he needed. 

Aconite, in other words wolfsbane didn't necessarily get your attention as you knew its usage has been part of many potions. When he asked about pulverised Black Quicksilver, being rather interested in its price, it did get you a tiny bit suspicious about his needs. Then your conversation deterred to Giant Moonworts and by that time you were almost certain, that you knew what he needed the ingredients for, but you didn't state your findings just yet. As he has changed the subject to Myrrh and not just any kind, ones that have been pickled in carrow spider ichor, you were completely sure of your findings, knowing that the preparation of Myrrh in such way has only been used in the Wolfsbane potion so far. 

He seemed rather disappointed by the end of your conversation, but you didn't understand why. You didn't let him know that you were aware of what he needed the ingredients for, nor did you look at him any differently. 

"Is everything okay?" You asked as he held a tiny jar of Acromantula venom in his hand. 

"Yeah..." He breathed, his voice defeated. 

"Can I be honest?" You asked, trying to establish an eye contact, but he didn't look at you.

"Sure." He spoke weakly. 

"If you walk into a potions shop, you might want to be more subtle about what you are interested in." You said casually. His head turned towards you abruptly, his eyes wide in shock. 

"What do you mean?" He asked, still trying to cover up his furry secret.

"Wolfsbane is a very difficult potion, with its very particular way of brewing. It wasn't hard to understand, even between your numerous questions, what you actually need." You explained to him with a gentle smile, but his face stayed still. 

"I have to go." He said as he returned the jar to you and headed towards the exit. 

"I could help." You stated, making him turn around suddenly and for a second you surprised yourself too. You didn't know the man. As far as you knew, he could have been a Death Eater. And there was the price of the potion and its ingredients. How were you supposed to help by going bankrupt? 

"What do you mean?" He asked, looking at you suspiciously. You kept quiet, trying to collect your thoughts. He didn't seem like a bad person and if anything, you had hundreds of deadly plants and potions laying around to feel protected enough. 

"I could help you with the potion." You spoke, upon finding your words. He furrowed his brows at your unusually helpful words. He was definitely not used to receiving help from people he didn't know. 

"What's the catch?" He asked, eyes squinting at you.

"I want you to help me out in the shop." You replied casually, trying to keep yourself composed. You have just asked a complete stranger to help you, while you'd help him not to go on a killing spree in his werewolf form. You officially concluded yourself to be mentally unstable, but didn't show any of it to the man. 

"Why would you help a werewolf? Why would you let some unknown guy waltz around your shop when you don't even know anything about him?" He questioned you and you finally realised the weight of your sudden decision. You walked back behind your counter and fell back into your chair with a deep sigh leaving your lungs.

"I have no idea." You hid your face in your palms, covering your embarrassment. "But..." You lifted your face to look at the man. "if you were a bad person, you wouldn't be questioning my intentions. You would just accept it, instead of giving me time to think it through. Or even reminding me that I might not have made the most sane decision of my life." You tilted your head as if your statements were questions and you were waiting for an answer.  

"You never know. It might be a tactic." He replied with a simple shrug.

"I don't think so." You shook your head in disagreement. Silence fell upon your pair as you went through your thoughts once again, concluding that he seemed like a genuine person. "So? You need help and I could use an extra hand." You said. It was his turn to think. He looked out the window as if it helped him to collect his thoughts better. You waited patiently, until he finally turned back around, facing you. 

"I guess it's not so bad of a plan." He replied nodding slightly. "You are not planning to poison me, right?" He added suspiciously, which made you chuckle. 

"You are not planning on attacking me, right?" You returned his silly question, which made him smile just a tiny bit. "Then I think we are good." You confirmed and he nodded in agreement. "I will start brewing the potion tonight. Will you be able to start tomorrow?" You asked with a raised brow, knowing that you have given a rather short notice. 

"Certainly." He replied, making you smile gently. 

"Brilliant." You said as you stood up and reached for his hand to shake it. "Welcome to my shop." You grinned.

"Thank you." He spoke with a warm smile, accepting your hand. His kind demeanour made you question how such a sweet man could have such a dark secret hidden in his life, but oh you didn't even know the rest of his story. 

"I'm Y/N, by the way." You introduced yourself.

"Remus." He replied, letting go of your hand, after holding it inappropriately longer. You cleared your throat, feeling maybe just a tad bit awkward and said your good byes.

That same night you started brewing the potion as per your promise to Remus. You knew it would take quite a while and as you have only done it once, you were hoping that your skills in potions would help you along your way. 

The following morning, Remus arrived to your shop, waiting at the counter for you to join him. You were rearranging some of the jars on the shelves at the back of the shop, when you heard Remus calling your name. You came down the ladder and walked over to the man, welcoming him once again. 

You showed him around the store and asked him to replace the ingredients at the front of the shop from the new order you have just received. He simply nodded and started helping you out without a word. You found his behaviour adorable, as he listened to each and every word of yours carefully. 

He was working hard, not even complaining about the dust on the shelves causing a coughing attack to break out of his lungs or the heaviness of the boxes that he had to bring up the ladders. He was diligent and very helpful, making you smile as you watched him from behind a wall, poking your head out just enough not to blow your cover. 

However his behaviour wasn't the only thing that caught your eyes. As you watched him concentrate on the jars, rearranging them by name, just the way you have asked of him, you could gaze at his handsome face, which might have been rather skinny, but certainly attractive. His green orbs were fixed on the labels, carefully reading each and every one of them, but your attention was on the way how those dark green irises kept changing their colour between emerald green and hazel, occasionally taking on a brownish undertone under the sun's bright rays. 

You shook your head as you realised how you have been ogling at your new colleague. You were rather unhappy with your inappropriate behaviour, so you quickly headed back to your shelf that needed some rearranging too. 

Weeks passed by and before you knew it, your gaze lingered over Remus more often than you dared to admit. It was the week before full moon and Remus has already started drinking the Wolfsbane potion you made for him. It didn't seem to have any side effects, confirming that your potions skills have indeed come in handy when meeting an unusual brewing. 

After the full moon, Remus came into the shop, looking exhausted. His skin was pale, the dark circles under his eyes greater than ever. You walked over to him and stood firmly by the man with crossed arms in front of your chest. 

"What are you doing here?" You asked.

"I came to work." He breathed, powerless. 

"No, you didn't. As much as I feel bad saying it, you do not look too well. You should not be working today." You stated, trying to hide the worry in your voice. 

"Today is not my day off." He shrugged, but you just grabbed his shoulders and forced him to turn around, before you nudged him towards the door. 

"I am your boss and I am telling you, it is your day off." You chuckled sweetly, which caused a small smile to appear on his face. 

"Are you sure?" He asked, not wanting to leave you alone. 

"Do I look like I am not?" You asked playfully. He shook his head, before he took a deep breath and left the shop. 

You were brewing a potion that you have been requested to do by one of your clients, when you heard the door open, indicating a customer's arrival. You quickly adjusted the fire under your cauldron and walked to the front of the shop. 

"Can I help..." You wanted to speak, when you realised your visitor was not a customer after all, but Remus Lupin. "What are you doing here?" You asked, clearly remembering sending him home just about an hour ago.

"I thought if I can't work and you have to do double of the job, I would at least bring you some food." He smiled gently, making your heart skip a beat. He was beyond sweet to you and you couldn't stop yourself from giving a small kiss on his cheek, gratefully. You didn't miss the way a slight blush creeped up on his face though.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel awkward." You chuckled as he kept adjusting his weight from one leg to the other. "Thank you." You smiled happily as you took the boxes from him. 

"It's fine." He replied with a smile growing bigger. 

You headed to the back where a small table was placed in a corner with two chairs next to it. You put the food on the table, opening the boxes, whilst Remus took a seat on the chair closer to him. You picked up two sets of cutlery and gave a set to Remus, while you kept the other for yourself. 

"I'm glad you brought me food, I am starving, but you could have gone home and just rest. You had a difficult night yesterday, or rather today." You said, letting your worry take over you. 

"I really am fine. And your potion helped a lot." He smiled softly. 

"I'm glad I could help. I guess we made a good deal." You joked happily. It was an idillic moment as you both sat over the table, eating together, talking casually. You could have gotten used to it. He was a good company. He was sweet and funny, certainly more helpful than anyone you have ever met and he seemed to care about you, even if he only meant it as an employee. 

Halfway through the lunch, you got up to check on your potion. You stirred it a couple of times before it finally took on a vivid green colour. You removed the cauldron from the fire and started pouring its content into small little vials. As soon as you finished, you put them all in a small box and placed it into one of your drawers. 

You walked back to the table to finish your food, when you saw Remus' hunched form over the table. You walked closer to check on him, realising he fell asleep. His breathing was even, occasionally letting out a small sighing noise. His lashes laid flat against his cheeks, his lips parted involuntarily. You watched him for a mere second, admiring his handsome face, before you grabbed a blanket from one of your cupboards and placed it over his back, leaving him to rest.

Weeks went by and you were at a tipping point. Remus' kind behaviour got under your skin. You felt like you were a mere friend, a colleague, noone that really mattered to him. You wanted more though. You wanted him to feel the same feelings you have been harbouring for him. You kept watching him on every occasion you could get a sight of him and if you couldn't, you simply made it happen by leaving your job to creepily spy over him. 

By the time you realised you have fallen for him, you were giving up. He did not show any interest towards you and it was killing you. He was just as nice as always and you hated how it gave you false hope. 

You were sitting in your chair right across the entrance, behind the counter. Remus was at the back, bringing out some boxes, but you couldn't care less. You were holding your head in your palm, sighing deeply every few seconds, annoying even yourself with your love-sick behaviour. 

"Are you okay?" He asked as he listened to another sigh leaving your lungs.

"Yeah..." You replied dreamily. 

"You don't seem alright to me." He frowned at your unusual behaviour.

"Actually, nothing is alright, but I can't do anything about it." You sighed again, still halfway lost in your daydreaming about Remus.

"Can I help you?" He asked kindly, but you just scoffed, making his frown grew deeper.

"Actually, you could. But you could only help if I told you what bothers me. But if I told you what bothers me, you would leave. In conclusion, I don't want you to leave, so I don't need your help." You heaved a deep sigh and placed your forehead on the edge of your table in defeat, closing your eyes. You were cursing yourself for falling for Remus. You wished he could see more than a friend in you, but for some reason, he just couldn't. 

You looked into the mirror more often recently, than ever to check if you looked okay. You didn't need to be perfect, but just an okay. Still he clearly didn't want your okay look. He was just not satisfied with you and it hurt you to know that you weren't enough. 

You turned your head to the right and opened your eyes, when you met a pair of green orbs, forcing you to shot up in surprise. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He spoke, his tone light and gentle. As soon as you calmed down, you placed your head back against your table and kept your eyes on his, not caring about how inappropriately you have been staring at him. "Look, I really didn't understand anything you said. Why would I leave, if you told me how I could help you?" He asked curiously, making you pout at the thought of your unrequited love. At this point you wanted nothing, but letting your feelings out. But you stopped yourself.

"Just ignore me." You told him as you turned to your left. You could hear him move and in seconds he was crouching beside your left side. 

"Talk to me, please." He spoke softly. 

"No." You said harshly as you jumped up from your seat and forced yourself to concentrate on your previous tasks. You walked up the ladder and started rearranging the vials of ingredients in alphabetical order. You didn't even realise when Remus appeared, but when you looked down he was standing beside the legs of your ladder. 

"Y/N, something is clearly bothering you. Just talk to me." His tone was more forceful than before. 

"I don't want to talk about it." You said shrugging, your lips pouting like a little child's. You kept your attention on your task, up until you felt your ladder move. The next thing you saw was Remus walking up the steps, right before his eyes were finally levelled with yours. 

You could feel his breath against your face, he was so close to you. His green irises wondered between your eyes, searching for something. But you couldn't have possible concentrated on that. He was way to close and you couldn't understand how he couldn't see the effects he had on you. Your eyes wondered down to his pink, plump lips, before they returned to his eyes. 

You could feel the deep breath he took as he exhaled. His tongue darted out of his lips to lick across them, making your head feel dizzy at the inappropriate thoughts your mind was harbouring. You gulped loudly trying to get rid of the picture you have just witnessed, replaying the motion of his tongue across his lips in your memory. 

"Just talk to me." He spoke in a low tone and you weren't even sure, if a simple note could leave your lips, let alone a complete sentence. You cleared your throat, trying to compose yourself, but you just badly failed as he accidentally slipped on the step of the ladder, grabbing on to your waist to steady himself. He involuntarily pulled you closer to him, your nose touching his. You couldn't do this anymore. As if a confidence boost took over your mind, you placed your hand behind his neck and kissed him. 

You could feel the hesitation in him as he forgot to kiss you back. You pulled away, feeling tears collect in your eyes at the harsh rejection. You just wanted to run away, forget that you have dumbly took a step you should never have done. The grip around your chest became stronger, the lump in your throat grew wider, almost suffocating you. Your will to disappear heightened by the second. But unfortunately for you, you were seated on top of the ladder, Remus right in front of you, closing your only escape route. You gulped loudly before deciding to speak.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Your head dropped forward, fearing to look into his eyes. 

"Why?" He asked simply. 

"Because I kissed you." You explained, feeling even dumber.

"No, I mean why did you kiss me?" He clarified his question. You just scoffed in a reply, feeling as if he tried to make fun of you. Although you knew he wasn't that kind of a person, you were still hurt by his rejection. 

"Why do people kiss each other?" You asked as you played with your hands nervously.

"Because they like each other?" It was more of a question than a statement, so you nodded in agreement. "And you like me?" He asked softly, making you feel even worse. He was supposed to be angry at you for doing something he didn't want. Instead of answering though, you nodded as a reply. "I can't hear you." He said, his tone more confident this time. Your blood was boiling that he didn't think of you as a potential partner, still he was trying to get you to confess to him. 

"I love you. Are you happy now?" You asked in anger, feeling desperate to just get out of that awkward situation. 

"You love me?" He asked, uncertainty clear in his voice.

"Are you kidding me?" You lifted your head, your expression distraught. "Are you trying to make fun of me? I get it okay? You don't like me. It's fine. But it's cruel to make me suffer through this unnecessarily awkward conversation. Please just let me down." You didn't even realise when your tears started rolling down your cheeks. You stood up, trying to push him to the side, to get yourself out of there, but before you could have gone anywhere, he got hold of your waist and gently pushed you back into your seated position. 

"I didn't want to hurt you." He said as he removed your tears with his soft thumb. You could feel his warmth radiating through his skin. 

"But that is exactly what you are doing." You told him weakly. 

"I was just surprised, Y/N. I didn't think you had feelings for me." His voice was light as a feather, perhaps trying not to scare you away. "I might have reacted badly, but I didn't mean to hurt you." He spoke as he caressed your cheeks, painfully getting your hopes up. "I wish I could turn back time and act differently, but unfortunately I can't do that." He smiled softly, making you frown. "But if I am good at something, it has to be trying. Maybe we could try that kiss again?" He asked, your eyes growing wide at his words. 

"Why would you want to do that?" You questioned, completely lost in what was happening. 

"Maybe because I might just love you as much as you do?" He asked smiling sweetly. Your lips parted involuntarily, your face showed clear shock. You were unable to get any words out. He chuckled at your dumbfounded expression and without waiting for an answer, he closed the gap between you, capturing your lips with his own soft pillows. You didn't need to be told twice to kiss back, you have been waiting for it since forever. 

His kiss was sweet and caring. He massaged your lips like noone has ever done before. You tried to keep yourself composed, but you just wanted to melt into his arms, enjoying this perfect moment, wishing for time to stop. 

As he pulled away, he looked into your eyes with an unusual grin across his face. He seemed more confident than you have ever seen him. His cheerful expression forced a smile to spread across your face too, before he captured your lips once again, this time more passionately, more aggressively. You honestly felt like you were kissing two different people, but if anything, it just made you fall for him even more. 

Your breath was running out on you. You pulled away from him and placed your forehead against his, breathing heavily. 

"If you kiss me like that, I will fall for you even harder." You giggled lightly. He let out a wholehearted laughter, throwing his head backwards. You watched his carefree behaviour, which you haven't really seen before, but enjoyed even more.

"I really do love you." He spoke as his laughter died down. 

"I love you too." You smiled at him lovingly, before capturing his lips again. 

*

Years passed by and you and Remus were stronger than ever. After a couple of years he proposed to you and you married in a small, intimate ceremony. It was sweet and cozy, not the typical big wedding with big families, but you loved it even more. Remus was the only person you needed and he was right by your side. 

As Remus was offered to go back to Hogwarts to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, you encouraged him to do it. You believed in him more than anyone and you wanted him to know that. You were always there to support him. Except when he made stupid decisions, but you always made sure to let him know. 

You read about Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban and although you knew he was once a friend of Remus, you couldn't feel relaxed assuming Sirius would go after Remus. You knew all about their times as Marauders in Hogwarts and the relationship they had after they left school and joined the Order of the Phoenix, but he was a convict you were terrified to see around your husband. 

One night, upon receiving a letter, you shot up from your bed to open the window for Remus' owl. You opened the letter and started reading with shaking hands, knowing he wouldn't mail you at such late hours, unless there was a problem. Your heart quickened as he explained how he forgot to take the Wolfsbane potions you have prepared for him. As you continued, your breath hitched, reading about his meeting with none other than Sirius Black. Your thoughts were swirling, terrified to read the letter any further. But you were glad you did. Remus explained everything from how Sirius was accused of the murder even though he was innocent and how Peter wasn't even dead, but lived in his rat form with the Weasley family. You finally felt relieved when you read Sirius escaped the Dementor's Kiss and he was in hiding. 

On a warm summer night Remus invited Sirius over for a little dinner, to take back some of the time they have lost. Sirius might have been a bit late, but you didn't mind. You walked behind your husband and wrapped your arms around his torso, placing your face against his back. He got hold of your hand and gently pulled you in front of him. 

"Thank you." He whispered with a loving smile, cupping your face in his big hands.

"For what?" You asked with a frown across your brows. 

"For loving me. For being by my side. For supporting me. For being you." He breathed as he hinted a small peck on your lips. You smiled warmly at the love of your life, wrapping your arms tighter around him, hiding your face in his chest, enjoying the warmth his body provided. 

The door bell rang and Remus hurried to open the door, engulfing his best friend in his arms. They exchanged a few words, before finally heading towards the dining room where Sirius stopped right in front of you with a huge grin across his face. 

"So that's the infamous Y/N." He smirked. "I have been hearing a lot about you." He said and reached out for your hand. You accepted the offer and shook his hand.

"Welcome, Sirius." You smiled gently. "It's nice to finally meet you." 

"Indeed." He nodded in agreement. "You know, Moony..." He started as Remus led him to a chair at the table, while you prepared the food. "I never thought you would get married. You were always so reserved when it came to love. But honestly, I am glad you are happy. You deserve it." He smiled, patting his friend's shoulder proudly, which made your smile grow even wider.

You were happy that Remus got his long lost friend back. You were happy that you finally met Sirius. You were happy that you were having a relaxing dinner, even though war was coming your way. Things were chaotic outside, times were dark, but you were happy in that moment with your loving husband by your side and his best friend who he finally found his way back. 

Notes: If you enjoyed it, don't forget to like the chapter. Thank you :) I am also taking requests. If you have any, please just let me know.

I do not accept requests with suicide, suicidal thoughts and self-harm. I'm sorry, but those are subjects, that I do not cover for personal reasons. Anything else, let me know.