𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐙𝐄𝐒 ☾ r. lupin

₁₇ approaching

THALIA'S EYES followed the scratchy handwriting across the parchment, reading it over and over again. The ink wasn't enchanted or anything; there was no shift in color, no sparkles, just simple black ink written on course parchment. The words weren't much either, simple and plain - a bit like Remus Lupin, she supposed.

Ask and you shall receive.

That's all that was written. 5 simple words, written in boring black ink on boring white parchment. Yet, her eyes kept reading the note over and over.

Thalia groaned and slammed it down onto her desk, making it shake upon impact. Why'd he do it. He didn't need to come to her room. He didn't need to write her a note. He didn't need to send her food. He didn't need to do anything.

She let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, bringing her palms to her face. She pressed the heels of them into her eyes, placing pressure on them until white spots dotted her vision. Her fingers dragged down her face, nails lightly grazing her skin as she did so.

With one final deep breath in, she slipped her shoes on and stepped out of her dorm. She walked quickly towards the Slytherin common room, passing hoards of people as she walked down the hallways of Hogwarts. The walls echoed with voices - both from students and the portraits on the wall.

Her shoes squeaked as she made her way down to the dungeons, passing wandering eyes as she did. Thalia was used to stares at this point; with her hair being bright and her clothes not being the most conventional, she was a walking stereotype. No one in the Wizarding World knew what her style was exactly, they just said she dressed "overly eccentric." The Muggles called it grunge, so she just went with that. 

"Thalia!" 

Thalia's head whipped around and she saw Maeve walking towards her. Her eyes immediately went to Maeve's plaid pants, watching as they moved with her. Thalia smiled at the girl and walked towards her, slinging her arm across her shoulders as they walked closer to the Slytherin common room. 

"So, Halloween's coming up soon," Thalia said, smirking. 

"That it is, duckie," Maeve replied. 

__________

"Moony are you okay?" James asked, leaning his elbows on his thighs. He was bent down at the waist, tilting his head up to look at his sweating friend. 

Remus, was in fact, not doing okay. It had completely slipped his mind that there was a full moon tomorrow, his mind being occupied with someone else. 

He was sitting on the couch, scratching and itching at his skin as he looked out the window. Sweat was dripping down his neck as he sat on the couch. He felt like he was overheating, the couch trying to swallow him whole into his own personal hell. 

A sigh escaped from his lips as he slumped down further into the couch, playing with the hem of his t-shirt. He closed his eyes and tilted his head up towards the ceiling, feeling a stretch in his neck. James sighed from next to him, leaning back in his seat as he stared at his friend, watching the pre-symptoms of his condition. 

James hated seeing his friend this way, ( he would say all hot and bothered, but now wasn't a good time ) sweating profusely and worrying about everything in the world. It was also the first time James saw Remus not worried about it the morning of. It was like something flipped in him and his mind shut that out for a second. It was nice seeing him that way; normal. 

"Hey, Prongs?" Remus muttered, adjusting again. The couch squeaked underneath him; the fabric attaching to the sweat on his back. Remus furrowed his eyebrows as he arched his back a bit, leaning his neck against the back of the couch. Once situated, he opened his eyes and tilted his head to the side, hair flopping behind him. 

"Yes?" James asked, staring at his friend. 

"When's the Halloween party?" Remus asked, blinking a few times. 

James smiled a bit, shaking his head and looking down at his hands. "Saturday," he breathed out. 

That gave him a full day to rest. 

Remus smiled and tilted his head back towards the ceiling, closing his eyes again. 

"Perfect."

__________

"We're actually going to that?" Maeve asked, staring at Thalia. Her eyebrows were up towards her forehead and her palms were facing the ceiling; her whole body tense. 

"Yes, we're actually going to that," Thalia replied, leaning further into the couch. The leather groaned underneath her, making a slight squeaking sound as she slid down. Her lips quirked up a bit at the sound, remembering all of the times her and Maeve jumped around on it. 

"But we hate them!" Maeve exclaimed, getting the attention of a couple underclassmen. Thalia merely raised an eyebrow at her friend, watching as her chest went up and down at her outburst. 

"I'm not missing a Halloween party merely because I don't like the people that are going to be there."

"That's the whole point of not going."

"For you, my dear friend," Thalia said, pointing at Maeve. 

Maeve sighed and ran her hands down her face, lightly smudging her eyeliner. Thalia noticed and reached into her pocket, grabbing her eyeliner pencil and handing it over to the girl. 

"What?" Maeve asked, staring at her. 

"You smudged it," Thalia replied. 

Maeve sighed at the girl and plucked the pencil out of her fingers, standing up and going towards the mirror on the wall. She stretched her eyelid out to the side, reapplying before she released it and made a slight wing on the corner of her lid. Thalia was always jealous that Maeve did her wings so good. Hers always looked blunt and crooked. 

"Anyway, what would I even wear?" Maeve asked. "It's not like I have a costume or anything," she muttered, walking over and handing Thalia her eyeliner back. 

"We can just look through mine," she told her, placing the eyeliner back into her pocket. 

"You know what, we can just go buy one."

_____ A/N _____

ahem, hogsmeade on hold until next chapter lmao. also, sorry for so many pov skips, i didn't want to do that originally butttt hey, it works. anyway, i hope you all are doing better than i am, lol. have a good rest of your week !

remember to eat and drink water !

<3