A Royal Adventure

21: A Talk

Molly's POV

SONG: drivers license
By Olivia Rodrigo

I look at Remus. He has his pointer finger on the binder of the books. As we walk, his finger follows. I don't know what to say. Remus is a very tough person to get to the center of. Being on this journey with the boys for just a short while has shown me that there's something going on here. Maybe they had a fight and they hadn't forgave each other yet. I honestly don't know. These guys are so random and it's hard to see what move Remus will make when you say something. You never know what's gonna tick him off. I just assume that Janus is the only person who knows Remus' routine like the back of their hand. Can't blame them, honestly. When you've known Remus for as long as Janus has (I've heard they knew each other since they were 8), things seemed to become "normal".

I also realized that Remus doesn't like that word. Normal. He thinks being "normal" is boring as hell. I can't blame him. As someone who does witchcraft, is into crystals and the third eye, I seriously relate.

I got bullied for that a lot growing up. Being a witch. People called me lots of names. It was a rumor of course, since my family could get into a lot of trouble for dabbling in witchcraft. When my family moved, it was incredibly frowned upon for someone to be a witch. Even when I use it, it's for good. My dad taught me hexes and curses, but my mother taught me spells of all kinds. Spells for luck, good fortune, happiness, long hair, clear skin and things like that. I'm pretty advanced too, but there are times where I'll mess up spells. I remember one time, I tried to curse someone into having bad luck for a week, but I didn't have a circle of salt around me, so the bad luck hit me for a week. Worst week of my life. I ended up doing it right the next time and by the end of the week, the girl was crying to her friends about bad luck and shit. I laughed when I made it home. It was funny and I felt good.

I've also had my magic binded by my mother once. A close friend had found out that the rumor was true (thankfully, she didn't say anything and still hasn't), and asked if I could cast a hex on her bully. I happily agreed, glad that I could defend her.

But, my mother found out and she binded my magic. I had to do a bunch of chores for her for a week in order to get my magic back. I eventually ended up hexing the person my friend wanted me too, but that time, I did it when mother wasn't home. So, she wouldn't know. I still think she doesn't know.

"So," I say, my back to Remus. He's flipping through books and I just look at the titles of the books on the binders. "What's Roman's deal?" I know Roman is fine, but I wanna get on Remus' good side.

"Who fucking knows, Molly. He's always had a stick up his ass." Remus growls slightly.

"You mean a dick?" I ask, laughing. Remus chuckles. A positive feeling jumps in my chest. I like seeing them smile.

"Same thing." Remus says, turning to me, then back at the books. I think I've warmed him up to me a little.

"Do you miss Roman?" I ask. It's sudden, I know, but I'm all for risks. Remus doesn't answer right away. He holds very still. I look at the back of his head. I see his hand shake slightly. I think I hear him sniff. I don't question it. I take him from behind and squeeze him close. Remus takes my hands and softly unwraps them from his stomach. I hold my hands to my collarbone and look at him confused.

"You okay?" I ask. He turns around to face me. His eyes are glazed over like someone just dropped a fresh coat of glaze on a donut. I think I'm hungry.

"I'm fine, Molly." He says softly. I think I see the start of a tear, but Remus itches his eye. I lean against the books behind me and cross my arms.

"I'm a good listener. Talk to me." I tell him. He sighs, looking away from me. He then looks at the ground and pushes his lips together to form a straight line. He leans on his own bookshelf, his hands behind his back, still looking at the floor.