𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸, remus lupin

˗ˋ 22

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH OPINIONS
ARE SHARED

. . .

"You agreed to it? Are you absolutely mental?" 

Yet again, Sirius's words echoed around the common room in loud exclamations. It didn't seem to be an odd occurence these days; ever since Remus Lupin agreed to help out with Pandora Rosier, conversations such as that seemed to have become much more common.

In response, Remus sat back in his chair, twiddling with one of the sugar quills that had come back from one of James and Sirius' secret visits to Hogsmeade. It had been taken from Honeyduke's basement, no less. 

He was pretty used to it now. "I don't know, you're always so cold and callous with her, but it different. She doesn't know what it's like to be out in the real world." Remus didn't want to fall out with his friends over this, but he wasn't too happy with him being berated for it. 

"Rem, if she's done something to you.. like a potion or a spell or those weird butterflies or even - she can do legilimency, right?" James sat forward, seeming to be concerned but perhaps a little more tactful than Sirius; calling someone crazy wasn't really the best way to talk to someone. 

"No, she's not got me under some spell." Remus shook his head, glancing around at his friends. "You've just got to trust me on this, okay? You've seen how she is with people.. it's weirdly different with me."

"Like she's trying to recruit her for her parents' little death eater organisation?" Sirius cocked an eyebrow. "Come on, neither of my parents might be part of that but they have far too many friends that are and I've heard more than enough about the Rosiers' involvement."

"Her parents are a little more tricky than that." Remus admitted, which almost instantly got their attention.

"Do you know about what happened?" Peter asked, sitting up in his seat. "Did she tell you about it? Because there's so many versions and.. tell us?" 

"It's nothing special." The Lupin boy shrugged, deciding not to mention how he thought that it was in fact for more special then even Pandora let on. "Her dad killed her mum and the Ministry dragged him off somewhere and now he's rotting somewhere. That's pretty much what everyone knows, right?"

"And she saw everything? Maybe that does explain things." Sirius shook his head, leaning against the edge of the table. "I mean that's seriously messed up right - pun unintentional."

"As always." James nodded, meeting his best friend's eyes and trying not to laugh. "But he's right, what if that's what messed her up."

"I don't think it was just that." Remus quickly backtracked the Potter boy's point. "I mean obviously that shit will be awful to you, but there was something else as well." 

"Well, if your sure." James said with a sigh, catching the looks that both Sirius and Peter threw him. "We know better than anyone that Moony knows what he's doing. He's smart and we wouldn't have gotten away with half the shit we've done if he wasn't."

"Thank you.. besides, it's not like we're friends or anything." Remus continued, chewing on the end of the sugar quill. "I was asked by Dumbledore to make sure she doesn't do anything, and yeah.." He didn't think to mention how he found her interesting, and worried about just how bad it could get.

Given her lack of knowledge about how to interact with people in the real world, it could only get better or worse. And considering everything that had happened since she had arrived at Hogwarts, which was quite clearly the only place she had been outside of that awful house in years, if there wasn't somewhere there to watch over it, then it would be the latter.

The fact that she hadn't been to the school was what - or at least Remus assumed what - made her magic go crazy. What made the butterflies not just appear but spontaneously do so. What made her magic random and so much stronger than it should be and just how well she could use it without even havig a wand.

"As long as.." James began to speak again, but Remus' focus was elsewhere, his concentration moving to the Rosier girl and his eyes finding the portrait hole as a group of students came threw. A small glow could be seen on the stone, and seconds later a butterfly appeared through. "Remus?" His speech was broken by the sight of Remus getting up and gathering his things. 

"Mate - where are you going?" Sirius asked, in response getting a sugar quill being shoved into his hands.

"I forgot.. it's time that I go to the library and see Pandora." He stood up, dragging the strap of his bag over the shoulder and turning towards the door. "I'll see you at dinner."

And just like that, the conversation was over and Remus Lupin had gone with it.

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