Chocolate and Cigarettes

Chapter 41 - Good brother

Saying Remus hadn't kept true to his promise was a lie. He had been trying. To Jen's credit, she was making it very hard. She had said she would make him fight hard and she had made his fight very hard.

Every little move he tried to make, she deflected. They even had to do a project in Defense Against the Dark Arts and as he turned around to ask her to do it with him, she had already partnered up with Frank, making him have to partner up with Marlene McKinnon, that was very protective over all of her friends.

That was going to be tough.

There was also another time, at a party, where she had been dancing and another guy joined her. She had been surprised but when she had seen Remus looking not far away, she decided to play along. So he had to watch them dance very closely. After that dance, when the boy left, Remus stood up to join her, only to see her sitting down on a couch, talking with yet another boy.

It had been like that for weeks. Weeks, where Remus tried to contain the rage in him and ignore every little move she made after him. It was like they were playing chess and every time he moved a pawn, she somehow managed to "kill" one of his pawns.

"Remus? Remus!"

Remus looked up from the Daily Prophet.

Another Death Eater attack kills two muggle families. Five children and four adults.

"What is it Padfoot?" Remus asked, folding the Newspaper and putting it aside.

He took his cup of tea and looked at his friend. He was being annoyingly happy since the beginning of the summer.

"How has it been with Jen?"

The question that shouldn't have been asked.

"You have always been there, you should know." He answered rather grimly.

James sighed and kept eating his cereal. He didn't like talking about that. It was his sister and his best friend after all. Besides, he had a very different opinion than last year now.

"Why are you sighing?" Peter asked whilst taking some toast.

"This is not something I want to be a part of." He simply answered.

Sirius laughed and looked at his brother.

"Since when?"

Remus furrowed his eyebrows. He was glad he had left him alone and had only scolded him for a few hours after he had known for Jen and him. But he surely had an opinion.

"Don't you have an opinion?" Remus asked James.

James didn't look up from his bowl.

"No."

But he pushed. He was on his cycle and he would not let it go.

"You do. Tell me"

"No."

"And why is that?"

"You won't like it."

"I'll see."

Now, Remus was ready for everything but what his best friend said a few seconds after.

"I think you shouldn't try to get her back." James said.

Sirius's smile and Peter's surprise vanished. This was going to be interesting.

Remus looked surprised too but he was curious as well.

"And why is that?" Remus asked interested.

But James shook his head.

"Let it be." James simply said.