maple syrup | remus lupin [1]

35. explanations

"OH, FOR ROWENA'S sake! What are you four doing?!" Claudia asked the moment she stepped into the Room of Requirement only to find four boys doing some sort of strange ritual dance.

How she had ended up there was a long story to say the least.

Claudia had decided to tell them everything, because she felt maybe they could distract her a little, and also because they didn't deserve to be confused all the time.

Maybe they had good intentions, she thought. They made her laugh, and they had even baked a cake on her and Lily's behalf (which she had repeatedly thanked them for in a letter). Plus, she knew that Sirius would understand her better than anyone.

However, Claudia didn't realise it at the time, but the main reason she had ended up there in the first place was Remus.

It wasn't that Betty, Inez and Pandora didn't make Claudia laugh or made her feel better. It was just the fact that they were a part of the life she had lived for so long, and also the life she had lived before that.

Claudia didn't want to admit it, but sometimes when she was with the girls she found herself feeling like she did when her mum was alive and everything was fine. She felt happy and content, but as soon as she did it was like a bomb had been dropped on her and she remembered that her mum was dead and that she was eventually going to go back to the manor.

She knew that the being friends with the Marauders would probably involve the same routine. But, maybe what she needed was a bit of change? Something else to make her smile, something else to remind her that she wasn't alone even though it felt like it sometimes. It wouldn't lessen the value of the girls, it would just distract Claudia a little more.

But, in order to be their friend Claudia knew that she needed to explain everything. It wasn't like with the girls, because they hadn't seen what would happen when she was home.

The signs were there, but how could three fifteen year-olds possible notice them?

She didn't blame them for it one second. Actually, she didn't wish to concern them, especially not after seeing what it had done to Inez.

She had made the decision to tell them everything a few weeks ago, three to be exact, but she was immediately set back.

First, Claudia was sick. Again. She really needed to work on her immune-system.

And, just as soon as that ended and she stopped being insanely moody, she got her period. That involved more moodiness, and she was most certainly not ready for a serious conversation.

It ended up taking her three weeks to actually accept their invitation and meet them in the Room of Requirement.

"She's here!" James exclaimed happily as they all stopped their dancing.

"What are you doing?!" She asked amusedly.

"Don't ask," Remus smiled as they all sat down in the middle of the floor. "Come on," he said as he patted the floor next to him.