maple syrup | remus lupin [1]

64. maple mistake

REMUS WAS CONVINCED that Claudia was everywhere. She was there when he closed his eyes, and there when he opened them again.

But she was not actually there. She was everywhere but nowhere all at the same time; and it was keeping him in a state of pure agony.

The girl was also on his kitchen table as he took a glance at the Daily Prophet his father was reading during breakfast on a Summer's morning a few weeks into the holiday.

"Dad?" He questioned. "Would you mind if I stole that from you?"

"Sure, son," Lyall replied as he pushed his plate of scrambled eggs and bacon towards his son without taking his eyes off of the article he was reading. "You can have as much as you want."

"No," Remus chuckled as he pushed the plate back again, causing his father to peer at him from over the top of the newspaper. "I was wondering if I could read the paper."

Lyall chuckled as he placed the newspaper down on the kitchen table and looked at his son with a questioning look on his face.

"You're telling me that you're asking if you could read this?" He asked as he pointed to the paper, his index finger funnily enough landing right on Charles Maple's face.

"Yes," said Remus with a frown. "Why is that so hard to believe? I've read the paper a million times before, why not now?"

"Because you've been absolutely depressed for two whole weeks, that's why," the man said bluntly, earning himself a glare from his wife who was listening intently to the conversation as she made some more bacon for the newly awoken Remus.

"What your father means is that you haven't been acting like you usually do, Remus," Hope explained, giving her son a comforting smile as she placed the finished bacon down on a plate.

"Exactly," Lyall said as he placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "I mean absolutely no harm, but you haven't been yourself, Remus. You haven't been reading, you haven't been sleeping much and you've been avoiding us and your friends-"

"They're actually coming over in like five minutes, but okay-"

"That's besides the point," his mum said as she placed his breakfast down in front of him, causing the boy to frown yet again. "Is this not enough? Because if you want something else, you better force your father to make you some pancakes or something-"

"Why do I have to do it?!"

"Because I made you your breakfast today, so shut your mouth-"