The One Who Gave Her Flowers || Remus Lupin x OC✓

XVII

Arabella Campbell

(Buckle up, this is going to be a long one (That's what she said)

What is going on?

Why in Merlin's name is she here.

"How was school darling?"
She questioned, Arabella knew she was itching to get out of the painful silence, just like how she was itching to leave 4 years ago.

"It's a magic school so I doubt you'd want to know."

"Arabella, that isn't how you talk to your mother."
Her father scolded. He knew he had struck a nerve especially when he noticed the baffled glare through the rearview mirror.

"Well, the way she talked to you four years ago isn't the right way either."
She grumbled, loud enough for both of them to hear. Silence engulfed the whole car, silence Arabella knew none of them could bear but she couldn't give it any regard when she could tolerate it.

Suddenly, soft chattering came from her shoulder bag. Her eyes darted to her parents, making sure they didn't notice the demanding chatters of her bowtruckle. Once she was sure none of them noticed, she brought the bag to her lap.

"What's the matter?"
She whispered. Pernell once again started with his annoyed chatters, she offered her hand for him to stand on and once he did, she brought him to her jacket's front pocket. Immediately after, she searched her bag. When she found what she searched, she started feeding Pernell with the small jar of fresh dead insects she collected only from earlier with tweezers. Arabella knew the only reason Pernell would be whining would either be of hunger or craving for a flower.

Suddenly the car went to a screeching halt with Pernell almost flying out of Arabella's pocket if it weren't for the hand stopping him from falling, and then she realized the car was parked on the side of the road, the hazard lights blinking outside.

"Arabella Jane Campbell did you smuggle a bowtruckle out of school?!"
Her father exclaimed, eyeing the branch-like creature in her jacket pocket.

Damn his 20/20 vision.

"It's not my fault! I found him on a bush! Pernell would have died there!"
She defended, she knew her father of all people would understand, he had always remained compassionate towards the creatures of nature.

"Bella, that's still a creature that shouldn't be deprived of it's hom-"

"It's been living in my flowers for months now and he's healthier than ever, your only scolding me cause you know mom would freak out about it."
He sighed, his fingers now massaging the temples of his head, with a couple of mutters of "What am I going to do with you."

"It's been living in your flowers?"
The older woman asked, turning to her to take a look at the bowtruckle that sat in Arabella's pocket, she simply nodded as a yes.

"Well, then it should be fine for her to keep it, Christopher. What's its name, Pernell?"
Arabella couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. Her mother, the same mother who left because her father was of magic let her keep a bowtruckle?

"Hello Pernell, you are quite adorable."
Pernell only replied with a few chatters that even a child would say sounded shy. Arabella's father or Christopher sighed and then proceeded to continue driving back to their house, while Arabella remained in shock from the previous moment.
The rest of the ride was silent. Her parents chatted amongst themselves and even tried to include her but she answered merely with a nod and nothing else.

"Well, home sweet home."
Christopher's Ford Granada was now parked at the foot of a hill, right behind where the gate was.

"Bella a word with you my darling."
She requested before Arabella could get out of the car, leaving her to sigh and stay in the back seat playing with the leaves on Pernell's head while Christopher made his way out and got her trunk from the back.