LUNAR (A Harry Potter Universe Fanfiction)

Twenty Five. One Hundred Fifty Three.

"I've decided I'm dropping out," said Caiti as soon as Marlowe opened the door.

"I wish I could say I supported that decision, but honestly, I'm kind of invested in seeing what N.E.W.T. scoring records you break on your potions final," said Marlowe.

Caiti smiled. She loved how quickly Marlowe could jump into a conversation with her. He shut the door behind her and pulled her into a good, long hug.

"I just don't want to leave yet," Caiti said. "I'm not ready."

"It completely and totally sucks," Marlowe said, heading back to the couch and dropping back against the cushions. "But on the brightside, now we can start a real countdown."

Caiti sat down cross-legged, facing him, watched him try to tally up how many days there were left in his head. He ticked off each month on his fingers and said, "My multiplication's a little rusty but if we're thinking about 30 days in a month... five months and a little bit of June... subtract a few days for the beginning of January and then February is short... honestly I lost track. I have no idea how many days that is."

"Too many," said Caiti.

Marlowe smiled a little sadly. "Yeah."

They looked at each other.

"I told my mum I'm staying over," Caiti said after a minute.

Marlowe raised his eyebrows. "Really? And she was okay with that?"

Caiti shrugged. "Well no, I don't think she is okay with it, but I've been of age for more than a year now and she knows I'm mad at her, so she didn't say anything. I told her your parents know." Which was true. It had never been a secret to Marlowe's parents when Caiti stayed over here.

"Yeah, I mean my mum's already married you into the family," said Marlowe. "She literally called you her daughter-in-law to the neighbor this morning."

Caiti laughed, but she felt her face go hot and hurried to scoot closer to Marlowe, resting her head on his shoulder so he wouldn't see. He put his arm around her shoulders, fingers tapping against her side.

"When's your next Hogsmeade weekend?"

"I don't know," Caiti said. "Around Valentine's Day probably. That's when it usually is."

Both of them fell quiet. Caiti wondered if Marlowe's head had gone to the same place as hers. They hadn't spent last Valentine's Day together on account of the fact that Marlowe had only very recently been bitten and had still been at St. Mungo's. It didn't seem possible they were coming up on a year. One entire year since everything had happened.

Caiti thought again about telling him what she was doing. She had not planned to. Not for a long time, if ever. But now that she was going to enter the competition — she had decided she was definitely going to, if only because her mum thought she couldn't — it felt like it was probably in her best interest to bring it up now, just in case.

She had been trying to think of a way to bridge the subject for the last two days, but she was so afraid he wouldn't like it. He had often told her how she made him feel normal. And she didn't want to ruin her last day with him. So Caiti reached for his opposite hand instead and twisted their fingers together.

—-

Caiti allowed herself the length of the train ride to pout and feel sorry for herself, but as soon as she stepped back into the castle, she made herself cut it out. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right, and that meant she had to focus.

She made a beeline for the head table as soon as she entered the Great Hall, ignoring the odd feeling that she wasn't supposed to be up here as a student, and stopped in front of Professor Pym.