It's A Wonderful Afterlife (Sequel to 'A New Life')

Chapter 2: Back to School

The 6:45 am alarm on Remus's phone went off. Remus groaned and shut it off. He rubbed his eye with the hand that Betelgeuse wasn't holding.

"Morning Rem." the sleepy demon mumbled, letting go of his hand and stretching. "Ya good?" he asked.

"I hate getting up early." he mumbled with a frown before getting a tingle in his nose. this got stronger so he put the back of his hand over it and tilted his head back slightly. He sighed and put his hand back down. "I lost my sneeze!" he exclaimed. Betelgeuse burst out in a bout of laughter and because it was contagious, Remus laughed as well.

"Oh no, sneeze, please return!" Betelgeuse made a humorous remark. Remus was forced to get out of bed and begin getting dressed. Betelgeuse buried his head in the bed once more, allowing Remus to change into his attire in privacy. When he was ready, he made sure to inform the demon. Betelgeuse grinned as he turned around. He looked a lot like the demon when he was a teenager, only with brown hair and no stripes on his clothing. He said,

"You look exceptional."

"Thanks. Uniforms irritate me. It's a disaster." Remus groaned and examined himself in the mirror.

"Honestly, no." In the mirror, Betelgeuse stood beside him. "I see a handsome young man who is a blessing to both the living and the dead." Betelgeuse smiled. Remus returned the smile. "Oh look, you're here too!" Betelgeuse burst out laughing.

"Uncle Bj!" Remus exclaimed, ostensibly shocked. "That wasn't very pleasant!" Remus muttered this as he pretended to cry before collapsing face down on the bed.

"I'm kidding, of course. Stop being too serious about everything." Betelgeuse stated this while sitting close to the youngster and cuddling him. Remus kissed him on the lips quickly and walked to the bathroom. Before spraying some Sauvage, he brushed his teeth and cleansed his face. He came out before snatching up his backpack and stuffed his new pencil case with the items the demon had purchased and summoned for him. He slung it around him, only using one strap over his shoulder because that was the most common thing to do. Remus turned to face the door after saying his goodbyes. When Betelgeuse heard him whimper, he approached him, laying his hand on his shoulder and turned him to face him. "Hey. What's the big deal?" he inquired nicely. He was unable to respond. He was choking on his words. He merely sank into Betelgeuse's arms and sobbed into his chest instead. Betelgeuse was taken aback by the deed, but he wrapped his arms around him tenderly. "What are you crying for?" Betelgeuse felt compelled to inquire.

"Nothing. There are only a few of them. They make fun of me." Remus paused for a moment.

"Why?" Betelgeuse inquired, his hair becoming fiery red. Who in their right mind would bully his best friend?

"Remus-" Betelgeuse started by taking the teen's hand in his and lowering himself to his level. "-It's best if you simply ignore them. They're most likely jealous of you." He finished.

"But for what reason do they have to be jealous of me? There isn't a positive thing about me. I'm not going to listen to you." Remus replied, stuttering. He always had this stutter but it was most evident when his emotions rose.

"Remus. It's the start of a new year. They'll almost certainly be more mature."

"However, they won't." Remus sobbed.

"Daww, ickle boy!" Betelgeuse babbled, luring the adolescent into a warm embrace.

No one had spoken up for him, especially after the bullies who began picking on him in year 3 persisted until year 8, when it was a new student who rallied an entire school of over 1600 students against Remus.