Ad Infinitum (Remus Lupin X Reader)

XXVI • Onus

XXVI • Onus • Responsibility

Remus sent me away later in the week, telling me that he wasn't feeling well and asking for some space. I agreed. I didn't want him to worry about how he was presenting himself on top of his illness. The one problem was that I was in need of comfort.

The anniversary of my mother's death was always hard for me. And one of the reasons was how my family tended to handle it. They did what they did best: drank their problems away.

But it didn't get rid of the problem. It just passed the problem onto me, who had to take care of them. Me, the only one who seemed to understand that drinking didn't help and was the reason why none of them could move on.

I knew that it was coming, the inevitable notification I got every year from the bartender who operated down the road from my dad's house. After the first time my father blacked out in the bar, the bartender helped him home. The dozenth time, he gave me an enchanted rock that glowed when he tapped his respective rock with his wand.

With a sigh, I tucked the glowing stone into my pocket and pulled on my robes, venturing to Professor McGonagall's office. I knocked on her door, hoping that she would still be there, that it wasn't too late in the evening.

"Miss Y/L/N," she said as she opened the door, "what can I do for you?"

"Good evening, Professor," I said, rubbing at my face tiredly. "Is there a way I can access the Floo network here?"

"May I ask why?" she asked.

"It's a family emergency," I said.

She sighed and nodded, holding her door open for me. "I suppose you could use my fireplace," she said. "I trust this is not going to be a regular occurrence?"

"No, it won't," I promised as she lit her fireplace with a wave of her wand. "Thank you so much."

"You know what to do?" she asked and held out a crock of Floo powder.

"Yes, thank you." I took a handful of the powder and tossed it into the fire, speaking my destination aloud. I stepped through the fireplace, immediately being hit with the smell of alcohol. Although I was in the room above the bar, the scent was strong.

"Good, you're here," the bartender, Josiah, said.

"How bad is it?" I asked, following him as he led me from his room down to the bar.

"The same as always, except he brought a compatriot," Josiah said over his shoulder as we reached the bottom of the staircase. It was loud in the bar, full of people laughing and yelling to each other. At the end of the bar was my father, whose head was resting on the bar.

"Thanks, Josiah," I said.

"Uh-huh," he said. "See you in a year."

With an awkward smile, I approached my father, shaking his shoulder.

"Hey," I said, shaking him rougher when he didn't respond. "Dad, come on."

"(Your mother's name)?" he mumbled, blinking up at me.

"No, it's your daughter," I said, spinning his barstool around. "Come on, we're going home."

"Where's Thomas?" he slurred, blundering to his feet.

"What do you mean?" I asked, stumbling under his weight.

"Thomas," he repeated, looking around.

"He brought your brother," Josiah supplied from behind the bar, pointing to the other side of the room.

"Really, dad?" I muttered, dragging him with me to get to Thomas. "Thomas."

"Y/N?" Thomas asked, his eyes widening as he saw me. "You're back."