black coffee | remus lupin [2]

70. the lies are out

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EVERYTHING HAD BEEN rather strange since Rosamund's passing, but slowly normalcy was however returning. That didn't mean that Nicolas was back to being, well, somewhat happy, but still.

The others all spent their days as normally as they could, with the lack of thinking about Horcruxes and missions. They had put that off for now. None of them had decided when they would try again, because of Rosanund and because it felt impossible to defeat the darkness that was taking over all of them.

Claudia had found herself very keen on distracting herself from her own mind through various activities, and it didn't take long until she realised that her birthday was soon to be.

And on the actual day, she woke up with an empty stomach inside an empty home, questioning where everyone had gone off to.

Once she had entered the kitchen, she found a sweet note on the table from Regulus, wishing her a happy birthday and informing her of when they'd all be home from their different whereabouts.

Regulus was forced to go with Lucius Malfoy somewhere to check on a new possible Death Eater-headquarters where the Dark Lord could stay, because he had to frequently change his hiding place. Regulus had tried to get out of it all because it was Claudia's birthday, but he was pretty sure that Lucius would lose his shit if he didn't come, so he simply had to. Regulus also decided to go for another reason.

The Americans were all working, including David who apparently was up to something secret that no one understood anything about.

This all meant that Claudia was alone. On her birthday. In a big and scary house.

It wasn't that she was completely devestated about it, but she did feel a tad bit left behind. She knew they couldn't help it at all, but that wouldn't exactly stop her from crashing down on a chair by the kitchen table with a sigh.

She sat there for a while, thinking a little bit bitterly about how that was the way she started her 20th year on earth. She then moved to check on the cake she had made for herself, only to discover nothing but crumbs left behind.

She sighed. Did she really deserve to feel that alone and forgotten on her own birthday?

Sitting down by the table again, Claudia began staring at the wall as she kept herself thinking again, only to jump up in her seat as a pair of hands covered her eyes.

She would've assumed the worst and screamed, yelled and defended herself if it wasn't for the soft laughter she immediately heard behind her.

"Remus," she sighed, smiling softly even if she wanted to sound mad due to him scaring her slightly. "Have you been staring at me this whole time?"

"Yes," he answered in between kissing her cheek, still standing behind her.

"So you've just been watching me feel completely and utterly alone on my own birthday?"

"Yes."

"That's a bit rude."

"Hush now," he said. "I actually watched you because you're cute. And because it was funny watching you nearly cry because I moved the cake onto the counter over there without you knowing."

Claudia looked over at the kitchen counter and glued her eyebrows together. "Why did you do that? It'll get bad if it isn't cooled."

"I moved it because it's coming with us," he said, pulling out a chair and finally taking a seat next to her before he turned to fully face her.

"Coming with us where?" Claudia asked.

"Somewhere special," he said, placing a strand of hair of hair behind her ear. "Can I give you a birthday kiss now?"