black coffee | remus lupin [2]

75. catch me if i fall

｡･:*:･★,｡･:*:･

"CLAUDIA," SHE HEARD A SCARED voice say. "Claudia, we have to go."

She turned her head to the right and realised that the familiar voice belonged to Remus, who had somehow caught her as the flat in front of them - Jo's flat - exploded.

"What?" She asked, trying to grasp what had just happened.

"We need to go," he said, holding tightly to her as he helped her shaky legs stand up. "Okay?"

"No," Claudia said immediately, her eyes scanning the mess that that was surrounding them.

It was completely ruined, Jo's flat. Everything had either exploded into pieces or was set on a burning fire that would quickly destroy it.

And then there was Jo. Jo was nowhere to be found.

And Claudia couldn't let herself accept that.

"No," she repeated, breaking free from Remus' hold and quickly rushing towards the fire. "No, please no-"

"Claudia!" Remus called out. He followed her immediately, and soon found himself forced to hold her in place as tightly as he could as she fought and yelled against him for as long as she could bear before she broke down into tears and fell onto her knees instead.

"Claudia," Remus whispered as the girl sobbed into his shoulder. "We have to go. We have to go, okay? We can't-"

"She's in there," Claudia cried out. "She's in there! What if she's..."

"She's not," Remus whispered solemnly. "I saw her in the window. She was watching you as you left. She was still in there."

"But..."

"Claudia," Remus said, holding back the incoming tears as much as he could. "Claudia, there was no way she could've survived that."

"Remus-"

"Claudia...she's gone."

And that's when the word stopped. Again. It all happened again. She had been through the same thing over, and over again, and now she was back to square one; wishing that she could just turn back time and save Jo before it was too late.

"We have to go," Remus said, his face scrunching up into one of a near sob as he looked around to find plenty of muggles stepping out onto the street to examine the situation.

One man yelled that he had just called the firemen, which made it even clearer that they had to go, Remus thought.

"Okay, Claudia? We...we have to go-"

"He's right," another voice broke in, one that was cold and stiff.

Claudia and Remus both froze and turned to look at the woman - Mollie - who standing by them.