black coffee | remus lupin [2]

111. mother knows best

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"HAVE WE CALMED OURSELVES DOWN NOW?" Louisa asked once she entered the dining room, where everyone had gathered once more.

"I guess," Claudia mumbled, eyeing the woman suspiciously for there was no way she was going to behave as nice as she was without there being something else going on.

Claudia also thought about how there was no way Louisa was going to serve tea on her own, without any sort of help from the house-elves.

Claudia's eyes shifted to her father. He didn't look all so angry anymore. Impatient, perhaps, but not angry. He looked like he could finally relax.

Claudia shook her suspicions away, for when Louisa sat down at the table and ever so cheerfully floated away a full teacup away to each person it didn't take long until Charles actually picked up the papers that Margaret had prepared and looked at them.

"Where are we supposed to sign, darling?" Louisa asked, standing up and walking over towards her husband, all at the same time as she watched the others. "Drink up your tea now before it gets cold!"

Claudia did as told. She took a sip of the tea and cringed. She didn't like the flavour. It tasted too bitter.

"You're not supposed to sign anything, of course, Louisa," Margaret said in an annoyed tone, placing down her own teacup after taking her first sip. "You're not a legal guardian."

Louisa smiled awkwardly, "I guess you're right."

"I guess so," Margaret said with a slow nod, a strange look written on her face.

"Well," Claudia said, breaking the silence and watching her father drink from his tea. "Are you going to sign it?"

"I haven't bloody read it yet, have I?" Charles said with a sigh. "And no. I'm not going to sign it-"

"But I thought-"

"You thought wrong!" Charles snapped.

"What your father is trying to say, Claudia," Louisa said, stepping in. "Is that he wants to take a moment to make his decision. You'll let him do that, won't you?"

"Sure," said Claudia. "I've got all the time in the world."

"Great," Charles said, speaking in an annoyed tone before finishing the entire cup of his tea in one swig as though it was a whole different drink.

"How are you feeling?" Louisa asked Claudia, who only stared at her out of confusion in response.

"How I'm...what?"

"Yes," Louisa nodded. "You look a little pale."

"Well I haven't exactly had the time to be out in the sun so..." Claudia said, nothing but confusion laced over her tone. "Why are you-"