Ad Infinitum (Remus Lupin X Reader)

XLIII • Stragulum

XLIII • Stragulum • Blanket

Y/N,

I checked Dad into a muggle rehab center a couple weeks ago. He told me he wanted to go, but that he didn't trust himself to stick with it, so he asked me to make sure that he stayed there until he was clean. Once he gets out, I'll make sure he stays away from alcohol. It'll be good for me too, not having it in the house. They think he'll be there for three months, minimum.

When Thomas found out, he was mad. He thought that Dad was there against his will, and Thomas doesn't want to live in the house if it means he can't drink. I told him that he won't be able to drink around Dad, so now he's looking for a new place to live. I think that might be good for both of them. They feed off of each other. I don't know why I'm writing you this like you don't already know how they are.

I met a girl in town. She's really sweet. I think you'd like her. I'm trying to make sure I don't screw this one up.

I just wanted to let you know that we're trying to get better.

Love,

Isaiah

I scanned through Isaiah's messy penmanship for what felt like the thousandth time before I sighed and tucked the letter away in my desk. I didn't know how to feel. I was proud, so immensely proud. But I was regretful. Maybe I had been preventing them from healing all those years. If I had forced them to take care of themselves from the start, they'd probably all be clean and Isaiah might have been able to form a steady relationship.

And then there was the problem with Thomas.

I buried my head in my hands.

Thomas was too impressionable when Dad had begun drinking and raving, Thomas absorbing every word of drunken rampage and building his character from it. It was unfortunate to see. He was a product of his environment, and I wished I could have known to protect him from it.

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling of my bedroom. It was early in the morning, and the sun hadn't yet risen. The sky was the rare color it often became at dusk; no other time of day was quite so beautiful to me. The sky was clear of clouds, a dark bluish periwinkle. I stood from my desk and extinguished my candle, pulling one of Remus's sweaters over my head.

The castle was quiet, quieter than I was used to. My footsteps echoed through the empty corridors as I descended the stairs, praying that no one would be awake to scold me for wandering without my robes.

The dawn air was chilly on my skin, but not unbearable as it had been in the winter. Crisp air filled my lungs, refreshing me. I wandered around the grounds, eventually stopping beside the lake, lowering myself onto the grass. It was damp with dew, which began to seep into my pants, but I didn't mind.

Leaning back onto the ground, I sighed, staring into the ever-lightening sky, which was becoming a light blue as the sun threatened to show over the mountains. I could see the moon still, but it would soon be consumed by the light of the sun, drowned out until the sun decided to rest again. It was a waning gibbous, which meant that Remus still had time before the next full moon.

A light breeze blew across the lake, and I shivered in response, burrowing into Remus's sweater. It still smelled like him, earthy and warm. I buried my nose into my arms until the wind subsided.

"Crepusculum," I mumbled to myself, letting the breeze carry my words away. "Twilight."

I sighed as the first hint of the rising sun appeared over the mountains, sitting up and gazing at the lake for a final time before rising to my feet. About to return to the castle, I froze as I heard rustling. Movement attracted my eye.