𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸, remus lupin

˗ˋ 64

CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH THE BOYS SPEAK

. . .

When Remus returned from breakfast, there was a coat laid over his closed trunk. The coat that smelt of her perfume, the coat he had leant her the night before. Sirius was stood too close to his liking and he snatched it away from him, shoving it into the last spaces in his trunk before properly shutting the top, flicking the clasps shut. 

"You'll have to talk to me at some point." Sirius said, as James and Peter sidestepped their way into the bathroom, muttering something about brushing their teeth but most certainly leaving the door open so they could hear. "Come on, Remus, you know I didn't mean what I said." 

There was something in him that really didn't want to admit it, but Remus knew that Sirius was right. He would have to speak to him at some point... he had just hoped it would be on his own terms and maybe he would be a little less angry than he currently felt. "I don't, actually." The Lupin replied. "I don't know if you didn't mean any of it, but it seems like you don't mean a lot of things this year."

"Is this about Snivellus? You know I paid for that all summer - but  you forgave me, I thought that was forgotten." Sirius replied, and he was right. It had been forgiven, around the time he skipped out on his parents and came to stay with James, who had pretty much forgotten at that point too but didn't tell Remus until he was ambushed when he visited. That pissed Remus off too, but Sirius had promised he wouldn't be collateral again. Which was a lie. Because he had been, the very evening before. 

"It was forgotten, Sirius, Jesus Christ." Remus busied himself with making sure that everything else that he needed from his small section of the wall. "And it has nothing to do with that. Last night you said some awful things to someone I care about. Things that weren't true."

"Oh, so you care about her now?" Sirius was obviously facing him, however Remus still refused to look at him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. And I have told you and I have told James and Peter and Lily and bloody Kingsley-" Remus waved to the last, neatly made bed in the dormitory that belonged to their final roommate, who was clearly making a point of not being there that morning before the students leaving for the holidays descended on Hogsmeade Station, "- they all know that I consider Paandora a close friend. I have told you all how much progress I think she's made and that it's unfair for you to judge her on previous misconceptions."

"But Remus - you don't know what she was like."

"No. I don't. I never  claimed that I did." He pulled the trunk up, ready to take whenever he needed to. "I know you clearly didn't like her parents or her or whatever you did. But you don't know her now, Sirius, you don't know her after she's been alone for six years, you don't know her now. You don't know why I like her, or why I'm nice to her and it's quite frankly none of your business."

"Pandora is a good person, Sirius. That's just how it is. And you might look confused now, but if you ask James or Pete or anyone who was actually listening to me at all across the past three months then you would understand why I think as such." Remus swallowed and stood up, dragging his case with him as he made his way down. 

He couldn't quite believe that it had happened like that, that Sirius had exploded to Pandora behind his back - or attempted to at least, only for it to fully backfire and implode in his face. And Remus was upset... he was angry and couldn't believe that still, even after everything he said and all the times he had told his friends what was happening to Pandora and considering the amount of time they had spent together, it shouldn't come as so much of a surprise to them.

There were many things that annoyed him about the situation, but that pissed him off second-most. Remus had talked of his growing friendship with Pandora to the rest of his friends yet somehow one of the most important people to him had ignored every little word his said. And now Remus didn't want to talk to Sirius but would have to share a house with him for two weeks. 

And Pandora? Well... he wasn't sure that it was her head of dark hair that he saw on the platform, weaving her way around the other students to board the train, or if she was still up in the castle and watching them leave.

And Remus had a train journey down to London to figure it out.

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