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✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
It was lucky Thomas had spoken to Genevieve. It didn't take long to persuade her after their late night conversation that going back to school would be the best thing for her. This didn't take away the constant fear that something could happen to her family, though. As she boarded the train, sending one last forced smile and wave to her family, she couldn't shake the guilty feeling residing in her stomach. Perhaps, she felt as if she had failed at something, or perhaps she felt weak for putting her own needs before her family's. She was conflicted between the two options.
Genevieve made her way to the compartment at the end of the train, expecting to be the first one there. This wasn't unusual, as James and Sirius were almost always late to the train station due to no one else's fault but their own, Peter always stopped to converse with anyone who would talk to him and Remus always had prefect duties first. So when she slid open the compartment door, she didn't expect it to be occupied.
Sat in the corner of the compartment, his knees brought into his chest, was Remus. His curious eyes averted from the book in his hands, growing wide slightly when he saw Genevieve. "H-Hi," he said, voice slightly shaking. His cheeks grew pink.
Genevieve raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at her lips. "God, Moony, I've only been here for a minute and you're already stuttering," she said, amused. "Do I really make you that nervous?"
"If I told you it would only inflate your ego," Remus answered lightly, getting up to help haul her luggage on the racks above. He made sure to avoid her eyes.
"Would that be such a bad thing?" Genevieve remarked, wittily.
She watched as he sat across from her, his scarred fingers toying with an unravelling thread on his sweater. He was clearly thinking about something, and she had a hunch what it was. It was difficult to overlook the discomfort between Remus and Genevieve when he left her house. They hadn't spoken in a long time, with the exception of the occasional letter, but even they sounded weird. It was obvious that they were both avoiding a topic.
The compartment was filled with a long, uncomfortable silence. Genevieve rubbed the bridge of her nose with her finger, attempting to ignore the unspoken tension between them. Remus cut her off just as she was going to make some pathetic attempt at small talk.
"I know what you meant," he blurted. Genevieve raised an eyebrow, puzzled. Remus took in a deep breath and elaborated. "Your birthday, on the swings." His eyes met hers. "I know what you meant."
"You did?"
Remus nodded. "Yes."
Genevieve's chest began to tighten, her breathing becoming shallow. She looked down at her chipped nail polish and said quietly, "You could have told me this sooner."
