Lachesism; Remus Lupin

III

"Mind if I sit?" It was now Remus's turn to ask this question as he saw Gwendolyn sitting at her usual table in the library.

    Gwendolyn smiled up at Remus, "All yours."

    As Remus took his seat, he noticed that Gwen was drawing in her sketchbook. He was amazed at the talent in her small body.

    "How long have you liked drawing?" He asked.

    Gwen looked up from her book once more, "Probably since I was six, I was always doodling on something."

    "You're very talented," Remus said, nodding towards her sketchbook, "I could never draw that well."

    "Thank you, Remus," Gwendolyn appreciated the compliment that came from someone she hardly knew. To her, this meant that he truly meant it.

    "Of course," He brought out his potions textbook, deciding to read over the chapter before engaging in conversation again. He wanted to get to know the girl, and maybe become someone she could confide in.

    This went on for the next few weeks, Remus and Gwendolyn both found themselves leaving their friends for a few hours everyday in order to meet in the library. Some days were spent in complete silence, and some days there was some chatting before the usual quiet took over. But, it was a time that they both cherished. Remus felt as if he was helping the girl escape her life, and Gwendolyn felt peace consume her when she was with Remus. And soon enough, the library didn't even need to be full for the pair to sit next to each other.

    Both of their friend groups grew suspicious at the constant need to go to the library, especially when Remus even spent a couple hours there on the morning of a full moon. Without Remus knowing, Sirius followed him to the library one day. He saw Remus sitting diagonally from the girl he had asked about a few weeks ago, and Sirius couldn't help but feel bad for one of his best friends. He knew that this would only end up hurting him in the end. And, much like his brother, Regulus followed Gwen to the library one day as well. He won't lie and say that his heart didn't break a bit when he saw the girl sitting near the older Gryffindor, but a smile did make its way upon his face at seeing the pair. After all, he wanted Gwendolyn to live before succumbing to the life she was destined for.

    On one particular autumn Sunday morning, Remus noticed a sad look on Gwendolyn's face, "What's wrong?"

    Gwen shrugged, "Nothing really, I'm just writing a paper for Defense Against the Dark Arts and it's making me a bit sad."

    "What's it about?" Remus asked.

    "Werewolves," Gwen answered, and Remus inaudibly gulped, nausea passing through his body, "I understand that there are some werewolves out there that are as cruel and vicious as everyone says, but they can't all be like that. They're people, too, and I'm sure they don't like the way that everyone treats them as if they're monsters. They're just like us, magical in their own special way."

    Remus couldn't help but smile at her words, of course she is just as perfect as he thought she would be. He had his own self-doubts due to his condition, but Gwendolyn made him quite happy with her words for the time being.

    Later that day, Remus walked into an empty common room. He assumed that everyone was out doing something for the weekend, so he was quite surprised to see Sirius sitting on his bed in their dorm. But, oddly enough, Remus was glad to see the boy he needed to talk to.

    "Sirius," Remus said, announcing his entrance into their messy dorm, "Can I talk to you about something?"

    Sirius hopped off of his own bed, walking towards Remus, "Yeah, mate, what's up?"

    "I think I like her," Remus sighed, moving past Sirius to fall back into his tidy bed.

    "That's stating something I already knew," Sirius quipped, "I'm happy you're allowing yourself to get close to someone, but I don't think it should've been with her."

"Why not?" Remus mused, frustrated that even Sirius has no hope for the girl.

Sirius hated how his friend felt, and he wished he could make him feel better, "I've known her a lot longer than you have, Moony, and she's not one to break rules or defy the odds. She's going to marry Regulus, no matter how she winds up feeling for you."

"You're wrong," Remus covered his eyes with his pillow, wanting to sink away for a few moments.

Sirius walked back to his bed, mumbling loud enough for Remus to hear, "I wish I was, mate."