𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸, remus lupin

˗ˋ 66

CHAPTER SIXTY SIX
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH THE POTTERS 
REUNITE 

. . .

"Pandora - what the hell." Remus couldn't stop himself as he left his best friends behind, curving between the reuniting parents and childrens and overall too large groups of students in trying to get to her, coming to a stop in front of Euphemia and Fleamont Potter, who were in the midst of their first proper introduction to their fifth guest that Christmas.

Commonplace manners seemed to fail him at that moment as he reached them, forgetting any upset that might have occured between him, Pandora and his friends the night before  and hugging her - he had somehow forgotten the fact she wasn't someone you could just hug and he had done it anyway, an arm around her shoulder and another around her waist and pulling her tight against him without another thought.

"Remus John Lupin!" It wasn't Pandora who protested against the hug - no, she.. she was warm and seemed to fit right into his grasp in a way he hadn't noticed before, her own tension melting away at the most welcome of greetings - but instead Euphemia, who pulled him back after a beat or two. 

"Mrs Potter." Remus blinked, knowing that he was most likely in for a possible sermon on the likes of courtesy and manners, but instead allowed himself to smile to the woman and her husband too. "Mr Potter - wonderful to see you again. And thank you for allowing us to stay over the holidays."

"That's no problem." Mr Potter, or Fleamont as he was more commonly know after his insistance on being called as such, replied. He had an easy smile on his face as his son caught up with them, not at all concerned with social expectations as he greeted James with a hug.

"Language." Euphemia added softly to her initial outburst, before she too set about with greeting each of the boys with hugs and promises that it was no problem to have them stay at her house over the holidays. "Yes, Remus, Pandora is coming to stay with us this Christmas, were you not aware? I'm sure I told James to tell you."

"I did - I did tell him." Her son dug his hands into his pockets. "I swear. We just weren't sure if Pandora was coming."

"We didn't see her on the train." Remus wanted to be angry. He really wanted to be angry that after everything, all of his pacing up and down the length of the train, his inability to make any sort of conversation throughout the journey and his bitter mood the entirety of that day, Pandora was just stood there besides Euphemia and Fleamont introducing herself as though she had been sat in that cabin alongside them. But he couldn't quite sum up the emotion there and decided to save it for later that day.

"Yeah." Peter nodded, and would be the last of the boys to do so; Sirius remained quiet, arms across his chest. "We - and by that I mean Remus - we were really worried." 

"Oh." Pandora said, her tone still as snappish as usual but seemingly with some sort of actual emotion in there. "I see." Her gaze scanned the group, the look in Remus's eyes, the upset in Sirius's, the questioning between the two parents. "I apologise for the perturbation." 

"You sound even posher than Sirius did." Euphemia practically beamed, a hand wrapping around Pandora's shoulders without worry for what might happen. Remus knew she was aware of her character yet... the woman didn't seem as cautious as another might have been. But Mrs Potter wasn't like many other people, he had found. She was far too nice to be grouped with them in that category. "No worries, darling, we'll get that straightened out in no time - especially with these four. Fleamont, summon a trolley for the bags."

"Yes, dear." Fleamont's words held recognisable sarcasm, a smile shared between himself and his wife that ensured that she knew this. Pandora watched, from Euphemia's clutches, as the group began to make their way towards the exit.

"We'll be taking the Knight Bus, if that's alright." Euphemia informed them, Pandora still stuck to her side with Remus on the other, with no way for either of them to have an actual conversation. But it seemed to be good that way; if Pandora was comfortable with Mrs Potter then it was all the better for her staying there. 

But at that, Pandora looked a little worried. She had already been feeling on the edge at the new experience - there was nothing in her childhood that ever signalled that she would have to board the Knight Bus, or even stand anywhere close to the Hogwarts Express. Leaving King's Cross and entering London was something so... different to her. There was nothing anything like that.

But by her side, as the group of them made their way towards the secluded alley by which the Leaky Cauldron was located and the Knight Bus could easily be summoned without the notice of any Muggles, Remus reached for her hand.

And despite the anger, despite the upset of the night before, Pandora felt so incredibly reassured, and maybe that this wouldn't be such a shit show as she expected it to be.

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