The Waiting Game▬RL 1

Owl

"Happy Birthday!" The twins shouted, hugging Remus Lupin. The taller boy chuckled, letting go of his grip on the shoulder strap of his leather book bag and returning the embrace.

"Thanks, but Peter beat you two. Got to me right when I woke up." James sighed, removing his body from the other two. Making Renee feel awkward about still hugging him. So, she followed.

"I should've woken you up before I went to practice." Renee brushed off his comment, knowing that if Jamie had woken Remus up, he would have been hurt.

"What are your plans for today, Rem?"

"I'm heading home after Potions." James gave his sister a threatening look. Which she took as a signal to switch the topic.

"We should be learning about Amortentia soon."

"You women and your love potions." Her brother made a tutting sound, pointing his finger at her disapprovingly.

"I think Amortentia is cool, the fact that you can smell what attracts you, happy birthday Remus." Lily Evans stated clearly, giving the birthday boy a small wrapped box. He opened it gently, revealing a moon-covered tie. He smiled down at it and let out a chuckle. He knew that Lily knew, having figured it out by herself. Didn't help that her best friend was obsessed with proving that he was a werewolf. Renee's jaw dropped at the gift, Lily gave her a small smile. The Potter girl couldn't help but feel like that was insensitive. Giving the seventeen-year-old something that has what controls him once a month on it. Something that he had claimed to hate.

"Thank you, Lily, I love it." He pulled her into a quick side hug. Both Potter's watching in envy. James because he was in love with the redhead and Renee because she thought she knew Remus better.

"Of course, I know we'll see each other before you leave. But I hope all goes well with your mother." She glanced at the twins, "See you Renny. Potter..." With that Lily Evans left to grab her books for class.

"You two spend an awful lot of time together." James narrowed his eyes at his best friend, examining him. He knew his best friend would never betray him like that. But he was still jealous.

"We are patrol partners." Remus watched as James nudged his sister. Causing her to contribute.

"Oh! Yeah... do you talk about a lot of things or...?" She asked awkwardly, still recuperating her thoughts.

"Of course, I wouldn't want to walk in silence."

"Are you and Lily together, Moony?" Renee looked at her brother, dumbfounded at the question. It wasn't their business no matter how much James fancied her. And to accuse him on his birthday.

"No, you git. I have never, nor will I ever fancy Lily Evans. Even though she fancied me." The werewolf mumbled the last part, scratching the back of his head. He gave a glance to Renee, trying to gauge her reaction. James stared at him wide-eyed. "Let's go to class, Renny."

"Hey! You can't take both Lily and Ren from me Lupin!" The bespeckled boy shouted at the pair as they continued to Arithmancy class. They laughed, walking with their arms linked.

✿

Renee Potter walked the corridors that night. Snape takes the lower half of the castle and she stays on the upper. Thoughts plagued her. She wasn't a good friend. She wasn't as considerate and caring as she should be. Too enveloped in her problems to even ask Remus how life had been. Would he even answer her truthfully? Would he say that his mother was indeed ill? Renee didn't even know for sure if she was ill. The way Lily wished him well indicated otherwise. How was Dorcas' family? Or Marlene's? Both were Muggleborn, what if there was a tracker on all Muggleborn families, and theirs were targeted? The whole school knew whose blood was so-called Pure. If Matthew was a Death Eater there could be more. Renee hasn't even uttered a word to Regulus since they've been back. Is he okay? Is he a Death Eater?