fox - r.lupin

- c h a p t e r - f o r t y-s e v e n -

edited.

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 The redheaded ghost drifted through the halls, silently making her way to and from each class with her friends.

She was quiet–not wholly wordless, but exceptionally quiet.

Which was just as frightening as her disappearing and isolating herself.

And the silence came from a deep, deep wound that had somehow reopened in Violet Hilton's heart.

She thought she had been making progress with her parents' passing–but after Howard destroyed her garden, it was like her heart had been torn from its place in her ribcage and was being cut into with every breath she took.

It didn't matter that her friends had somehow put it all back together with magic.

It didn't matter that her mum's roses and her dad's pumpkins were now just as vibrant and beautiful as they had been.

She was eternally grateful–but as she walked with either her arms linked with the girls' or with James or Sirius's arm around her shoulders–nothing seemed to stifle the gutwrenching pain that erupted in every corner of her being as she drifted from class to class, from meal to meal–wishing that she could feel as alive as she had earlier that Christmas day.

And there was really only one person who made her feel a little more alive, though.

And that was the living werewolf who somehow reached into the Other Side and pulled her back into the land of the living.

While she was still functioning in her weird spell of life–Remus John Lupin had become her anchor once more.

And she loved it and hated it.

Loved it because it was comforting to have a hand to hold. Hated it because it made her feel needy and too clingy.

Loved it because when she would forget to eat while studying for N.E.W.T.S.–he always somehow brought her a snack when it was just her in the common room. Hated it because it made her feel inferior and stupid for not caring for herself.

Loved it because with his and Lily's help–she aced her Apparition test with flying colours. Hated it because she should have been able to figure it out by herself.

Love. Hate. Love. Hate. Love. Hate.

Around and around she went.

But at the end of the day–Remus was there for Violet when she couldn't be there for herself.

Just like she had been there for him all these years of monthly transformations at school–and all the days leading up to and proceeding it (because honestly, those days were the worst for Remus).

They had played this tag-team game since they were younger, and it was obvious to the school and the friend group that it wouldn't change.

What also wasn't going to change was Violet's army around her every day–even if she was a little too not there to realise it.

And as their Hogwarts careers were about to end–meaning Violet was getting closer and closer to whatever Dumbledore wanted her to do–the group had come together and decided it was time to give Violet a little push out of the spiral she had fallen into.

"Lottie?" A voice whispered to her as she dozed on her Charms book at one of the tables in the Gryffindor Common room.

Violet's bleary eyes popped open, and she peered up at Remus's face before noticing everyone else around her.