fox - r.lupin

- c h a p t e r - f i f t y-n i n e -

edited.

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 It had nearly been a month since the attack in the woods.

And Remus had been next to her the whole time.

Never leaving her side.

Reading to her. Talking to her. Humming songs to her.

But she never woke up.

His Lottie always stayed perfectly still and quiet on the bed on the fourth floor at St. Mungo's Hospital.

Remus did his best not to spiral as he was beside her every second of the day, but it was getting harder and harder as the weeks passed. Especially with the Healers' less-than-encouragement reports on her progress, which was little to nothing and had been that way since she was placed in this room. The Healers had told him they weren't sure how she was still alive when they arrived at St. Mungo's, and they also told him they weren't even sure she would wake up.

"She'll wake up," was what he had told them firmly. He had been covered in Violet's blood, and all he could tell them was, "She'll wake up."

It had become the mantra in the small friend group.

Everyone who entered and left the room was, "Don't worry. She'll wake up..."

Remus rubbed a hand over his face as he stared at Violet's limp and now scarred hand.

His mind drifted back to when he heard her screams.

He had just arrived and saw the front door torn off the hinges, had gone inside, and found Violet's unharmed wand in a pile of broken wood when the sound hit his ears.

He had thought it was an animal being killed. The sounds were so guttural.

But then he heard the pleading and sobbing, and every piece of him shattered.

It had been her. The sounds were Violet.

And they were so violent, Remus for the briefest second that he wouldn't find her in time–wherever she was. But still, he had plunged into the forest behind her house–determined to find the love of his life.

When he did, Remus saw only red.

Lucius Malfoy was standing over Violet's thrashing body–watching her with delight in his eyes.

Their duel had been short and fierce before, but the dark wizard vanished with a flash.

Even though Remus wanted to tear Lucius's face off and would have followed him to do as such, his focus immediately tunnelled on the bleeding and unmoving redheaded girl lying in a pile of dead leaves.

He had dropped his wand into the foliage and fallen beside her–lifting her limp form into his arms and brushing her hair from her scratched face.

He knew what Lucius had done.

He had the red flash just as he arrived at the scene. The bastard had used the Cruciatus Curse on her.

Tears were falling as he had begged, "Lottie! Oh Lottie...oh no! Please!"

Then her beautiful eyes had opened–the light of the moon catching the gold flecks of her brown irises in a way that stole his breath away.

"H-H-Hullo, Moon-n-ny..." She had barely been able to speak as her body twitched in his arms. "I-I-I'm hom-m-me."