And There Were Always Two... - oc x r. lupin & oc x s. black

- 7 -

Mavis rushed through the crowd until she got to the Gryffindor team. Potter was on the beater's shoulders while the crowd chanted his name.

"Thanks for coming," Sirius said, spotting her.

"Oh, well I had to. House spirit and all," she said sarcastically.

"That never did anything for you before."

"Really? Never noticed."

"And here I was thinking it was because of me. Oh, the pain...!" he said, clutching his heart dramatically, then in all seriousness, "I played brilliantly, didn't I? Blocked all the quaffles!"

"I wouldn't know, I was watching Potter. Where is he, by the way? I came here looking for him." Mavis pretended to look around.

Sirius looked hurt.

"I'm joking, I swear." Mavis couldn't resist his puppy eyes. "You were very good. Good job. Et cetera, et cetera."

"Come to Hogsmeade with me?"

Mavis raised a suggestive brow.

"As friends," he said slowly as if spelling it out to a child.

"Friends?" she scoffed. "Aren't you assuming a little much?"

Sirius gave her a deadpan look.

"Whatever, sure," Mavis said exasperatedly.

"Good. But you've now thoroughly convinced me that you're not capable of being serious."

"That's because you can be Sirius, so the rest of us don't have to be." Mavis saw Ashley in the crowd, waving at her. "I gotta go."

"Haha, very funny. You're only proving my point. Absolutely immature."

"Is that such a bad thing?" she asked as she walked away.

* * *

Ashley took her seat next to Remus for Potions. It was Thursday, her second least favourite day of the week, so she needed warm tea to stabilise her. Thursday was the day before Friday, she always hated the day before Friday.

"What's with the mug?" he asked her as she sipped her steaming tea.

"Green tea, so I don't fall asleep."

"I like coffee."

"Coffee's banned on Hogwarts grounds."

"Never stopped me," he shrugged. "Why is it banned?"

"The Caffeine Incident of 1954. Too many kids, too much energy. The day of O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s," she explained. "It's in Hogwarts: a History."

"Nerd."

"And you're not?"

Ashley took out her textbook and flipped open to the page Slughorn had written on the board.

They made the Cure for Boils. They smashed the snake fangs and gagged at the horned slugs. Remus made a joke about the "pungent onions" after which they both could not stop laughing and crying. Then the class was over and they handed over the blue potion to Slughorn, who was very impressed.

There was some shouting on the other side of the classroom, Mavis was arguing with Potter again. Ashley watched her walk over to her table.

"Let's get going, Ash," she grunted. Ashley was vaguely aware of Remus's eyes widening. "I'm partnered with Pete Pettigrew for a project, and I'm pretty sure we're going to fail transfigurations."

Remus turned to her, and she felt like vomiting.

"So you are Ashley," he said. It wasn't a question. He knew it now.

"Awkward. I'm gonna leave now. Bye." Mavis speed walked out of there.

"I'm sorry," she stared into her lap.

Remus raced out of that classroom as if his life depended on it, and Ashley found herself chasing after him. She found him in the courtyard. Her ancient runes class would start in two minutes but she couldn't care less.

"Remus!" she called after him. "Please, Remus!"

He stopped all of a sudden and looked at her with bewildered eyes.

"What? What made you think that I'd forgiven you?"

"I was a child, Remus! I was scared! You told me you were a werewolf and I panicked! I'm sorry! I've said I'm sorry!"

"We're the same age," he growled at her. "The only difference is that you didn't have to live with it."

"But-"

"I've had to live with it since I was four. It took me ages to find the courage to tell you, and... and, well... that was the end."

Ashley felt tears prick her eyes.

"It doesn't have to be..." she whispered.

"You know I see your face every full moon. I see your face from six years ago, with all that fear and disgust, and it reminds me what a monster I am."

"Remus..." Ashley pleaded, her voice cracking.

"I don't see why you care," he said bitterly. "You didn't care those years ago, you shouldn't care now."

"I care... I've always cared..." she whispered through her tears.

"Go..." he told her. "Go!"

He pointed towards Hogwarts.

"I've watched you enter the whomping willow every month since we've come to Hogwart," she told him. "Every time it broke my heart that you had friends you trusted with your secret while I had to stay away."

Rage flickered in his face.

"I didn't tell them."

"What? Then how-"

"-They figured it out on their own. Ever since telling you, I've been afraid. They had to figure it out themselves. I was sure that they would run away and tell everyone. But they didn't, they fed me lies that I was not a monster, but they were lies of friendship. Yet, I still couldn't get your expression of horror out of my mind. That look on your face when I told you..."

"I'm sorry Remus, I'll prove it to you. I'll do whatever you tell me, just don't send me away again."

"Too late,"

"Remus..."

"Go away and stay away."

Ashley swallowed a sob and turned around.

She didn't look back as she walked away. She let the tears pour down her face as she went to her little haven and cried until she drowned in her tears and fell asleep.