Moon Dust | Mattheo Riddle

Chapter 17: Lean on me

The tea on Remus' coffee table was growing cold, he'd abandoned it for a book he'd been meaning to read for a while now. Though, as he flicked through the pages, he found himself having to re-read certain parts, his mind drifting off elsewhere. It had been a little over two weeks now since he sent the letter and so far he'd heard nothing, not a single peep.

He wasn't surprised, of course, Sirius was in hiding, he was one of the most wanted wizards in Britain, but still a little heads up would be nice. It was tearing Remus apart, the not knowing, not knowing If Sirius even remembered him properly, or their time together, seeing as most of his good memories would have been stripped away. Not knowing if Sirius even wanted to see him, if it would hurt too much, if he'd prefer to be seeing James instead of Remus. He couldn't help but think that would be easier for everyone, if James was the one here right now, Sirius wouldn't hesitate in coming back for him, he'd have done it straight away.

The sound of an apparition crack outside of the cottage's wards draw Remus' attention and he quickly reached for his wand, like he usually did before he realised the war was over and Voldemort was still gone, the death eaters were still gone, but their memory remained. The horrors of that war had always remained with Remus, always on edge, always picking up the daily prophet with nimble fingers, scared to see whose names would be in with the dead.

He relaxed back against the sofa and placed his wand into the waistband of his jeans before standing up to get the door, despite the fact no one had knocked yet.

Remus stumbled down the narrow hallway, sunlight was creeping in through the foggy window of his front door, causing him to lift a hand to his face to squint. From the other side he could see movement, a flash of black that rose from the floor till it became a shadow in the outline of the daylight.

Lupin slowed down a little on instinct, narrowing his eyes at the figure. He wasn't expecting visitors, though this one had a familiar scent, one he wasn't really used to anymore, it took him barely a second to place it but when he did; he swallowed thickly and raised his hand over the doorknob, holding it there, not quite opening just yet.

On the other side, the figure was watching him, studying him through the misty glass, and though they couldn't meet eyes, he could hear the ramped beating of a heart.

Remus closed his eyes then pulled the door open, coming face to face with those haunting grey-irises that he knew so well, though the matching smirk wasn't there as it usually was, replaced with a nervous simper in its place.

"Hi," Sirius whispered, looking at Remus as if all the air in his lungs had been sucked away.

Remus pulled the door open wider, leaning against it a little to balance himself out as he knitted his eyebrows together.

"Hi..."

-

Nova had meant to return the cloak, she really had, but as the days passed, she just couldn't seem to part from it. Relishing in the quiet, being able to walk to class without being harassed by howls and teasing Slytherins, or bombarded by her friends, who she'd been pushing away more and more.

She'd been skipping lunches too, opting to sit in the old muggle studies classroom instead with sandwiches and snacks she'd grabbed from the kitchens, politely asking the house-elves to leave them aside for her. Mattheo would join her, even if she wouldn't ask him too, he'd just be there, ready to steal one of her sandwiches as he picked through the sheet music on the shelves judgementally. As much as she wanted to be alone, she enjoyed having him with her, Mattheo always knew how to take her mind off things.

As for her other friends, they had gotten the message a little, some more than others. Hermione had caught on pretty fast and told Nova to take the time she needed, but to come to her when she was ready to talk, she was thankful for that. Cedric seemed to understand too, he no longer waited for her in the common room, or outside of class, simply wordlessly sitting beside her instead, giving her the space she needed.