Fated - Remus Lupin Fanfic

Chapter 22 | Rehearsal

TW - This chapter contains content that may be upsetting to some readers

"Please, Poppy," Violet shook her head. "Please let me see him."

"Violet he's- He's not well. Trust me, my love, when he gets better you'll be the first person I tell, but right now all we can do is wish him the best."

Pomfrey ushered her away, as she had been doing for the past few weeks. Violet had been beginning to grow less patient, as the longer he was in there the less time they'd all have with him when he finally woke up.

They knew if he got past this, he'd only have 2 and a half months before they assumed his time would be up.

She went back to her empty dorm to sit and sulk, which she had also been doing the past few weeks.

She sat cross-legged on her bed, trying to find something of her own to amuse her like a book or something.

Still trying to think, she quickly grabbed her medication and a water bottle from her bedside table, taking one and washing it down.

"It's not the same, is it?"

She looked over to Emmeline's bed, in which she saw Remus. But he looked... funny. Grey-ish.

"What?"

"It's not the same to talk to a vision as it is the real person, is it?" He grinned. "That's why you've been taking your meds."

"... No, it's not the same." She stared at him cautiously.

"But still, I can help you."

"What could you possibly help me with?"

"You feel bad, don't you? For insulting me. So you can... I don't know, rehearse your apology to me so that when I wake up you won't fuck it all up."

Violet smiled. "You'd do that for me?"

"Sure! What are friends for, Vi?"

She edged closer to the end of the bed. "Okay, so uh... how should I start my apology? Should I be formal about it?"

"Nah, if I've just woken up from a coma I don't want you to be reciting an essay."

"Okay um... I'm so sorry for calling you stupid for drinking. I should've been thinking about how much you've missed out on and that maybe you didn't realise the true severity of it."

—

"I can't say that, I'll sound like an absolute moron!" Violet's voice raised as she paced the room.

"You won't sound like a moron! It makes you sound confident but assuring!" Remus' body watched her, bemused at her stress.

"It makes me sound like a-"

"Violet?" Pandora and Emmeline stared at her in the doorway, "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh... Just myself." She stared up at them like a deer facing headlights.

"Are you sure it's not... anyone else?" They both looked around the room as if they'd be able to see whatever she could.

Violet looked around, flicking her eyes past Remus, before turning back around and shrugging. "No, I'm certain it's just me. I was just trying to think about how to apologise to Remus when he wakes up."

"Oh, well we can help with that." Pandora and Emmeline sat down, still sceptical.

"Okay... well I was just thinking of how I could say it without sounding like an idiot or anything."

"Well, I'm sure you won't sound stupid. You never sound stupid."

"That's what you called me," Remus whispered. "Stupid."

"It doesn't matter," Violet spoke.

"What was that Violet?" Emmeline frowned.

"Uhm, nothing. I just said it doesn't matter that I won't sound stupid, I want to be sure of it."

She walked over to the other side of the room to get some paper. Emmeline and Pandora whispered to each other.

"She's acting weird,"

"But she's been taking her medication? Maybe she's just stressed."

"I don't know... have you ever seen her like this?"

They looked up at her, who was messily scrawling an apology onto paper.

"They're talking about you, y'know?" Remus leaned against the wall she was facing.

"No, they're not."

"Turn around, they're staring right at you."

Violet took a quick glance behind her, in which Rosier and Vance immediately looked away. 

"Told you."

"Shut up." She whispered harshly.

"They're probably thinking of a way to get you locked up again-"

"SHUT UP!" She screamed, accidentally turning around to her friends. "I- I can hear you talking about me. I'm fine, okay?"

Violet took a wild guess, weirdly hoping that they were talking about her.

"We just-... Violet, are you one hundred per cent sure you're not talking to your dad again? We're worried."

"I'm not talking to my dad, I told you- I'm fine." She spoke through gritted teeth.

"Are you talking to anyone else-"

"Oh my god, can you guys just fucking leave it?! I'm not talking to anyone. God forbid I'm stressed while Remus is fighting for his fucking life in hospital!" She slammed her pen against the desk and stormed out of the dorm.

Hesitantly, they walked over to the notepad as if it were cursed. They picked it up and shared a strange look. Because all she had written was Remus' name hundreds of times.

—