SEA, SWALLOW ME, remus lupin

seachd deug, life's a gas

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
life's a gas

                           𖦹 ⋆｡˚⋆ฺ ⋆｡˚⋆ฺ˚⋆˚ 𖦹

  WITH THE END OF TERM SETTLED upon the broadening horizon, Remus and Cove have finally begun to draw up their final reports on Pip for their final Care of Magical Creatures assignment.

   It's been going painstakingly slowly since they keep getting distracted by trivial things, such as the brand new records she had gotten for his birthday or even just each other, but today they've decided to take their studying outside after being cooped up in the stuffy library, waiting ages for their no-show friends. It's much more peaceful without Madam Pince breathing down your neck every two minutes, the sudden burst of fresh air elevating some of those burdening pressures from before.

    The sun has broken through the showers that hail the budding summertime, the grassy hillsides glimmering as the breeze shakes off the fresh dewdrops to make way for more rain. They've positioned themselves up the hill from the Black Lake, sprawled out on their discarded robes due to the rising temperature, watching as the surface ripples and glitters like liquified onyx.

   Cove gnaws on her thumbnail, peering down at her flash cards and notes through narrowed eyes. Their final exam is on the following Monday, a written paper for Care of Magical Creatures that'll be handed in alongside their kneazle report. They're both fairly confident going into it, but that doesn't stop the stress from wearing them both down to the bone. She has a newfound appreciation for the summer holidays after all this time spent in school, practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation of them. Honestly, she believes that life will be so much easier without homework and exams to worry about.

   Cove leans back on her palms, scrawling down a final recording of Pip's increase in whisker length before throwing down her quill with a sigh. She blinks exhaustion from her peripheral vision and straightens the clip that she's bundled all of her hair up into, fingertips aching from the paragraphs upon paragraphs she's had to scribble down.

   Blackberry juices stain her fingertips purple from the bramble patch she'd found down by the tree, enchanted to grow all year round and persevere through whatever weather is thrown at them. These ones always taste nicer than the regular blackberries you'd find tangled up in any old hedgerow, much sweeter and riper. She cups water from her bottle in her scarred palm, rinsing them all before popping one into her mouth and letting that sharp, tart flavour explode on her tongue.

    She turns to Remus, who's been taking a 'break' from revision for the past fifteen minutes, a glint in her eye.

     "Ready?"

    He shakes out his shoulders as if he's gearing up to run a marathon. "As I'll ever be."

    Cove laughs into the back of her palm, waiting for him to stand still before plucking one of the freshly washed blackberries from between her fingertips. She tosses it towards him and he leans back to try and catch it in his mouth, only for the berry to bounce off his nose and land on his outstretched palm.

   "Aw, that was rubbish." He straightens his posture. "Give it another go."

    "Maybe next time, hot shot," she snickers. "I'm no wasting any more."

  He frowns and she nudges his side, almost as if she's trying to shake the gloominess from his face through force.

    "C'mon, chin up. We still haven't covered Ashwinder anatomy and I want to be done in time for dinner." Her eyes soften. "We'll be done before you know it. Promise."