OCEAN AWAY - R.Lupin [Misfortunate Series]

Four: I Think They Call This Love

When all I dream of is your eyes
All I long for is your touchAnd darlin', something tells me that's enough
—I Think They Call This Love.

—————THE PORTRAIT TO the Gryffindor tower opened abruptly, startling the Fat Lady in the process as she let out a yelp. "SO RUDE—" She was going to scold whoever had intruded her slumber, but the moment she saw the girl running through, out and down the hall, she fell silent.

Crescentia Celestine ran.

She ran with her footsteps echoing the empty halls, with her heart shattered into pieces after what she had seen. She didn't want to look back. Didn't want to see whether he had ran after her or not. Everything blurred around her as she ran. The betrayal and broken promises held so much weight on her until she stumbled at the top of the stairs of the astronomy tower.

Sobs left her lips no matter how hard she had tried to hold them back.

Why?

Why did it happen?

Why did so many terrible things happen in the span of one week?

Her parents were announced dead.

Her sisters were fighting because of it.

And now.... Remus—

"Cress?"

The girl lifted her head from her arms. Tear stained cheeks and red eyes falling onto the hand in front of her. She looked up to its owner to see Sirius watching her with worry. She wondered if he was already there in the first place and her cries must've alerted him.

Her hand shakily placed in his and he helped her up, leading her into the astronomy tower and sat down on the steps. "What's wrong? Why were you crying?" He asked. His fingers wiped the tears from her face.

"It's Remus... He—" She couldn't even bear to tell him what she had witnessed. It hurt so much. Her lungs hurt as if something was blocking her airways, and sobs continued to force their way out of her body. Sirius didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms. Hands tangling in her hair like he'd always seen Remus doing it whenever Cress was upset.

But it seemed to make it worse as she cried harder into his shoulder.

Whatever had happened, broke her completely.

  Days had passed since their arrival to Hogwarts.

Words regarding her last year in Hogwarts before she had returned had eventually died down. But there were still some who couldn't help intrude her personal space, asking questions that she couldn't even answer herself.

It came to the point where she hid in the library after one student from Slytherin came up to her and said Remus must've broken up with her because she wasn't good enough for him. Normally, Cress wouldn't care. She knows her worth. Yet the way he was looking at her with that awful crooked smirk, Cress did the only thing that would make her brother proud.

She peered between the pillars of the corridor, right at the group of Slytherins gathering in the courtyard. A proud grin graced her lips as she watched one of them – the one who had poured dirt all over her name, hanging on the tree while his friends tried to get him down. Well, from afar, no one would know exactly why they were trying to get a squirrel down from a tree.

That's one way to practise her transfiguration skills, alright.

Cress prepared to step back once she was satisfied. Her work was done and she had no purpose in lingering around. She carefully stood up, only to collide with someone. "Hey–!" She accidentally yelped, holding her head as it throbbed in pain. The girl turned around and stopped when she saw Remus rubbing his jaw, nose scrunching in pain.