The Collision Theory | Remus Lupin

11. Ignorance Was Bliss

Something keeps bothering me. It has for the past week been on my mind constantly.
Lupin and his boggart.
I never had seen the whole thing. I knew there were the bodies... and a light source? Then there was the whole thing when he made a run for it to that classroom. We'd been silent till Evans and Pettigrew had found us. Lupin went missing around the eighth and ninth completely as well.
They haven't talked to me since the lesson.
It's not like I mind, I mean I wouldn't say we're friends, it's more like a blackmail influenced contract. But still, I was getting used to having them around.

"Lin?" Lily shakes me, "Heeeeeeyyyy, morning!"

"Morning?" I squint at the bright golden haze threatening to blind me from the window. It is ungodly to wake up at this hour on a Sunday.

"You better get up if you want to catch your sister."

"Oh." I jump out of bed, suddenly I'm not for the whole lying in anymore. It's been a week since I've talked to Miriam, but I have a slight feeling that she's been avoiding me. I pull on my jeans and a shirt, wrestling with the laces of my boots as Lily gets changed.
We're ready in ten minutes, and I sling my cardigan over my shoulder as we make our way down to the hall.

Lily senses my nervousness, "It's not like she's disowned you mate. You're making a big deal of this."

"Am not."

"Yeah well your palms are sweaty and you're playing with your cardigan sleeves." She raises an eyebrow, "Classic Nervous Novak signs."

"Let's hope she didn't hate me or something." I try to laugh off the feeling in the poor of my stomach that's telling me that this is a horrid idea. I wipe my hands on my hands quickly.

"But can you dance like a hippogriff?!" The shriek followed by giggling is unmistakable. As we turn the corner, a bunch of first years come into view just by the hall entrance. Miriam stands in the middle of the mass, her black curls bobbing up and down with every excited motion.

"Hey." I give a small wave, unwilling to attract attention.

"I'll see you later." Mim excuses herself from the group, and walks towards me, her posture much more timid than when she had been with her new friends, "Hi."

I hold back the urge to hug her, knowing she'll probably hate me for embarrassing her in front of her mates, "You free today?"

"Yeah," she gives a small smile, "I was scared of... y'know."

Lily takes this as her queue to leave, giving me a quick note. We walk out towards the courtyard slowly, "Why?"

"Thought you wouldn't want to spend time with me."

My chest feels as if it's been hit. I force a laugh, "Yeah, as if. Of all our fights, I still do love you in a sappy way."

"I guessed as much." She kicks up a bit of grass with her trainers. We walk around- somewhat aimlessly- for a while.

I smile at her, "So what do you wanna do?"

"Lake then library?"

*

When you get to know someone, and I mean really know someone, you can be comfortable around them in any way. There's been this silence we've opted for throughout our life. When we were younger, I played with my toy broom and Miriam with her toy unicorn. As we got older, it was me with a book and Mim with a little hoola hoop. It's like this right now, enjoying each other's company in peaceful silence by the lake.

"Did you write to mum and dad?" I try to sound casual, picking up a stone and skipping it across the surface of the lake. It gives twice, and enters the water with a loud plop.