NOTHING GIRL || Remus Lupin

-Nineteen: Welcome Home-

"We will shortly be arriving at: Kings Cross Station." The automated heavily stereotypical posh English announcer voice said calmly. "Please prepare to disembark."

Helia watched as Jade eyed the muggle announcer system out of the corner of her eye. "Is that new?" Jade asked. Lin, across from her, nodded enthusiastically. "Merlin, I hate it. Makes me feel like I'm being watched."

"Welcome to life as a muggle." Helia muttered as she stared out the window. Snow was yet to make an appearance, though a steely, metal type of city-cold had infested the cabin. Grey clouds stared stonily down over London's skyline. The whole thing just said 'welcome home, Helia'.

"Heard Sirius Black was planning on asking you to Hogsmead on Valentines weekend, Linbo." Jade said, waggling her eyebrows. Helia snorted. Her disapproval of the Marauder's lack of subtlety was well known.

"You know," Lin offered gingerly "They aren't that bad. They don't mean to cause all that trouble, or put people in danger. They have good intentions."

Jade, who had been there when they lured Helia and Snape into the werewolf's lair, even though the boys didn't know it, looked unimpressed. "Road to hell."

Helia frowned. "My road to hell isn't paved with good intentions- or bad- it's just my road."

"Helpful, Helia." Jade said sarcastically.

"It doesn't matter whether they mean it or not." Helia clarified. "People do bad things that they don't mean to do all the time. Like manslaughter. It doesn't excuse them."

"Manslaughter is a bit of an extreme example." Lin said, smiling.

"Okay, like your sister, Tally, in the last Ravenclaw match against Hufflepuff." Jade said teasingly to Lin, knowing that the house rivalry between the siblings was a sore point. "I'm sure she didn't mean to catch the snitch. She told me she wanted to give you guys a head start. Looks like she got tired of waiting for Amos Diggery to do the job for her."

As soon as the conversation turned to Quidditch, Helia tuned out. She reached into her pocket to check her train tickets were still tucked safely inside her wallet, glancing down at the lines of boring text printed across them as if they would have magically changed.

One Adult- London King's Cross to York Station

It seemed stupid to take the train all the way down from Scotland to London only to ride another back up, but of course Hogwarts couldn't have anything ruin their secret, and she didn't exactly mind travelling, especially on trains. She liked trains.

What really caught Helia was that word: Adult. She was sixteen, able to get married and drink and have kids legally. The thought made her cringe. Maybe it was naïve of her to think she would get to be like Peter Pan and never grow up. Live on an island messing with everyone around her with no negative consequences forever, instead of having to think about things like getting a house or a job or paying taxes, but she thought she at least deserved a few more years before she would have to see the 'A' word being so frivolously tossed about.

"Are you still not being picked up this year?"

Helia glanced up to see Lin leaning over, reading the tickets upside down. Helia tucked them away inside her robe. "Nah. Parents are busy."

Busy. Sure. Is that what we're calling it now?  the voice inside her head chided her.

Lin, through sheer power of voodoo, caught her internal thoughts on her seemingly blank expression. "Too busy to pick their kid up from school?"