Too Little Too Late

Chapter 18 | Edited

Remus, despite telling his friends that he had gone to class, made his way immediately to the library. He didn't intend to, but his feet just seemed to carry him there, to a place were he was normally happy. 

Unlike normal, however, Remus did not feel happy even while surrounded by this many books. Instead he felt like he wanted to punch something, someone, anything really. Maybe that time of the month was approaching. Maybe it was something else. He didn't know why he felt so violent, why he wanted to take out his anger physically. He did think that it was probably best for himself and everyone else if he were to remove himself from the presence of other people.  

So Remus made his way out onto the school grounds and collapsed under a tree facing the great lake. He was intent on just watching the giant squid until his rage left him. However, as his anger ebbed away, he was instead filled with an unexpected sadness. He could not understand it. He had wanted to help Sirius with Layla, he had realised a long time ago that it was impossible for himself and Layla to be together. So why was he feeling this way? 

Out of his confusion, memories of the last six and a half years came flooding back to him. He began to remember those moments with Layla that he treasured the most. 

In his first year, right after he had been sorted, he had looked amongst the crowd of unsorted first years. One girl in particular stood out to him. She seemed nervous, but she did not seem to want to let anyone know that she was. He was certain that she would be a Gryffindor just from this. Later that night he would begin to realise that he hadn't been certain, it was just what he had wanted to happen, for some unknown reason. 

Yet, the first time that he had spoken to Layla didn't come until a few days later. Remus had just been returning from the library, which he had found and fallen in love with within the first few days of him being there, when he ran into her, quite literally. 

"Oh I'm so sorry!" She had said quickly, without looking up. Remus smiled gently. 

"No worries. Are you okay?" He had replied. 

"Yes. I'm just lost. Oh, do you know the way to the Gryffindor common room? Could you show me?" She had replied in a ramble, noticing his robes when she had finally looked up. 

"Of course. My name is Remus, by the way." 

"Layla, it's nice to meet you Remus." 

A wistful smile graced the face of the seventh year Remus Lupin as he remembered how their friendship had blossomed after that. 

One particular incident in their second year came to Remus' mind. He chuckled as he remembered how Layla had ran up to him in the hallway yelling 'Reeeeeeeeeeeeemmy'. She had engulfed him in a hug, making him stumble backwards, even as he had clung to the girl who had attacked him with her hug.  

"I missed you!" She had exclaimed with a pout. 

Remus had laughed at her antics, pointing out that they had just been in a lesson together before lunchtime. This had not been good enough for the short, Gryffindor girl though, made apparent when she sulkily replied, "but then you went to lunch and sat with them. And then you went to the library and they followed you, so I couldn't see my Remmy for ages and I missed you." 

Before Remus had been given enough time to reply Layla had decided to announce that they needed to come up with new nicknames as the ones that they currently had were too easy and 'anyone could call them that'. She apparently wanted more original names. 

He had laughed once again, "then we will come up with new nicknames. And you could always join us, you know. My friends are not that bad." 

"Sirius laughed at me last time I tried. I don't want him to think that I'm annoying or anything." Layla had muttered with her eyes cast downwards.