The Girl Who Cried Wolf || Remus Lupin

CHAPTER TWO

Breakfast at Hogwarts used to be a time when Astrid would grab coffee and cereal and prepare herself calmly for the day ahead; now it was a time when Remus, Sirius, James and Peter would always look expectantly at her and wait for her to take a first bite from her bowl. This new tradition only made her look glumly at her food and not want to touch it at all. However, to keep herself alive, she would take a few bites then chug her morning coffee down before swiftly leaving the great hall.

'Astrid, I think we need to talk...' was the first words Lily had spoken to her when she got back to her dorm that day before the red head burst into a passionate rant about how Astrid should take better care of herself, because 'quite frankly you look half dead,' and how this sudden change in her appearance wasn't because of what some boy had said to her.

Astrid had sat quietly through Lily's rant, thinking about how none of this was for the reasons she thought it was. She couldn't bring herself to eat. She couldn't bring herself to sleep. She could barely bring herself to get out of her bed in the morning.

All because she lived in fear of what had happened to her that dreadful night in the middle of Summer.

Imagine if any of her friends found out... what would they say to her? They couldn't just accept someone who went berserk once a month and could possibly kill them? Sirius would never talk to her again. Her family would disown her. Astrid would be isolated for the rest of her life.

Her train of thought was broken by Marlene McKinnon bursting into their dorm.

'Oh Merlin, Astrid! When you said you were thinking about going on a diet last year, I didn't think you meant this!'

Astrid spent a lot of time standing in front of the bathroom mirror that night. Everyone had been right to worry. Every bone that could possibly stick out was and every time she breathed in it only seemed to make things look worse on her sickly, scar speckled body.

The image stuck got stuck in her head for a long time.

Astrid was still thinking about as she sat in the Gryffindor common room that night, the fire beside her crackling in her ear startled her every once in a while before she could let herself fall further into the abyss that was her mind.

It didn't take long for the pale girl to begin to tear up.

'Astrid?' Light brown eyes met her bloodshot ones.

It was Remus.

'Oh, Astrid...' was all he uttered softly, pulling the now sobbing Astrid into his warmth. 'What's wrong?'

'Remus...' Astrid's voice came, garbled by her face being pressed into the middle of his chest. She pulled back, 'Remus, Lily was right...' She seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before suddenly exclaiming.

'Oh, Merlin! What have I done? I can't be here anymore!'

Astrid detached herself from Remus who was looking like a kicked puppy, running out of the common room and straight to Dumbledore's office. The journey was enough time for her to get herself together but her eyes still remained bloodshot.

Her frail hand reached out gingerly and knocked the door.

Dumbledore opened it up and gave Astrid a smile. 'Miss Fawley, what can I do for you?'

'I've made a mistake, Sir. I shouldn't be here, I'm putting everyone – even my friends – in danger!' Astrid was frantic, pacing the room.

'Please calm down, Astrid, I'm sure whatever your talking about can be fixed. Now, can you elaborate?'

'Something happened to me this Summer. Something really, really bad.' Astrid's voice cracked as she spoke.

The gears in Dumbledore's head began to turn.

'What happened, Miss Fawley?'

Astrid became frantic again, 'well, it was a full moon...' The tears were coming quick again, blurring her vision as she croaked out what she was trying to say. 'I was going for a run and I heard something in the forest and it- it bit me. I wasn't sure about what exactly it was at first – of course I had my theories - but then it was the next full moon and I nearly wrecked my house! I'm a monster, sir! You have to send me home before I hurt someone!'

'No, Miss Fawley. I will not send you home for you're not the first werewolf to be taught at Hogwarts.'

Astrid's jaw gaped in shock.

'And you're certainly not a monster.'

'Wh-wha-'

'There is a secret passage under the Whomping Willow, that is where this other werewolf would go on full moons, you can do the same. Madame Pomfrey will take care of any injuries you might sustain the morning after.'

Astrid was still standing in shock.

'Now, Miss Fawley, off you pop! And take care, you look rather ill these days.'

She scoffed as she stepped out the door.

Meanwhile in the Gryffindor common room, Hogwart's other resident werewolf by the name of Remus Lupin was fuming, at Lily Evans of all people.

The boy was pacing angrily, thinking about all the possible things the red head could've said that had made Astrid say 'I can't be here anymore.' The usually well-mannered and quiet boy didn't expect himself to burst into the girls dormitory where Lily sat alone to begin shouting at her, but he still did.

The scene didn't take long to garner the attention of the rest of the marauders. At first Sirius and Peter were confused and James was rather offended at his best friend shouting at his crush but still gave him a chance to justify himself, 'why on earth are you shouting at Lily Pad, Remus?'

'For Merlin's sake, James! Now isn't the time for your bloody stupid crush on Lily.' Remus suddenly cried, his eyes welling up as he pointed at said girl accusatorily. 'Whatever she said made Astrid run off, sobbing her eyes out saying that she shouldn't be here anymore!'

'What the fuck, Lily?' Sirius' voices came next.

The room descending into chaos with Lily trying to brush off the shouts of the four boys who were now angrily ranting at her.

'Does Astrid really seem like she needs someone bloody bullying her when she's clearly not-'

Remus' next round of ranting was cut off by Lily shouting back at them, 'would you four bloody idiots shut up! I told Astrid to start taking care of herself because she looked like she was bloody dying! I'm not bullying my best friend, for Merlin's sake, Remus, what do you think I am!?'

A wave of silence came across the room.

'Oh... sorry,' Remus uttered quietly, reverting back to his normal self.

'It's okay?' Lily accepted his apology, slightly shaken by the out of character turn from the boy.

Sirius nudged James in the side. 'Merlin, Remus is quite scary when it comes to Astrid, isn't he?'