WATER FOUNTAIN; Remus Lupin

Chapter I

Chapter I: The Thorpe Siblings

"HURRY, Apollo! We're going be late."

"Merlin's beard Artemis; we still have fifteen minutes until it leaves."

Apollo Thorpe was tired of her brother's constant nagging, although she knew she could never truly hate it. Over the years, she grew to find it endearing-it was his way of showing he cared, even if he never liked to say it⁠-and she appreciated his concern that replaced their mother's apparent lack thereof.

Leto wasn't a cruel woman, but being a single mother she could never find the time to spend with her family, although, she wasn't intentionally distant. Her work with the Ministry of Magic meant most of her day was spent and she had very little free time to dote on her children, even if she wanted to. Apollo and Artemis knew their mother tried her best to be with them, but sometimes it seemed like she was away for days at a time. Leto, herself, felt immense guilt every time she had to turn them down for work, much like the night before. As if the words were like a broken record, she had apologized once again for not being able to see her children off at Platform 9 and 3/4.

The lone Thorpe siblings were walking through King's Cross Station, one with hurried footfalls, while the other lagged behind. Once they passed through the barrier, the Hogwarts Express welcomed them along with several pairs of eyes aimed at a very out of breath Artemis. His sister joined him soon after looking much more relaxed.

"See, I told you we wouldn't be late," said Apollo with a cheeky nudge to her brother's side. Artemis only huffed under his breath as he went to ruffle Apollo's already unkempt hair. She had decided on a whim to cut her golden locks at her shoulder because she wanted a change going into her fifth year (it wasn't very well done). She had even considered a fringe until Artemis confiscated the scissors, saying it was "for her benefit"⁠-whatever that meant.

Apollo swatted his hand away, a childish pout settling on her lips as she attempted to fix her hair. Somehow, the girl made her hair worse, if at all possible. Her brother looked on in amusement when Apollo sighed in defeat. She looked up at his gentle features and frowned.

"I'm sorry mother couldn't see you off on your last year Artie." The fun and teasing mood faded as Apollo linked their arms and rested her head on his broad shoulders.

"You know I don't mind, but thanks Pol," said Artemis, concealing a sad smile. It was true, but it would have been nice, for once, to have their mother give them a warm embrace and soft peck on the cheek before they left but they knew better than to hope for the impossible.

Apollo nodded and shifted from her comfortable position, hugging Artemis with as much strength as her thin arms could muster. She could hear the faint rumbling of her brother's laughter as he wrapped his arms around her. A striking shock of purple hair caught Apollo's eye over Artemis' shoulder. With some reluctance she pulled away from him and pecked him on his cheek as their mother used to when they were younger, and followed the beacon of electric hair.

Apollo was weaving through people, slipping between clusters of families, a smile growing the closer she got to one of her best friends. When said girl was in view, Apollo saw Mairu sat in the far corner on a bench with her trunk propped against her leg. She had also arrived alone.

Mairu Kinoshita was a shy and reserved girl but she enjoyed expressing herself through her body, most primarily through her hair, because she was a metamorphmagus. This meant frequent hair changes in sync with her emotions or shifting eye colours to mix things up, however she always came back to her favoured purple hair. Few people at Hogwarts got to know her intimately, but she was never seen without her small circle of friends, reflecting her Hufflepuff tendencies. At the arrival of Apollo, Mairu jumped up and hugged her dear friend, letting her trunk fall to the ground with a muffled thump.