𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙦𝙪𝙖 ➪ 𝗆𝖺𝗋𝖺𝗎𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝐸𝐼𝐺𝐻𝑇𝐸𝐸𝑁

➪ DANDELION YELLOW ➪

"LOKI. LOKI! LOKI!"

The girl blinked, snapping back into reality. She focused again on Sirius. The boy beside her frowned at her behaviour. After the match a few days ago she had been acting weird, and Nicolas hadn't been turning up to class. The boy couldn't figure out why it had affected the pair so much.

"I--I'm sorry," Loki stuttered. She shot him a small, apologetic smile. "What were you saying?"

"I was just asking about Nicolas," Sirius replied, a look of worry crossing his face. "He hasn't been to most of his classes since the match. Did it really bother him that much? I mean, it was just a game, right?"

Loki sent the boy a tight-lipped smile. He didn't know what to make of it and glanced to Remus on the other side of him. The boy seemed just as confused, having listened in as he tried his hardest to focus on Flitwick's words. It had been the same since the end of the match where Loki had run to Nicolas. The pair hadn't spoken much about it, only reassuring everyone who inquired that the boy was fine and disliked large crowds.

When Professor Flitwick dismissed the class, Loki packed up all her books and sped out the door as fast as her little legs could carry her. Remus, watching as the girl left quicker than anyone else, asked James to catch up to her for him.

When the messy-haired brunette had reached the girl, she paused for a moment, only to turn to him then look away immediately after. He frowned, leaning over slightly to get a look at her face. He couldn't see any tears, and she didn't seem any different to him than usual.

"What's up?" James found the question falling from his lips before he could even think.

"Nothing," Loki replied, glancing at him once again. "I'm just trying to think about when Nicolas will be coming back. Probably tomorrow."

"Do you mind if I ask about Nicolas?" The boy straightened his glasses before continuing. "He seemed upset after the game. I just wanted to know if everything was okay." The girl beside him hummed. Both of them seemed surprised that James was concerned, but neither in a negative way.

"Quidditch means a whole lot to Nic," Loki answered after a moment. She kept her head low. "He gets pretty competitive with Gryffindor mainly because of the reason, but I'm not sure if I can tell you about it. He just -- he also gets emotional sometimes because of that, and then he also feels as if he's let the team down in the process."

James nodded slowly. He could completely understand what Nicolas felt like with letting the team down, and he was sure Sirius could, too. While neither of them were Seekers for their team, they had times when they felt the whole team was let down by their actions. After becoming Gryffindor's Captain, juggling that and his Marauder duties took a fair toll on him.

Loki was stunned when James tenderly placed his hand on her shoulder. Her body tensed as she turned to him. He sent a small but meaningful, smile at her. She sent him a smile back, her eyes showing the gratitude she could not express.

"His father was in Gryffindor," Loki spoke. She began walking again, and James slowed his pace to stay by her side. "His mother was a Hufflepuff. His mum actually asked out his dad in the middle of a Quidditch game, then proceeded to beat his team after he said yes." Loki's melancholy expression told James that she recalled a memory. "I think that Nicolas is at his happiest when he talks about his parents."

Sirius, Remus and Peter, who had caught up with the pair, trailed a few paces behind. They listened intently to the girl. Her face, even with the solemn body language she conveyed, still held a smile. For the first time, the Marauders felt as if they had learned more about Loki in those few minutes than they had the entire time they knew the girl.

➪

"ARE YOU OKAY?"

Loki inspected the boy beside her as he hunched over the desk. His hands dug painfully into his arms, she noticed, and his jaw clenched tight. She softly placed her hand on his back, seeing how warmed it seemed. The girl couldn't stop her eyebrows from furrowing. Remus had been fine just this morning in Flitwick's class, so she wondered if something had happened between then and the Care of Magical Creatures class they had right now.

"Remus, would you like me to get--"

"No," the boy groaned in reply, his hazel eyes, which looked incredibly green at that moment, turning to the girl. The raw pain seemed to hypnotise her into doing what he asked. She begrudgingly nodded.

"I don't want to leave you like this, so please tell me if you want anything," Loki whispered, turning back to her school work despite the guilt that ate up her insides. She knew that forcing a sick person to do something wasn't a good thing to do.

Remus let out a soft whimper, his nails digger further into his aching skin. He noticed the tight grip Loki had on her pencil as she attempted to continue her schoolwork while also making sure he was okay. Remus found her behaviour amusing, letting out a soft chuckle amidst the pain. He glanced at the girl once more, watching her tuck her hair behind her ear. His head cocked slightly as he watched her raise her hand and answer a question his brain wouldn't let him focus on enough to understand.

Remus kept his head on the table. It was one of the worse days before the full moon, and he was sure this was the worst he'd felt in a while. He found himself drifting in and out of focus. He was sure Professor Kettleburn had noticed his state, along with everyone else. The entire room seemed too noisy, except for the seat beside him. It was almost dead silent, and the lack of noise made Remus lift his head to look at the girl beside him. However, the boy's action was too fast for his ill body to handle, and his head promptly collapsed onto Loki' shoulder. He could feel her tense up beneath him, but the odd comfort of Loki's neck almost made the boy fall asleep.

"Re--Re--Remus!" The girl squeaked out the whisper. Her face burned, and she was sure she'd short-circuited because the only thing she was able to think about was Remus's face buried in her neck and how it sent goosebumps running all over her body. "I--I--I--I--" Loki wasn't sure what to do. They didn't have much time left and they had another class after this, but she didn't want to move the boy.

"We can skip," Remus muttered as if reading her mind. "I was going to myself, but it'd be better if you were there. If you want to?" The girl didn't hesitate to agree.

Loki didn't question him. She knew it was bad, but she couldn't just leave the boy. He was in pain, and he had asked her to, claiming it would be better.

Remus smiled to himself, wincing in pain almost immediately. In the small exchange between him and Loki, he'd sworn the pain had decreased. Talking to her, Loki, a normal Hufflepuff witch, had lessened his the ache he felt in his bones, pushing it away as she was the only thing he could focus on.

As the lesson came to a close, Loki felt something warm gently clutch her hand. She fought the urge to let out a scream of fright and looked down at what had grabbed her. She unconsciously squeezed.

And Remus Lupin squeezed back.