lovesick || r. lupin

¹⁷dear mum,

Grace rushed Ayla out of the Great Hall with Avi and Remus trailing behind, absolutely fuming. Ayla swore she saw steam shooting out of the poor girls ears, she was so upset.

"Please don't be angry with him," Ayla mumbled to Grace as the dark haired girl slammed the empty classrooms door shut. She swirled around, pushed Remus and Avi out of the way, and put her hands on her hips as she stood in front of Ayla. She looked positively infuriated.

"What's going on? I'm not good at telling when people are upset or sad or any of that rubbish but you've been acting funny since yesterday. What's happening and what did your father mean by telling you to answer your mum's letter?" None of the questions Grace was asking sounded like questions, just mere statements.

At that point, Ayla was crying and Ayla thought it was stupid how much she'd been crying lately. It was all too much and she didn't like it. "I-"

"And don't be giving me that tosh saying that 'you're fine' and 'nothing's wrong' because I know something's up."

"I- I was going to tell you but... just..." Ayla glanced over to Avi, who was pale and his eyes sunken in as if he hadn't slept. He looked much too old to be only seventeen. "My mum's a Death Eater," she started. "And... and I don't know what to do about it. She told us through a letter that we got yesterday and I was planning on telling you but then I got all caught up in that prank we all know where that put me. And I'm scared. I don't want to think of my mum as some psycho murderer because she doesn't seem like that but... Oh, Grace, I have no idea what's going on and it feels like my whole life's falling apart!"

The room was silent.

Avi was looking down at the floor, scrunching his nose up. Remus's eyes were wide with surprise, mouth slightly agape, and Grace had her eyebrows furrowed down, a mixture of confusion and anger.

"Please say something," Ayla plead, cheeks heating, feeling embarrassed that she had spilled all that out. Especially in front of Remus Lupin. She had just barely became friends with the bloke, he probably was so appalled with her for having a mother so evil. Don't think that; Mum isn't evil.

But she is.

Stop it.

"She's... she's a Death Eater?" Grace asked, trying to keep her voice steady and calm.

Ayla nodded her head.

"Oh my gosh, Ayla, I'm so sorry. That must feel terrible," Remus said, the look of surprise wiped off his face and now replace with a sad look. He didn't look like he was pitying her though. He even looked as though he understood. Maybe he did, Ayla thought.

Avi was still looking at the floor but murmured, "Don't tell anyone. Seriously, Lupin. Or I'll skin you and you know I know where your dorm is."

"Yeah, please, Remus, don't tell anyone. If they knew... oh, they'd hate our mother and everyone would think we're purists or something awful like that! We're not even close to being purist, we think the whole blood status stuff is a load of waffle!" Ayla exclaimed, her thoughts running rampant with all that could happen if this secret got out.

Remus shook his head, "I wasn't planning on it. I would never."

Ayla sighed deeply, "Thank you."

Ayla turned to Grace to see why she was so quiet and to her surprise, Grace was holding out her arms as if to give a hug. Her arms were still open wide, waiting for the embrace after the moment it took for Ayla to realize what she was seeing.

"Really?" Ayla croaked.

Grace nodded and for the first time in what seemed like forever, the two girls hugged. Grace squeezed her tight. Ayla hadn't felt so cared for by Grace in so long and this -- for Grace to be allowing even a little bit of affection -- made her feel so understood and wanted and all good things. The past fights that year had suddenly vanished.