Scars|| r. lupin

Year four; Chapter eight

Remus sat beside his mum and best friend at the Lupin table in shock.

He knew something was up with her home life and that she definitely made up the iron deficiency lie but how could he not figure this out?!

Why didn't she tell him either? Did she not trust him enough or was there some other reason?

And why didn't he piece together that something was wrong at her home at first sight of the scar on her face? It was the same type of marking as the ones that were on Jamals back when they first took him in.

How did I not see this?!
How did I not see how much pain she was in? Why couldn't I see past the facade? Oh Godric I'm so horrible.

This whole charade gave was starting to give him flashbacks, and it gave Remus Lupin such a horrid realization that all he wanted to do was cradle the girl to his chest.

This was the same exact feeling that he'd had at the Potters that one night.
He felt useless, he felt he couldn't protect her from harm and it killed him to feel this way. He'd only ever felt this way on three other occasions. The first time was when Y/n had been having a night terror at the Potters and all he could do was wrap cold rags over her head and arms.

During that time he felt useless and unable to help, he cried his lungs out that night. While she was thrashing around and breaking down with night terrors he was sobbing uncontrollably, being unable to help her in any way possible truly sucked the soul out of him.

Knowing that he didn't do a thing to stop Y/n from harm for four years straight positively brought the breath out of his chest and brought along the overwhelming urge to protect his best friend, stand over her like a shield.

" Y/n dear tell me about your parents."

His head snapped back to the girl in the chair beside him.

She doesn't like talking about her parents but I don't think she'd lie to mum...

" My mum and dad divorced when I was eight and mum won custody. I mean, I still saw my dad, every few years...
But, um, my mum, I live with her and my step dad. My step dad is almost always on business trips but when he's not he's really cold and despises me with a heated passion.

" My mother is- um, she's sort of a um, floozie though so she dates other people while my step dad's away and um, y'know, they just kinda casually get drunk and do it on the couch most of the times."

So that's why she doesn't like it when Sirius shags people at random.

" Y/n, does she hit you?"

The girl immediately turned towards Remus and saw how his eyes were wide with realization and sadness before a pang of guilt hit her heart. He reached out and grasped one of her hands, giving it a tight squeeze.

Y/n nodded her head at Hope and said,
" Can- can I just tell you tomorrow or the day after? I- I want to tell Remus first... he deserves the truth."

Hope nodded her head and Y/n stood up from her chair, pulling the entranced Remus up with her. He took her hand in his larger one before she led them back to his room and up the stairs. Once they reached the room Remus pulled her down to the bed, eyes still distant.

" I know that- that you're probably mad at me for not telling you and that you probably just want to yell at me for lying to you or you want to-'

" I would never yell at you for something like this."

It came out as a whisper and she could hardly hear it but, knew it was there. He glanced up at the girl standing in front of him chewing on her lip. His eyes were wide and glistening with held back tears.