Echo in the Night|| OC

Chapter Fifteen: Holidays

Echo woke Christmas morning with a severe dull, ache in her lower abdomen. She groaned and lifted the blanket up, revealing a red patch soaking through her sweatpants and onto the sheets.

She almost whined, wanting nothing more than to curl in a ball and go back to sleep. She could handle Hippogriff scratches, cuts, broken bones — but period cramps is where she drew the line. She never experienced periods before getting bitten, her first one started the week following the full moon. Echo didn't know how bad cramps were for other people with vaginas; to her it felt like someone was grinding her lower abdominal muscles into a bloody paste.

Echo lazily grabbed her wand and with her head stuffed into the pillow she muttered, "Accio remedy!"

Nothing happened. She pulled her head up and looked at the case on the desk. It wasn't there. She groaned louder and slammed her head on the cushioned surface.

She left the remedies with Remus.

Echo begrudgingly sat up slowly, hunched over. Ignoring the small pile of presents that sat at the bottom of her bed, she shuffled to the bathroom.

After getting showered, dressed and placing a tampon in, she left her completely empty Slytherin common room.

Echo trudged through the same corridors she always used when walking to the DADA classroom. Her arm was wrapped around her lower abdomen, her shoulders were straight as she walked. At this point, straight posture was second nature, no matter the discomfort.

Echo didn't bother knocking, just opened the door and walked in. She surveyed the room; Lupin sat on the chair next to the couch with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands, looking surprised; A large wreath hung above the window with red ribbon wrapping around it; the small Christmas tree Lupin asked Echo to help decorate sat in the corner; his normally littered desk was clear of any papers.

Lupin's remedy case was placed next to the couch. She took wide strides, ignoring the pain and greedily grasped a vial, quickly downing it.

Echo closed her eyes and internally sighed gratefully. She plopped herself onto the leather three-seater and curled into a ball, letting the remedy run its course.

Lupin watched the whole scene with confusion, "Echo, are you alright?" he said, a touch nervously.

She didn't answer.

Lupin raised from his chair and tentatively reached his arm out, he was six inches away before she spoke. "Touch me and I'll break your fingers," she mumbled with her eyes closed.

He retreated his hand almost immediately. Even curled up in a harmless ball, she still sounded threatening.

"What's wrong?" he repeated, sitting back down.

"D'you remember why I created the remedy?" she muttered.

Lupin wracked his mind for the explanation as to why Echo created the remedy he had undoubtedly fallen in love with. His eyes widened.

He looked over at Echo again, it had not even occurred to Lupin, until now, that Echo experienced pain. He was so used to receiving no reactions from her; he confidently thought her pain tolerance was high enough that she hardly felt anything.