you are loved. - r.lupin (ft. THE s.black)

'strange'

The next morning, Caroline's appearance pleased all of her friends. Her hair was back to its natural blonde and had little flowers intertwined in them. Her Gryffindor tie was loose and the top button of her white shirt was unbuttoned, showing more of her skin. Caroline's brown bag was gone and replaced with a grey tote with a flowery peace sign on the front.

"Good morning!" she chirped, taking her usual seat next to Lily in the Great Hall. Remus' brown eyes brightened at the sight of his old seat next to Caroline and took it immediately. Caroline talked to Lily about how she went air surfing again and Remus beamed, even though he wasn't included in the conversation.

The sandy-haired boy just loved to see the girl back to normal and happy again. She'll never be society's definition of normal and even Remus knew that. He just liked seeing her act like herself again.

Remus watched the beautiful blonde next to him discreetly and he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Moony, we've got Transfiguration now!" Sirius shouted into Remus' ear, scaring the light out of him.

"Yeah, yeah," Remus mumbled, getting to his feet. He looked at his full plate and realized he spent so much time watching Caroline that he hadn't even eaten.

"Oh, do you guys have Transfiguration first?" Caroline asked, getting to her feet as well. Remus opened his mouth to respond but no words came out so he just shut his mouth and nodded. "Me too, do you guys mind if I walk with you? Lily's got Ancient Runes," Caroline explained.

"Oh we know all about that," Sirius smirked. "James signed up for Ancient Runes too because he found out that's the extra class Lily was taking so he's not gonna be in Transfiguration either."

Caroline laughed as they walked out of the Great Hall. Remus looked down at the ethereal blonde with little flowers in her hair and he thought his life couldn't get better than that. But Sirius had to ruin the werewolf's happiness when he threw his arm over Caroline's shoulders.

Remus bit the inside of his cheek, refraining him from verbally attacking one of his best friends. Caroline and Sirius chatted while Remus just walked on the side, feeling like a third wheel.

The three got to the entrance of the Transfiguration classroom on time and Caroline made her way towards the front of the room and sat in one of the seats. Since she chose a corner seat, that meant that there was only one seat available next to her. Sirius glanced quickly at Remus and sprinted to the other side of the room.

Remus must've had the same idea because he jumped on Sirius' back, sending both of them to the floor. Sirius quickly recovered and tackled Remus harshly. The werewolf fought back and they rolled around the room, bumping into chairs and desks on the way.

"What is the meaning of this?" Professor McGonagall shouted, gaining the attention of both boys. Remus stood up quickly and Sirius followed him. "Class hasn't even started yet and you're causing a disruption!"

"Minnie-

"Mr. Black, you address me by my last name, not my first. Mr. Lupin, I hoped for better. You are a Prefect, you should set an example. 10 points from Gryffindor each and I'll see you both in detention," Professor McGonagall scolded. "Now take your seats."

Remus nodded his head respectfully and Sirius took that moment to get a headstart. The sandy-haired boy quickly realized what Sirius was doing and chased after him. Sirius was much faster and slid smoothly into the seat next to Caroline, sending her a dazzling grin.

Remus scowled at Sirius but didn't argue as he took the last empty seat in the back of the classroom. Professor McGonagall started teaching but Remus was more interested in the two Gryffindors in the front of the room who were quietly laughing about God knows what.

---------------

Lily noticed that Caroline's mind was not with her tonight because her blue eyes were staring at her plate instead of eating it. "Care, are you alright?" Lily asked.

Caroline took her fork and tossed around her salad, not really wanting to eat it but feeling like she should. She lost her appetite and wasn't starving, so she didn't feel the need to eat. "Care?" Lily repeated. "Caroline!"

The blonde's head shot up and she forced a smile onto her pale face. "I'm feeling a bit ill. I think I'm going to go back to my dormitory now," Caroline told the redhead, who just raised an eyebrow.

Caroline excused herself from the table and left the Great Hall. She needed to clear her mind and breathing some fresh air would help. Caroline's pace became faster and she summoned her broom on the way to the Quidditch field.

She kicked off the 3-inch heel wedges she'd been wearing all day and her feet felt calmed against the freshly cut grass. In her left hand were her shoes and in her right hand was her Nimbus 1500. Caroline flew into the air and steadily shifted her feet so she was standing on the broom.

The euphoric girl was a bit out of practice because Jeremy didn't like it when she did 'strange' things like air surfing so she hadn't done it in months until this morning. Caroline let out a small gasp as her right foot stumbled on the smooth wood and she suddenly felt herself falling. She waited for the thump and the breaking of the bones but it never came.

Her eyes opened and she was met with warm brown ones that she used to admire. "I don't know if you remember, but this is exactly how we met," he chuckled.

Caroline didn't laugh the slightest and Jeremy set her on the grass. Caroline dusted herself off and yanked her wedges back on. "Wait, Caroline. Don't go," he desperately begged. "I want to talk about yesterday."

"What about it?" Caroline's airy voice questioned. "I don't think there's much to talk about."

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I think we should try again and-

"Try again?" Caroline laughed bitterly and grabbed her Nimbus off the ground. "I don't think we should see each other anymore, Jeremy. Like at all in any way."

"Is that really how you feel? Are you sure it's not just how Black wants you to feel?" Jeremy asked, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. Caroline smiled politely but it wasn't the same smile she wore when she used to be around him, the one full of admiration and sweetness.

"Yes, Jeremy, that's how I feel," Caroline answered in a nice tone but it was firm. "Besides, I hardly understand how Sirius could possibly influence the way I feel." Caroline started to walk off the field and Jeremy chased after her, walking by her side.

"Can't you see he fancies you?" Jeremy pestered. "It's obvious that he doesn't want you to be with me anymore so he can be with you. He's probably convinced you that you shouldn't date me anymore."

"I admire your persistence but again, Sirius has nothing to do with this and he mostly definitely does not fancy me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my dorm," the blonde huffed and walked off in the direction of her dorm, leaving Jeremy to watch her go.