"I am terribly, terribly sorry." Dumbledore repeated for what seemed to be the thousandth time. James merely blinked at the room before him, as if it all had melted away. Claire however, was having trouble catching her breath between sobs. They'd just seen their mother, not even a month ago. How could she be gone? 'Died in her sleep', Dumbledore had said. It just didn't seem right to either of the Potter children.
"Something has to be wrong there, Professor." James said, his voice still eerily calm. The older wizard merely shook his head.
"I'm sorry, my boy. You father is on his-" But the Headmaster's words are cut off by the sound of ruffling pages, the clatter of books and glassware smashing in a pile on the floor.
"JAMES!" Claire croaks out.
"HOW CAN SHE BE DEAD?" James screamed in the old professor's face. "She was-"
"She loved you both, very very much." Their father's voice sounded from the door- it was obvious that he was unsurprised by James' fit, as it was not the first time he'd had one in such a manner. "But Dorena was old even before the two of you graced our lives." James opened his mouth to argue with his father, but Charlus continued, moving across the room and taking a seat next to his daughter, who curled into his open arms for comfort. "No, James. I'm not blaming the two of you. She loved and wanted nothing more than the two of you. The difference in her life you both made was..." The older man sighed deeply. "I could never make her as happy as simply being a mother made her. You children where her truest joy."
"What do we do now, Daddy?" Claire ask, her voice muffled against Charlus' shirt. He ran a hand through his thinning grey hair.
"I'm retiring, effective immediately." He said, firmly so that neither child would argue, as both were so prone to do. "I will be keeping house, and more importantly you two. I'm well past old enough to just stay home now anyway." Charlus then stood and walked over to his son, who was still heaving each breath in a mix of rage and grief. He stood for a moment, waiting, then James stepped to him and hugged him tight.
"I'm so sorry, Dad." He choked out at last.
"Me too, son. Me too." He replied, and both wizards released one arm from around each other and extended them out of the youngest of their family, who quickly joined their hug. It was this distraction that Dumbledore used to escape and give them the room to plan and grieve.
It was raining, as it always was in the Autumn in the UK, when James and Claire returned from the funeral and time away to be with their father. It was a normal custom for children to miss school due to such events, but even so everyone noticed when they came into the Great Hall Monday morning. Claire separated from her brother's side and took a place at Ravenclaw table where her friends quickly swept in and began to comfort her, whereas James' eyes swept the Gryffindor table and when he noticed his normal gang where not in their usual spot, he turned on his heels and walked quickly back out. Claire figured he'd missed a full moon, though she didn't let on she'd even noticed him leaving the room.
James checked a empty classroom that he knew his fellow Marauders often hung out in, an auxiliary classroom where dueling and creature defense is sometimes taught. Again, the other boys where not found. Three days after a full moon, Remus should not still be in hospital- but that was where James found them. Remus was out; paler than normal and his chest barely moving. Sirius was asleep in a chair next to the head of the bed, his feet propped up right near Remus' waist. Peter was sitting at the window sill, writing on two sets of parchment, obviously copying his own already done homework down for both James and Remus. James had to smile slightly at the sight of the three of them. "What happened?" He ask, sitting gently on the edge of the bed at Remus' feet.
"Super Moon." Peter answered as Sirius blinked awake. "Madam Pomfrey said they're rare, but dangerous. Apparently they have a pretty high fatality rate in young... He gestured toward Remus' bed. 'Werewolf' was almost a curse among these boys. James swallowed.
"But he'll be okay?" James ask, looking at the pale boy in the bed. Sirius yawned.
"Always is." He stretched and sat up, removing his feet from the bed. "Are you?" To this question, James shrugged.
"I'm sorry mate." Peter said quietly, hoping down from his place at the window and placing a hand on James' shoulder, which James put his own hand on top of.
"We were planning on coming to the service for Mu-, for your mum, but he hasn't woken up yet so we haven't left. Well- we take turns going to class or to the tower to change." Sirius said, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had large bags hanging beneath them. James sighed. Sirius had lost a mother, too.
"He will be fine, boys." Madam Pomfrey scolded, bringing a tray loaded with breakfast foods. "You're doing him no good here."
"I-" a small cough came from the patient in the bed. "Wouldn't say they're no good, Madam." Remus' voice was quiet, strained. Even so, he reached a trembling hand for James, who held it to keep him from moving too much. "I'm so sorry, Prongs." His eyes closed again for a long moment, and James knew that Remus had already been through this pain, losing his mother in their fifth year.
"How're you feeling, Remus?" James said firmly, stirring the conversation away. He wanted nothing more than to get back to what would pass for normal.
"Il pourrait ĂȘtre tellement mieux..." Remus mumbled with a small smile. James snorted and both Sirius and Peter laughed. They are not speak Remus' French fluently, but enough to pick up on what he said once in a while. Madam Pomfrey clicked her tongue behind the boys, who all turned to look.
"Eat your breakfast, then go on to class. Mr. Lupin is awake and alright, and now that you've all seen it for yourselves..." She started to leave, then turned back. "And Mr. Potter- if you or your sister need anything..." She looked sadly at the young wizard.
"Thank you, ma'am." He said, picking up some bacon from a plate.
After the boys had cleared out and the room had once more became quiet Remus had dozed off once more, his exhaustion getting the best of him. Claire peaked around the corner of the small private room and gently sat a large bar of Honeyduke's on Remus' side table before leaving just as quickly- not knowing he saw her come in and leave.
Weeks passed, and both of the Potter children where able to get back into their normal routine of avoiding each other rather than seeking to check on one another. It wasn't so much Claire and James did not get along as much as that they were too different and Claire did not have time of interest in some of her brother's more childish pursuits, which even James had seemed to abandon as of late. Lily and he had been walking to class together more, and Claire had to wonder just how much losing their mother had to do with James' sudden decision to grow up.
Claire, however, as many Ravenclaw students do in their fifth year, had thrown herself into her books, turning down so far four separate invitations from boys to go to Hogsmade. There was nothing in the Village that interested her that much, and she felt that this took too much time away from her studies. Therefore, she used Hogsmade weekend to take to the Astronomy tower with one of the tenebris-visio telescopes, which allowed you to look at the stars as if at night even during the brightest part of the day. There was a clearly about to turn to winter from the chill to the air and Claire's visible breath, and a shiver ran down her spine, but she continued to look upward, jumping only slightly when she heard a voice behind her. "You know, those scopes are the only way I ever get to truly enjoy the night sky."
"Remus." She looked up from the telescope and gave a small smile. "Je ne l'ai pas entendu dire que vous venez." She said, letting him know that she was not aware he had joined her.
"You, you speak French?" He looked shocked. "You know that I speak French?"
"I know a lot of your secrets, you simply don't seem to trust me." She replied casually, looking back into the telescope.
"I know that you know." Remus said, sounding so obviously embarrassed. "Which is why I said that about your scope. Please pardon my poor attempt for conversation." He said, propping against the wall. Claire looked from the scope long enough to make a few notes, then returned.
"Were you needing the tenebris-visio?" She ask, but stiffened up when she felt a robe drape across her shoulders.
"No." He said quietly. "I just thought you may get cold up here." He said, tucking his robe closer around the young witch. Claire didn't move or say anything at first, mostly confused by this action. He stood for a moment, then turned to leave, and just as he started down the tower steps, turned back to her. "I do trust you, Claire." He said quietly, leaving again. Claire smiled slightly as she pulled the Gryffindor winter robe closer around her shoulders. She chose to stay up on the tower until supper now, newly warmed. Until she entered the Great Hall for supper, of course. Then Claire had regretted not stopping in her dorm as she exited the tower and taking off the robe.
"That's Moony's robe!" Sirius shouted, slapping James on the back, who sputtered under the sudden collision and sprayed pumpkin juice all over Lily, who smacked Sirius over James' head. Remus and Peter where on the other side of the table, facing away from where Claire was and had chosen to ignore the scene, even as she listened in while looking away. The tips of Remus' ears grew red, but he shook his head.
"Is not" He choked. Sirius raised an eyebrow at him.
"Is so, mate. You left your prefect badge on the lapel!" He gestured. Claire sat at Ravenclaw table on the far end with her back to the Gryffindor table. James helped Lily clean up then turned to Remus. Lily was grinning at him, but Remus shook his head slightly looking from her to James, who was staring at the other wizard.
"Hmm?" James said, looking down the tables to his sister's back.
"She was cold, okay?" He said, shoveling potatoes into his mouth in a way that mimicked Peter's normal eating habits.
"Did she ask you for your robe though?" James ask, almost defensively.
"No..." Remus started, but Lily came to his rescue.
"Remus is just a gentlemen, obviously." She said, swatting at James. "He sees a lady cold, he fixes the situation." She looked over at Remus and winked. After the meal, Sirius and James ran off ahead of the others, obviously to set up for some grand scheme, and Lily caught Remus at the door of the Great Hall. Lily and Remus had been close for longer than she'd had an interest in James for, and she wanted to know for herself. "Spill it." She said, holding him to the side as other students filed out toward the dorms.
"Lily?" He ask, looking over her head toward the crowd of students, then back to her nervously. Lily sighed. Remus was not one to give up secrets easily.
"If you're worried that James won't approve, don't. She said. Remus opened his mouth to reply but Lily didn't allow for it and continued. "I'm sure it was just odd at first. But if you like Claire, do something about it." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed the young werewolf's cheek. "She suits you." She turned around and saw her boyfriend's sister walking to the door with a group of friends, robe draped over her arm and she hurried off. Claire stopped and offered the robe out.
"Thank you, Remus." She said, smiling in a way that caused the red to return to the tips of Remus' ears. "That was very kind of you to loan me."
"My, er, pleasure." He said, pulling the robe on once again. She waved as she rejoined her friends, who were obviously giving her an equally hard time about him judging from the giggles he could hear ringing down the halls, but he didn't mind the laughter of the the Ravenclaws because he barely noticed over the smell of Claire's shampoo and perfume on his robe.
Hello everyone! Listen, I've been pretty- depressed to be honest lately. (Yes, the real kind), and I haven't had a motivation to write much. Sorry. Anyway, here is an update that I worked hard on and hope everyone likes. I hope this gets some reviews. Thanks for reading!
