Chapter Eight: Lupin Confronts Clarice
Now that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George knew the truth about Clarice the six of them became a lot closer to each other. The truth that they didn't know about was she was a werewolf. Fred, George and Hermione decided she can tell Harry and Ron that when she is ready to. Things seemed to be getting better between all of them. The only major problem there seemed to be was Clarice's physical well-being.
Even though she usually went to bed earlier than the others, she always looked like she wasn't sleeping. She looked more tired than Professor Lupin and Hermione, who was taking way too many classes. Not only that, she seemed to be losing a lot of weight. Her robes hung extremely loosely on her body frame. It seemed that she wasn't eating much either. Sometimes Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George wondered if it was just the stress of the O.W.L.s coming up in a few months time. Everyone knew that Clarice was taking just as many classes as Hermione.
Months went by and they were now close to the Easter holidays. The closer they got to the holidays, the more Clarice looked like she was sick and was gonna cry. Everyone was really worried about her now. Her robes, which fit her perfectly at the start of the school year, now looked the way Dudley's old clothes looked on Harry. She had lost that much weight.
Two weeks before the Easter holidays, Fred, George and Hermione went and asked Professor Lupin if Clarice's weight change was because of her being a werewolf. He told them not the way she lost weight. It wouldn't be that sudden. Seeing how worried her friends were, he agreed to talk to Clarice after the next Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
At the end of Professor Lupin's next class, he asked Clarice to stay behind. It was right before lunch so he reassured her that she would not be late for her next class.
"Clarice, is there something that you need to talk about?"
"Like what, Professor?"
"Is there anything bothering you? Your friends are becoming very concerned in your drastic weight change."
Clarice was getting nervous. She didn't sleep well anymore and doesn't eat much because of what Lucius Malfoy did to her. She couldn't say that to him, however, because Malfoy would kill him.
"No, Professor. I- uh- I guess its just exam anxiety with the O.W.L.s so close."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes Professor Lupin."
"Clarice, I was a good friend of your mother's. If there is ever anything I can do to help you, just tell me. I want to help."
"Alright, Professor."
"Now, if there is nothing else you wish to tell me, you may go."
"Thank you Professor Lupin."
Clarice left Professor Lupin's class feeling horrible that she lied to him. She just couldn't tell him the truth. It was too dangerous. She was walking down the corridor distracted by her thoughts when she walked into none other than Draco Malfoy.
"Well, Black. Lookit what I have here. We've got to go home for the Easter holidays. Your social worker is coming to see you."
"Go to hell, Malfoy. I've got to stay and study."
"Father won't like to hear you're fighting. He'll just have to teach you a lesson. Then again, I could teach you now."
Malfoy pushed her into an empty classroom and threw her on the floor. Just like his father, he raped her. He punched her in the stomach and forced himself inside of her. She was taller than him, but after what his father had done, she was scared to fight.
When he was done, he got up and left her. She ran directly to her dormitory. She didn't want to be with anyone right now. As soon as she realized she was alone in the dormitory room she took out an old picture frame she had. She broke the glass and slit her wrist open. Not deep enough to kill her, just deep enough to really hurt. After awhile she became numb and didn't feel the pain, just the blood trickling down her arm. She cleaned up her arm and the broken glass and stayed in her room for the rest of the day, skiving off all of her classes.
With only three days left until she left for the Easter holidays, Clarice was distancing herself from her friends. Everyone was noticing the change in her. She was very emotional lately, but she wouldn't go to Madam Pomfrey. In her last Defense Against the Dark Arts Class before the holidays started, she fell asleep. She had not slept in awhile. Professor Lupin, concerned about her, just let her sleep until class was over. However, when he went to wake her up he received quite an unpleasant surprise.
"Clarice?"
He shook her lightly. The reaction he got to that was the last he would expect. She began to shake and cry. Then she began to scream.
"Don't touch me! Get away from me! I'm sorry! Just leave me alone!"
After a minute of going on like that, Clarice realized where she was and who she was actually with.
"Professor Lupin, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scream like that. Please forgive me."
"Clarice," he began clearly very concerned about her, "why were you screaming like that? Has anyone hurt you? For doing something they don't like?"
"No, Professor, it was just a nightmare. I'm sorry. I have to go."
"Clarice, wait! Let's talk about this."
"No, there's nothing to talk about. It was just a nightmare...that's all. I'm fine. Really, I am. I have Care of Magical Creatures now, I have to go."
Before he could say anything else, she ran from the classroom. She ran down to her Care of Magical Creatures class and pulled Hagrid to the side. He saw she was really upset.
"Hagrid, listen. May I please be excused from your class today? I'm a bit upset and would just like to return to my dormitory and lay down."
"O'course. Get on wit yeh. I don' blame yeh. I'll see yeh after the hol'days."
"Thanks, Hagrid."
And with that she returned to her dormitory...again, skiving off the rest of her classes. When she reached the dormitory she slit her wrist open again. The pain and the blood seemed to be the only thing that was able to calm her lately.
Later that night, she actually went down to the common room. Fred, George, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were down there playing Exploding Snap. When they began to talk about all the things the six of them would do together during the Easter holidays, she cut them off.
"-I'm not going to be here. I need to return to my foster home. My social worker is coming to check up and I need to be there."
"What? Why?" asked Fred.
"Because she needs to see how I'm adjusting to my new home. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."
"We'll send you loads of owls. We promise," said Harry. They all agreed with Harry.
All six of them stayed downstairs until everyone else had gone to bed. Then they went to bed as well. It was another sleepless night for Clarice. She didn't know what to do anymore.
Since so many of the students were staying at the castle for the Easter holidays, Clarice was among a small number to return home. Fred, George, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked her down to the carriages to see her off. Just as they got her into a carriage, none other than Draco Malfoy comes pushing by and gets in the carriage.
"Let's go. I've got better things to do than sit around here with Potty, the Weasels and the Mudblood."
Their carriage pulled away. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at Fred and George questioningly.
"Why would Malfoy come near Clarice?" asked Harry, confused.
Fred sighed and then told them the truth.
"Clarice lives with the Malfoys."
No wonder she looked like she was gonna cry when she realized she had to go home for the holidays, thought Ron.
"Privet Drive doesn't look so bad right now," said Harry.
Now that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George knew the truth about Clarice the six of them became a lot closer to each other. The truth that they didn't know about was she was a werewolf. Fred, George and Hermione decided she can tell Harry and Ron that when she is ready to. Things seemed to be getting better between all of them. The only major problem there seemed to be was Clarice's physical well-being.
Even though she usually went to bed earlier than the others, she always looked like she wasn't sleeping. She looked more tired than Professor Lupin and Hermione, who was taking way too many classes. Not only that, she seemed to be losing a lot of weight. Her robes hung extremely loosely on her body frame. It seemed that she wasn't eating much either. Sometimes Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George wondered if it was just the stress of the O.W.L.s coming up in a few months time. Everyone knew that Clarice was taking just as many classes as Hermione.
Months went by and they were now close to the Easter holidays. The closer they got to the holidays, the more Clarice looked like she was sick and was gonna cry. Everyone was really worried about her now. Her robes, which fit her perfectly at the start of the school year, now looked the way Dudley's old clothes looked on Harry. She had lost that much weight.
Two weeks before the Easter holidays, Fred, George and Hermione went and asked Professor Lupin if Clarice's weight change was because of her being a werewolf. He told them not the way she lost weight. It wouldn't be that sudden. Seeing how worried her friends were, he agreed to talk to Clarice after the next Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
At the end of Professor Lupin's next class, he asked Clarice to stay behind. It was right before lunch so he reassured her that she would not be late for her next class.
"Clarice, is there something that you need to talk about?"
"Like what, Professor?"
"Is there anything bothering you? Your friends are becoming very concerned in your drastic weight change."
Clarice was getting nervous. She didn't sleep well anymore and doesn't eat much because of what Lucius Malfoy did to her. She couldn't say that to him, however, because Malfoy would kill him.
"No, Professor. I- uh- I guess its just exam anxiety with the O.W.L.s so close."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes Professor Lupin."
"Clarice, I was a good friend of your mother's. If there is ever anything I can do to help you, just tell me. I want to help."
"Alright, Professor."
"Now, if there is nothing else you wish to tell me, you may go."
"Thank you Professor Lupin."
Clarice left Professor Lupin's class feeling horrible that she lied to him. She just couldn't tell him the truth. It was too dangerous. She was walking down the corridor distracted by her thoughts when she walked into none other than Draco Malfoy.
"Well, Black. Lookit what I have here. We've got to go home for the Easter holidays. Your social worker is coming to see you."
"Go to hell, Malfoy. I've got to stay and study."
"Father won't like to hear you're fighting. He'll just have to teach you a lesson. Then again, I could teach you now."
Malfoy pushed her into an empty classroom and threw her on the floor. Just like his father, he raped her. He punched her in the stomach and forced himself inside of her. She was taller than him, but after what his father had done, she was scared to fight.
When he was done, he got up and left her. She ran directly to her dormitory. She didn't want to be with anyone right now. As soon as she realized she was alone in the dormitory room she took out an old picture frame she had. She broke the glass and slit her wrist open. Not deep enough to kill her, just deep enough to really hurt. After awhile she became numb and didn't feel the pain, just the blood trickling down her arm. She cleaned up her arm and the broken glass and stayed in her room for the rest of the day, skiving off all of her classes.
With only three days left until she left for the Easter holidays, Clarice was distancing herself from her friends. Everyone was noticing the change in her. She was very emotional lately, but she wouldn't go to Madam Pomfrey. In her last Defense Against the Dark Arts Class before the holidays started, she fell asleep. She had not slept in awhile. Professor Lupin, concerned about her, just let her sleep until class was over. However, when he went to wake her up he received quite an unpleasant surprise.
"Clarice?"
He shook her lightly. The reaction he got to that was the last he would expect. She began to shake and cry. Then she began to scream.
"Don't touch me! Get away from me! I'm sorry! Just leave me alone!"
After a minute of going on like that, Clarice realized where she was and who she was actually with.
"Professor Lupin, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scream like that. Please forgive me."
"Clarice," he began clearly very concerned about her, "why were you screaming like that? Has anyone hurt you? For doing something they don't like?"
"No, Professor, it was just a nightmare. I'm sorry. I have to go."
"Clarice, wait! Let's talk about this."
"No, there's nothing to talk about. It was just a nightmare...that's all. I'm fine. Really, I am. I have Care of Magical Creatures now, I have to go."
Before he could say anything else, she ran from the classroom. She ran down to her Care of Magical Creatures class and pulled Hagrid to the side. He saw she was really upset.
"Hagrid, listen. May I please be excused from your class today? I'm a bit upset and would just like to return to my dormitory and lay down."
"O'course. Get on wit yeh. I don' blame yeh. I'll see yeh after the hol'days."
"Thanks, Hagrid."
And with that she returned to her dormitory...again, skiving off the rest of her classes. When she reached the dormitory she slit her wrist open again. The pain and the blood seemed to be the only thing that was able to calm her lately.
Later that night, she actually went down to the common room. Fred, George, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were down there playing Exploding Snap. When they began to talk about all the things the six of them would do together during the Easter holidays, she cut them off.
"-I'm not going to be here. I need to return to my foster home. My social worker is coming to check up and I need to be there."
"What? Why?" asked Fred.
"Because she needs to see how I'm adjusting to my new home. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."
"We'll send you loads of owls. We promise," said Harry. They all agreed with Harry.
All six of them stayed downstairs until everyone else had gone to bed. Then they went to bed as well. It was another sleepless night for Clarice. She didn't know what to do anymore.
Since so many of the students were staying at the castle for the Easter holidays, Clarice was among a small number to return home. Fred, George, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked her down to the carriages to see her off. Just as they got her into a carriage, none other than Draco Malfoy comes pushing by and gets in the carriage.
"Let's go. I've got better things to do than sit around here with Potty, the Weasels and the Mudblood."
Their carriage pulled away. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at Fred and George questioningly.
"Why would Malfoy come near Clarice?" asked Harry, confused.
Fred sighed and then told them the truth.
"Clarice lives with the Malfoys."
No wonder she looked like she was gonna cry when she realized she had to go home for the holidays, thought Ron.
"Privet Drive doesn't look so bad right now," said Harry.