Seventh Year

The rest of the break passed all too quickly for Althea's tastes. By the New Year's, everyone was talking about a new Hogwarts couple – it was a couple that most Gryffindors had been waiting for. Yes, Lily and James finally got together much to the pleasure of everyone in Gryffindor and the chagrin of Severus Snape. New Year's had been rung in with quite a bang, because what else could anyone expect when you're friends with the Marauders? The start of the new year had been fabulous; Althea's relationship was flourishing, she was doing well in school and for now Voldemort's attacks had stopped.

It was near the end of January when everything seemed to change. Althea jumped, as the Daily Prophet was slammed down in front of her. At her side Remus tensed, the grip on her thigh tightening. Althea glanced at him nervously before turning her attention to the person who had so aggressively slammed the Daily Prophet down. Celia Forrest. A half-blood Ravenclaw. She didn't know the girl personally, but from what she had heard the fourth-year was generally timid and sweet. To see the rage in the girl's eyes was shocking.

"My parents are dead and it's all your fault," the petite Ravenclaw told Althea. "Read it!"

"Whatever actions You-Know-Who takes are his fault, not mine. I cannot help it if He didn't like what I wrote," Althea said stiffly, shoving the paper away from her. But she couldn't disguise the shaking in her hands, something that Remus took immediate notice of.

"They could have lived a little longer if it wasn't for you!"

"Excuse me," Lily spoke up from where she was sitting on the other side of Althea, James present at her side. "Do you even hear yourself? You said that they could have 'lived a little longer', so either way they were going to die. We don't know when, but surely it would have been soon. You-Know-Who doesn't show any mercy; it's amazing actually that they survived this long in the wizarding world with him running amuck."

Celia's face turned scarlet, but there was nothing she could say to combat Lily's words. As harsh as they may have seemed to the fourth-year, they were nothing but the truth. Althea glanced at Lily, seeing the regret on the redhead's face as the Ravenclaw burst into tears, snatched the Prophet and fled out of the Great Hall. She knew that Lily hadn't meant to hurt the girl, that wasn't in Lily's nature, but she had also been trying to protect Althea. Said girl ducked her head, staring unseeingly at the food on her plate. Her appetite had suddenly fled her, and her previous vivacious attitude became muted as she processed the words of the Ravenclaw. She knew that the girl could be unfairly blaming her, but Althea couldn't help but wonder if maybe the girl was partially right. What if Althea was just antagonizing Voldemort and making things worse for those who lived within his influence?

Remus squeezed her thigh, and Althea looked up at him mustering a shaky half-smile that did not reach her eyes. He frowned, leaning closer to her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. She flushed, but the expression on her face didn't change. The frown on his face deepened and he wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her closer to him. She turned slight, curling into him and pressing the side of her face into his shoulder closing her eyes and trying to forget about the incident that had just happened.

She felt him sigh and rest his chin on top of her head. "Thea," he whispered softly his voice sounding pained.

"I'm fine," she answered back her voice hoarse. "I just…I just need a minute."

He sighed again, and the arm around her waist tightened. Logically, she knew that it was silly for her to place the blame solely on herself for Voldemort's actions. But the Ravenclaw's words had planted that seed of doubt in her head. Maybe, writing those articles was a mistake. She knew that it had placed a target on her back, because it had upset His followers and Himself. But she had never imagined, never even considered the impact that it might have on others. Did that make her selfish? Maybe. But it didn't make her a bad person; an inconsiderate person, but not bad. Not wholly evil.

Althea sighed. It would do her no good to continue to dwell on the words of the Ravenclaw; a Ravenclaw who had just lost her parents. She was sure that eventually the fourth-year would come to regret her words; surely, she was just speaking out of grief. But no matter how she tried to justify she couldn't shake the words or the rage from her mind, and the doubt and the guilt continued to try to consume her. She sniffled, tears springing to her eyes.

At her side, she felt Remus tense and try to draw her closer, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on her hip.

"I'm fine," Althea repeated more firmly.

"If you're sure," Remus murmured uncertainly. He brushed a kiss across the crown of her head. "Come on, we should get going to class."

Althea nodded, getting to her. Remus stood, grabbing her hand and pulling her closer so he could wrap an arm around her shoulders. Then, the two headed off to Potions.

"Thea, you're brooding," Remus whispered. "Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"Just what she said. It's bothering me, that's all," Althea said rather unconvincingly.

Remus sighed. "Don't let her words bother you. She's just grieving."

"I know. But, I can't help but wonder if maybe some part of what she said is true. Maybe their deaths weren't caused by me, but what if my actions hastened it along? Lily said that they would have died eventually, but what if because of me it happened sooner than it would have?" Althea whispered. "I'm so focused on getting the truth out there and doing honest reporting and not hiding things from people. But I never even gave any consideration to the people directly affected by You-Know-Who's actions. I never thought about the people living within his influence."

"Thea, you can't blame yourself for His actions. You don't control it," Remus reminded her his voice stern. "What happened was not your fault and you shouldn't blame yourself for it."

She sighed, "But I do. I can't help but wonder if it truly is my fault."

"Don't put that pressure on yourself," Remus told her, as the two walked into the Potions classroom. Students began to slowly filter into the classroom, "We'll talk more later."

Althea scowled but acquiesced to the demand. Slughorn strolled into the room, a beatific smile on his face as he greeted the seventh-years. Throughout Potions, Althea daydreamed. She found it hard to pay attention, and to anyone paying her the slightest bit of attention it was obvious her mind was elsewhere. Soon, the class was over and like a zombie Althea shuffled out the door her eyes locked on the ground underneath her feet. A warm hand grasped her own and she jumped, her eyes flicking to her left to see Remus. A small smile appeared on her face, and she squeezed his hand.

"Come with me," Remus told her, his grasp on her hand strengthening as he pulled her after him.

"Remus, we have classes to go to still," Althea protested, stumbling after him.

"I'm quite aware, but we can just say that we were doing Prefect duties. I'm sure Dumbledore would back us up, don't you think?" Remus answered in return. "Besides, if we don't talk about this right now, we'll never talk about it."

"That's beside the point," Althea insisted. "I don't want to talk about this."

"Well I do," He answered, opening an abandoned classroom door and leading her inside. He shut the door, leaning against it and staring at her firmly. "I don't like to talk about being a werewolf but I do it anyways. So, we need to talk about this. You're lettering the words of a fourth-year get to you. Why?"

"I can see valid points in what she said, or rather I can make valid points to confirm her words," Althea murmured, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "She's a fourth-year, but she's not stupid. It'd be illogical of me to completely disregard her words."

"Yes, and it's also illogical of you to take her words as fact. Which is what you seem to be doing," Remus returned hotly his eyes narrowing. "I agree that you can't completely ignore what she's saying but you have to take it with a grain of salt; don't treat it as fact. She's grieving, so her thoughts are clouded and she's looking for someone to place the blame on."

"I know," Althea answered weakly. Remus looked at her disbelievingly. "I know! I do, really it's just…I don't know how to explain it. I know that she's grieving and she's trying to place the blame on me. I know that it might not actually be my fault. But, what if it is? What then?"

"You can't focus on the what ifs, Thee," Remus told her gently.

"You do!"

He flinched. "I do. But, my circumstances are entirely different."

"I'm sorry, Remmy," Althea whispered. She shuffled her feet, looking down at the floor. "I guess you could say I've grown to be a pessimistic person."

"Maybe," Remus agreed, "but that's not who you used to be, Thea. You-Know-Who has set us all on edge, but we needn't worry about him while we're still here at Hogwarts. Dumbledore will ensure that we will be protected."

Althea took a deep breath, and then nodded. A small smile appeared on her face, "I'll try not to worry. Now, move. We've got to get to class."

"Aw."

"Don't tell me that Remus Lupin actually wants to skip classes?"

"So, what if I do?"

"That's like blasphemy," Althea laughed stepping closer to him and smiling coyly. She wrapped her arms around her neck. "Well instead of class, what do you propose we do?"

"I can think of a few ideas," he said smiling.

Then he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers and all thoughts of going to class vanished from her mind.