Hi! Sorry I forgot to update earlier this week. I'm having some errors with the website but here!

Tada Chapter 4!


November 2006

"Remus!" A small hand waved through a crowd at the boy.

"Who is that?" Sirius turned to look behind them.

"Remus!"

"Should we wait?" James said, pulling on Peter's robe.

"Remus!"

"Isn't that the girl from yesterday?" Peter said, glimpsing the person weaving in between the students.

"Remus!"

"Just keep walking," Remus huffed.

"Remus, would you just slow down!" The girl finally emerged from the swarm.

He knew the polite thing would be to wait for her but he wasn't really in the mood. He had already accepted the fact that she would be some part of his monthly problem but he didn't have to be happy with it.

"Remus!"

"Are you sure we shouldn't wait?" Peter asked, looking back.

Remus turned to find the girl right behind him.

"Remus Lupin, why didn't you wait!" The petite girl glared up at him, standing on her tiptoes..

"Ummm." He didn't really have a reason. He was just being petty but he couldn't tell her that. "I thought you were talking to someone else."

"Someone else? Someone else named Remus in this school walking in this direction?" She sank back on her heels.

"Yes?" He sheepishly replied, looking around at his friends for help.

They were all conveniently looking somewhere else. For some reason the corridor got much quieter, like their classmates were listening in on their conversation.

"Oh." She looked at the boys and then down, realizing the situation. "Oh, ok. That's fine. I understand. I was just going to tell you that you forgot your notebook in class."

She gingerly passed it over, turned and sped away.

Remus looked at the papers in his hand and felt a wave of guilt fall over him. She wasn't trying to bother him. This whole time she was trying to help and he was being a complete jerk because he was being petty. He huffed and put the runes work in his bag.

"What was that?" James asked, looking confused at the normally polite boy.

"I'm not sure. She's just been bugging me so much over what happened. It started getting on my nerves. I'll apologize later."

They walked to their next class in confused silence.

Kiara slumped down in her seat in History of Magic. She knew that he probably didn't want to be friends with her and only agreed to get her to stop bothering him, but she still couldn't help but get her hopes took out her supplies whilst vaguely listening to Professor Binns start on the Goblin Wars again. She, like any one who wanted to pass History of Magic, took the curriculum and studied on their own. Professor Binns wouldn't notice if no one was listening as long as he could continue his lecture. She settled down for a long class, shoving her thoughts aside.

– o – ️ – o –

"Reg!" Kiara cried, waving her arm above her books.

He walked through the library and sat next to her, pushing some of the piles away so he could see more than the top of her head. She had begun studying for her O.W.L.s even though they were months away. Regulus still didn't understand how she wasn't in Ravenclaw.

"What's going on Ara? I heard that you stormed away from the Marauders. I thought you said Remus agreed to let you help him with something."

"Don't say that out loud! I haven't told them I told you. And well, the reason you heard that was probably because I did, well I sort of did," she sighed, putting her books down and facing him.

"That doesn't sound good. What did they do? If my brother said anythi-"

"I just understood them wrong. They didn't do anything. I just assumed that because of our agreement we would be, at least a little, like friends," she interrupted.

Regulus felt a burning feeling rise up in his chest. He couldn't believe that his brother and his stupid friends treated Kiara like that. She was the kindest person he had ever met. If anyone deserved more friends it was her, but he knew some of the older students shunned her for her family and blood status. He found it ironic that the rest of the houses accused the Slytherins of being blood purists when some in their own houses practiced the same ideology. He wished there was something else he could do, but some of his year reported back to his parents. They could barely meet in the Library and he couldn't do much but comfort her. At least she had the younger years. They adored her. She had helped many of the first years during their chaotic first few weeks and after, even before she became prefect.

"It will be fine. Maybe it was a mistake. He was probably busy," he reassured her.

"No. I understand what is going on. He doesn't want to talk with me. It's fine. I just won't talk to him either."

"Ara, I'm not sure that's what's going on…"

Regulus at least hoped that. If Lupin actually was ignoring her and just using her to help him, Regulus would make sure they regretted that.

"It is fine. Forget about it. I need to study." She ended the conversation and avoided his eyes.

Regulus sighed and accepted that for now the topic was closed, but he would make sure she was actually alright about this eventually. Kiara pulled out her notes from underneath a book and started checking over her work. Regulus watched her mumble under her breath while she studied before bringing his book out of his bag. It was one she recommended to him and he had just gotten to the climax. They sat together until dinnertime and the candles started to glow.

December 2006

It was a month later and Kiara had successfully avoided Remus and his friends. She occupied herself with studying for her OWLs, with Regulus cheering her on. When she thought back to their dismissal of her, Kiara focused on the fact that Remus needed her help and tried to ignore the voice in the back of her head telling her she was imposing. She understood that all he agreed to was to let her help. Nothing more nothing less. She should be happy with that. She shouldn't have been upset by them, she had friends and she wasn't lonely. She could always IM her siblings or drag Regulus to hangout somewhere away from his parents' spies.

When the days began nearing the date Remus told her he would need help, she started making potions that she might need. It only took her a few days to get them ready, her stock of healing potions was already enormous. The few potions she had to make were specific to the conditions she had he had explained to her. She knew she wouldn't be able to give him all the potions without shocking his system or one of the potions negatively impacting another. She tried to narrow the ones she was giving to him down, but decided it was safer to bring any that might be useful.

On the night Remus had told her, Kiara double checked that she had everything in her bag sitting on her bed. She grabbed her bag and cloak and headed out of her dorm. She passed a few of her housemates still hanging around the fireplace. As a Prefect it wasn't strange to see her leaving the common rooms before curfew and she waved to a few third years huddled together. She made her way through the empty corridors before finding herself next to the stairs Remus had stumbled down two months ago. She waited until, as she expected, the boy came down the steps.

"What are you doing here?" Remus asked, looking as worse as the last time. "I thought you weren't coming."

"Why wouldn't I?" Kiara answered, pulling him along to walk down the stairs and out of the school. "Anyway it doesn't matter. We need to get you to the tree. I have potions for healing you can take before whatever happens to help with the process."

"Before that," Remus pulled her to a stop, "I need to apologize for being rude, before, when you came to help."

She looked up at him confused, which she was starting to feel like was her constant state of being.

"I don't understand."

"I was rude to you because I was frustrated and scared. I shouldn't have pushed you away because I was feeling petty. I am sorry for that. I would like to talk with you more. And-"

"Stop there. This is nice and all but we need to keep moving," she interrupted. "Thank you."

She tugged the stunned boy around the corner and towards the tree. She hugged her coat tighter around herself, the fall wind billowing the fabric. She kept walking, with Remus dazedly behind her, until they were a safe distance from the tree. She spilled her bag off her shoulder and searched through the many compartments. She pulled out four small vials of potions and turned to Remus.

"Do you have any allergies?"

"Nutmeg, and seolfor."

"Ok, well these ones are fine. Take the pink one, the sparkly one and then the orange." She passed him three of the vials, tucking away the last.

He took them hesitantly and looked at the liquids in the glass.

"They are basic healing, mild relaxer, and a focused healing potion. That one you have to think about what is bothering you while you take it and the potion will try to alleviate it as much as possible."

Remus looked back at the glassware suspiciously and drank them in the order she told him. He could feel the potions' effects as soon as he swallowed them. His muscles felt less like they were screaming at him and more like they were shouting. He smiled back at Kiara as she cast one more spell over him.

"Thank you."

She brushed aside his gratitude. "You have to find me during breakfast. I need to make sure they work right and plan on what else to give you."

She packed up her bag again and looked towards the Whomping Willow. Remus flicked his wand, and cast Wingardium Leviosa and a twig pressed against the tree. The roots opened again and Kiara helped him into the hole. She left after his head disappeared under the tree and its branches began to swing.


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- Natalie