Sia was in a foul mood.

Two days. That's all it had taken for this school to wear her down.

Between Bellatrix's psychotic games, Emily's smug superiority, and Severus's cryptic warnings, she was exhausted. Irritated beyond belief. Her mind was too tangled with everything that had happened to focus on anything remotely academic.

Arithmancy had been a waste of time.

Transfiguration hadn't gone any better.

Now, in Charms, she sat scowling at the quill in front of her, trying—and failing—to get the Accio charm right. Her wand flicked sharply, her incantation precise, but the damn thing wouldn't budge.

Her fingers curled into a fist, nails pressing into her palm.

Useless.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Sia turned, caught off guard.

The voice had come from her left, and when her gaze landed on the speaker, she was mildly surprised.

Remus Lupin.

And Merlin, did he look like hell. His face was pale, exhaustion carved into the sharp lines of his features, and there were fresh scratches on his cheek, barely concealed by a hurried healing charm.

Did he get into a fight with a troll?

Sia didn't answer immediately, simply staring at him. He was watching her expectantly, waiting for a response, and after a beat, she finally remembered that he had actually asked her a question.

"Peachy," she deadpanned.

Remus's lips quirked up in a small, knowing smile. "That bad, huh?"

Sia narrowed her eyes, suddenly suspicious.

Why was he talking to her? Why was he being nice?

Remus Lupin—the quiet one, the reasonable one, the friend of the very same people who made others' lives hell.

Her thoughts clicked together almost instantly.

"What do you want, Remus?" she asked, her tone sharp. "You should realize how suspicious you sound. Are your friends planning to bully me as well?"

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Remus's face changed.

His easy-going demeanor flickered, his jaw tightening slightly as his brows knit together.

"So you heard about the incident last year," he muttered. His voice had dropped slightly, as if they were suddenly discussing something serious. "Did Severus tell you?"

Sia's brow twitched.

What the hell was he talking about?

"None of us did," Remus continued, almost to himself now. His shoulders tensed. "So there's no way they knew. Severus wasn't supposed to say anything. If Dumbledore finds out—"

"Woah—calm down."

Sia held up a hand, cutting him off.

"Severus didn't say anything," she said carefully. "What are you talking about?"

Remus stared at her, clearly trying to gauge if she was lying.

She wasn't.

Sia exhaled sharply. "I just overheard a few people talking. About how you and your friends haven't bullied Severus yet. So I assumed that's why you were here."

It wasn't exactly the truth.

But it was close enough.

Remus's expression didn't change. He studied her for a long moment, then sighed. "They won't do it again," he said firmly.

Sia arched a brow.

"Dumbledore talked to them. I've been trying for years, but they'll listen to him now. Or try to, at least. They need to grow up." His hands clenched into fists. "He made them think about their responsibilities. And Lily had a long conversation with James. He'd definitely back off now. Sirius would follow."

Sia scoffed. "How noble of them," she said dryly. "Deciding to stop bullying him now. What an honorable charity."

Remus frowned.

"You think that makes up for everything?" she continued, voice cold. "That they won't do it again? Do you want a medal for that?"

His jaw tensed, and she saw it then—how defensive he was about them.

"You resent that I judge them," she said, her voice quieter now, more calculated. "But what exactly do you do, Remus? Just stand behind them? Disagreeing in silence? Watching but never acting?"

Silence fell between them.

Sia's heart was pounding, her hands clenched into fists beneath the desk.

But her mind was spinning elsewhere.

Severus.

She had despised the way he had grabbed her, threatened her, used his little lackeys to torment her.

But then she had seen it—the way his face had twisted when she had mentioned them.

James. Sirius. Remus. The short one—Peter.

Lily Evans.

Severus loved her. That much was clear. But she had chosen James—the boy who tormented him.

Was that why he was like this? Was that why he was twisted?

Sia swallowed, Christina's voice suddenly echoing in her head.

"Really? He misbehaved, and your first thought is why he is that way? The cause? Like that justifies his behavior?"

"You can't try and change people, Si. No matter their story, not everyone deserves a second chance from you. You can't fix them. Stop trying to understand them and react to their actions."

Christina had told her that years ago.

She had always been the opposite of Sia—bold, unafraid, rational even in the worst of times.

Sia had been trying to follow her advice.

Trying.

But it was hard.

It had only been two months since she had lost her.

And she still caught herself wanting to turn around and tell her things.

Still heard her voice in her head.

"Don't forget to live your life as yourself, not as her," her grandmother had warned her, the day before she left for Hogwarts.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

I know, Grandmother. I know.

A sudden voice broke through her thoughts.

"You're right."

Sia startled slightly, snapping back to the present.

She had almost forgotten Remus was still there.

She blinked at him, half-expecting him to be angry. But instead, he was calm.

"It doesn't excuse anything," he admitted.

And then he exhaled.

"I'll get to the point," he said simply. "I approached you because Sirius has been pestering me to get you to agree to meet him."

Sia blinked. "What?"

"He wants to discuss something with you. I don't know what. But he insisted." Remus hesitated. "So, yes, I had ulterior motives. But nothing sinister. They're not bad people, Sia. Just… meet him. Once. Tonight."

Sia studied him.

Then, without breaking eye contact, she said, "I'll think about it."

Her tone was cold.

Dismissive.

Remus took the hint, standing slowly.

He nodded, then turned and walked away.

Sia watched him go, lips pressing into a thin line.

She had no idea what Sirius Black could possibly want from her.

But she had a feeling it wasn't going to be good.