turning page | A REMUS LUPIN STORY

xxii. THREE DAYS LEFT

They had three days left at school. It wasn't enough.

Hogwarts had been such an intense part of her life, and she wasn't ready to give it up - this year had felt interrupted, as had the one before, and there were still things she wanted to do. Not being able to see her best friends every day felt heavy on her heart, and even though there was a huge chance she would be living with two of them, she knew it wouldn't be enough.

Lupin had left the day she'd stormed out of his office, and her heart had hurt for a while. Not intensely, but there was a gap there: like she was missing something, and that this wasn't quite right. Adeline would not be brazen enough to suggest she was in love with him, but the development of her feelings had been quick and sudden. It had hit her all at once in the most unexpected way, and his sudden absence affected her more than she'd like to admit.

Regardless, she refused to let Remus Lupin be the reason she miss out on an enjoyable last week with her friends.

They lay on the grass next to the lake, the six of them, in complete bliss. The weather was magnificent, and even though they all had heavy hearts due to the finality of the week, they were happy to be in each other's company.

Adeline lay with her head in Anastasia's lap, who played with her hair mindlessly. She was glad the year had brought her closer to the blonde girl, who brought her a lot of comfort and joy throughout the past few months.

Her thoughts shifted from her friend to the dream she'd had whilst she was unconscious. It had been so incredibly vivid, as though she'd experienced it - but that couldn't be true. That man with dark hair was foreign to her, and whilst he seemed far too familiar than she'd have liked, it didn't make sense. He acted her father, but it wasn't her dad.

With eyes closed, she dwelled on Pettigrew. The guilt had been gnawing at her chest for days, as she replayed the scene over and over in her head. Her fixation on Lupin had allowed Peter the means to escape. She was the reason Sirius Black wasn't a free man, and the reason the rat had been able to avoid justice narrowly. Her stomach hurt with anxiety.

Harry hadn't blamed her, though. He'd been very nice to her afterwards, promising her that he didn't lay on her any blame. She was thankful he was such a nice boy. It would be her task of the summer to write to him at least weekly.

"I forgot to tell you all," Margo's happy voice rang, and she opened her eyes to hear whatever she had to say. "Addie's dad - he got me a job in his department researching magical artefacts. I can start after the summer!"

Adeline sat up in surprise. "What? Why didn't you both tell me?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise!" She smiled, and was met with a chorus of congratulations.

Anastasia seemed happiest of all, though. She'd received an offer to begin with Gringotts as a trainee Curse-Breaker in September.  She clapped her hands together with a wide grin. "Brilliant! Now we just need to find Addie a job, and we can move in together!" Her words were akin to squeals, and Adeline shrank into herself.

Job searches had been the last thing on her mind. She hadn't a clue what to do after school - the first few weeks of summer would be dedicated to travelling with her friends, but she was lost for afterwards. Living with Anastasia and Margo would seem like a dream, but she had been so preoccupied with everything in her life that she'd left school with zero job offers. Everybody else had clear paths: Alexander was becoming an Apprentice Potioneer at an Apothecary, and Oliver was bound to be scouted by some Quidditch team soon enough. It was daunting.

She felt clammy all of a sudden, annoyed that she'd been so distracted by things to focus on her future. Her mind had been on a certain teacher and her best friend, Sirius Black being innocent and the Dementor attacks that had plagued her nightmares. She'd been so focused on getting good grades that she hadn't stopped to consider whatever for.