BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE - REMUS LUPIN

𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑒.

tw - abuse

it fits the vibe - please listen to it (are you with me by nilu)

All four heads snapped towards the door so quickly that both Hollis and Sirius felt their necks pop. Hollis immediately recognized the menacing footsteps as her father's, maybe thirty seconds or so away from reaching her room.

Hollis wished with everything in here that Remus could stay here forever, but she knew that only so many wishes could come true.

Giving Remus one last desperate kiss laced with tears, Hollis shoved him towards the window seat with as much force as she could muster. Remus stumbled slightly and turned back to look at her.

"I can't, I -," Remus stuttered, unable to get past the concept of leaving Hollis alone.

Hollis cut him off with her hand over his mouth and wide brown eyes pleading for him to leave.

"Go," she whispered, then turning to Sirius and James as well. "All three of you, leave."

Sirius opened his mouth to say something that he just couldn't quite get out, while James swallowed hard. Hollis had no idea how familiar the scenario was to them. Still not breaking his stare at Hollis, Remus swung his legs out of the window, but not before shoving something behind a dark grey pillow that Hollis didn't notice. James and Sirius quickly scrambled out from behind him as well.

Hollis exhaled, they were safe and out of here.

Little did she know, they hadn't left all the way. James, Sirius, and Remus were still standing on the slick black marble just below her window, waiting to see if Hollis would be okay.

The footsteps arrived just outside Hollis's door as she threw the drapes back over the still open window so that her father couldn't see the exit. 

A few spells were muttered, probably counter enchantments to the magical locks put on Hollis's bedroom. Taking a deep breath in, Hollis grabbed a book with a black leather cover that was lying on her window seat and began to read it casually as if three Gryffindor boys hadn't just been in her room.

Although she was calm on the outside, Hollis's heart was pounding out of her chest. She didn't know what she would do if Sirius, James, or Remus got caught. 

The door swung open with a loud bang against the wall, and all three boys could hear it very clearly from their position under the window. 

Mulstone came into Hollis's room like he was trying to catch a criminal, aggressively and seeing red.

"What are you doing?" he asked menacingly, and Hollis set down her book on the grey cushion innocently. 

"Finally come in after a week and that's all you have to say?" Hollis asked, standing up. 

In case they weren't out, she had to stall as much as possible to make sure the Gryffindors could escape.

Mulstone's eyes narrowed at his daughter's immediate defiance.

"And I was reading," Hollis added on tersely, holding up the book again and then set it down for emphasis. "That's all."

There were a few tense moments when Mulstone's eyes looked across the room. 

And his eyes fell on the little bit of snow James had brushed out of his hair on the floor.

Only one thought was going through Hollis's mind.