WHEN WE WERE YOUNG : marauders era

33. a furry little problem

Mareena walked quickly, her heart racing. She still couldn't believe Remus had snapped at her like that. That was completely unexpected and she didn't know what to think.

A part of her felt mad at him- after all, she was only trying to help. But on the other hand, she felt guilty for making Remus upset. She figured he probably had things on his mind and she had just been too nosy, suspecting him for hiding something.

As she walked across the grounds, she wondered whether he was being bothered by something. She turned around to look at the spot she had left Remus but couldn't see it anymore; she had come too far already. As she stared at the sky and breathed in the fresh air, she remembered how ill Remus had seemed in the morning.

'Yes, that must be it,' she told herself decisively. 'Remus wouldn't do something like that without a good reason. He was probably not feeling well...'

Trying to keep the question of why he was sick so constantly at the back of her mind for a while, she started to think of a way to cheer Remus up.

'I think I know what he would like.'

____________________

'WHAT HAVE I DONE??!'

Remus held his head in his hands, his breath coming in short gasps. At this point, he wasn't sure what was more torturous; the pain in his bones or the fact that he had shouted at his best friend. He felt tears threatening to pour out as he thought about how Mareena would be feeling right now. It wasn't her fault; she was just trying to help him.

He decided to go and apologize to her before it was too late. 'But will she forgive me?'

He tried to get up quickly but his body was not cooperating. His bones felt like knives all over his body. 'No,' he told himself firmly. 'I have to apologize to Ree.'

"TA-DA!!" A very satisfied-looking Mareena suddenly stood before him as he tried to get up on his feet. "Here. This is for you," she said with a bright smile, handing Remus a huge bar of chocolate.

Remus stared from Mareena to the chocolate in utter surprise.
"Wha-" he began but Mareena silenced him with a look.

"It's for you, Remus. And when someone gives you something, what do you say to them?" Mareena asked playfully.

"Thank you," Remus replied, a smile playing at his lips as he accepted the chocolate. As he looked at Mareena, he saw that she didn't seem bothered at all as she began taking out her quill and parchments again.

"Ree?" he began nervously, staring at his parchment.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you like that. It was just- uh- I was just.." Remus tried to explain but no words seemed to make sense.

"I know, Remus," Mareena interrupted, patting him on the shoulder. "It's alright."

"You're not mad?"

"Honestly, I was pretty mad at first," she replied with a grave look and Remus felt guilt rush within him. "But then I realized you wouldn't do something like that without a good reason. You're probably feeling too ill, aren't you?"

Remus nodded his head slowly. He didn't want to deny it anymore; he had upset her enough.

Mareena looked at her friend closely and saw that there was a new scar on his cheek. She felt her suspicions rise again. She had a theory but didn't know how to confirm it. She couldn't possibly ask Remus directly. After all, she didn't want to hurt his feelings if it turned out to be false.

"Remus," she began with a sigh. "You can tell me okay? Whatever it is, I'll understand," she said, trying to be subtle, hoping he would say the truth himself. He was already upset enough today; she didn't want to make him more uncomfortable by asking too many questions. Remus nodded again and focused his attention on his chocolate. He felt tears threatening to burst out again as all types of emotions came over him all together. Mareena wasn't mad at him and she was still his friend. He felt relieved, guilty, ashamed and grateful all at once. Moreover, the pain in his body seemed to be increasing by the moment and suddenly he couldn't take it anymore.

"Remus?! What happened?!" Mareena exclaimed, taken aback as Remus burst into tears. She went over to him quickly and put a reassuring arm around his shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry," Remus said between gasps.

"Shh..," Mareena said softly. "It's okay to cry."

Remus looked away to get a grip on himself, his face burning hot. He wiped his tears quickly and took in a few deep breaths.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me," he finally said as he turned around to see Mareena looking at him with a kind smile.

"It's okay. But tell me one thing," Mareena began with a solemn expression. Remus felt his heart race again as he anticipated her question. "Is the chocolate that delicious?"

For a split second, Remus looked at her in confusion and then he let out a laugh as he replied, "Yup. The best I've ever had."

Remus couldn't believe it. He had never laughed during the days before his transformation; much less on a day as painful as this. But here he was - smiling and laughing. He still felt the occasional ache in his bones but somehow, he felt different.

"So you carry around chocolates in your bag or something?" He asked as he took another bite of his chocolate. It was true- the chocolate was super delicious.

"Usually," Mareena admitted. "But not today. I left it in my dormitory."

"Wait. So you're telling me you went all the way to your dormitory to get this?!"

"Of course," Mareena replied with a cheeky smile. "Fortunately, I had wings to carry me to the tower," she added with a playful wink.

Remus let out a laugh as comprehension dawned on him. He was doing a lot of that at the moment and he was surprised at himself.

'Should I tell her?' he suddenly thought as he looked at Mareena from the corner of his eye. She was now busy rummaging through her parchments, completely engrossed, her eyebrows knitted in a tiny frown and occasionally biting the end of her quill. Her bright blue eyes reflected the sunlight coming through the leaves of the tree above them and her hair, reaching till her shoulders, was today covered in blue highlights.

Remus felt a longing he couldn't quite fathom; a feeling he only ever felt when he was with her. He looked away, trying to push away the feeling as his bones throbbed painfully. 'Should I tell her?' The question rang inside his head again.

Mareena felt Remus' eyes on her as she tried to finish her potions homework. It was no use of course as she couldn't bring herself to concentrate. With his brown eyes boring into her, she couldn't quite think straight. However, deciding to play it cool, she avoided making eye contact with him and rummaged through her papers, unconsciously biting the end of her quill. She had decided to drop the subject of his sickness for now as she saw how happy Remus looked. She didn't want him to feel uncomfortable again. Besides, she couldn't help but adore that smile of his. Even if she didn't want to admit it.

"Ree, I -"

Remus, however, never got to finish his sentence.