CURSES AND CANDIES - REMUS LUPIN

𝑠𝑖𝑥.

The Slytherin dormitories were very peaceful in the morning. Even though they were located underground, a portion of greenish light shone through the windows of the sixth year girl's room, evidence of the Black Lake surrounding them. The dark sealed, hardwood floors reflected these panes of emerald dominated turquoise coming from the glass, making the whole room feel even more aquatic than usual. 

Underneath her velvet, emerald duvet to the left of one of these windows, Hollis Rosier was having an awful nightmare that had occurred many times before. The one where she was walking down the Hogwarts corridors with Theodore, Lucius, an evil Regulus, and Roldolphus. Except now, where they turned the corner where the other Marauders normally were, the bench was very empty.

When Narcissa Black turned to her right to see if Hollis was awake yet, her pale eyebrows furrowed in concern. 

Hollis's light brown skin had a shimmer of sweat glistening across her forehead, along with rapid breath that seemed unnatural and panicked. A clear, round tear trickled down her cheek like a raindrop on a smooth window, and it was the first of many. Narcissa watched with alarm as the tears began to flow from under Hollis's eyelids faster and faster until the girl next to her was full on sobbing in her sleep.

Then, like someone had pulled her from the dream with a loud clap of thunder, Hollis sat up in her bed with a start. Hollis could feel the warm, salty water on her face, but had no idea why it was there. 

Hollis didn't have any memory whatsoever of the nightmare she had had just had.

"Hey, you good?" Narcissa asked as she and Hollis both walked over to the vanity. 

When Hollis looked in the mirror, she was even more confused as to why there were tears weighing down her eyelashes.

You aren't remembering something. There's something wrong, someone is in your head that shouldn't be-

That untraceable happiness filled Hollis again, and any traces of protests to the Imperius Curse were gone once more.

"Yea, I'm fine," Hollis replied with a small smile at Narcissa through the mirror. "D'you sleep well?"

Nodding, Narcissa looked at the tears on Hollis's face that she still hadn't wiped off. Something seemed a bit off, but Narcissa quickly shook it off. Having a nightmare could do that to someone.

As the two girls walked down into the common room after a few moments, they saw Regulus Black smoking a cigarette and reading, as he did so often. 

"Morning," Hollis said, giving Regulus a crisp nod. 

You see, Evans Rosier had no idea the secret friendship his little sister had with Regulus. So while he could change her mindset to push away and be cruel to those Gryffindors, he had no reason to do the same for the seventh year Slytherin.

"Hol!" Regulus called loudly before Hollis could leave the common room.

Hollis turned around, both eyebrows raised at the dark haired boy.

"Yes?" she asked, clearly wanting to get this over with. 

Regulus got up and leaned into Hollis slightly, tilting his head for Narcissa to give them a moment. With a suspicious look, Narcissa backed away from them to talk to Bellatrix, who was just then coming down from her dormitories.

With a genuine amount of concern in his brown eyes, Regulus looked at Hollis as deeply as he could.

"Are you ok?" Regulus questioned Hollis slowly, wanting a real answer. "Because you've been acting.. not yourself."