CURSES AND CANDIES - REMUS LUPIN

𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑒.

The rest of Hogwarts had no reason whatsoever to believe something was wrong when they woke up on the breezy, warm late April morning. Every element of the castle seemed in place, from the draping tapestries and books tucked away neatly in their library shelves. There were no signs of what had happened the previous night to the four Slytherins, one of whom had been killed, one vanished, one beaten, and one broken a curse.

That was, except for when two Gryffindor third years walked past the library and saw Nott passed out on the stone floor with shallow, forced breaths raking in and out of his swollen lips.

One of them happened to be Marie, the girl whom Hollis had talked to about werewolves over a year ago. She had kept that knowledge of kindness in her heart, carrying around the Slytherin's words in her mind to never assume the worst in someone or something.

Hollis would never quite know the positive influence she had on so many of Hogwart's younger students.

"Get Madam Pomfrey," Marie instructed her friend quickly. "He needs help."

The other Gryffindor started to run quickly towards the hospital wing but ran directly into a girl with red hair on her way, not really paying attention to where she was going as long as they could help the badly injured boy.

"Sorry," she squeaked, looking up at the sixth year with slight fear. 

"You're fine," Lily replied and watched as the girl ran away with narrowed eyes.

"Stupid little third years," Marlene muttered, grabbing the redhead's hand to keep up their pace. "We need to see if they're in the Great Hall."

"They didn't come back to the dorms last night," Peter said, biting his nails. "And Sirius had the Map, so we can't find them like that."

It was very unlike James, Sirius, and Remus to leave without a word or plan some prank without telling one of the other three Gryffindors first. For them to just have disappeared was rather alarming. They might not care as much if their world wasn't in the middle of a wizarding war, but things like this put a pit in anyone's stomach when missing people were being murdered left and right.

"I'm sure they're just in the Great Hall or something," Lily said hopefully as they stepped into the large, high ceilinged room. "They should be right-"

She, Marlene, and Peter fell silent as the space on the mahogany benches usually occupied by the three boys was empty.

"Who else isn't here?" Marlene asked, saying what they were all thinking as she scanned the tables. "Because if certain other people are missing, then-"

"Bingo-" Peter said under his breath, gesturing to the Slytherin table. "Evans, Hollis, Theodore, and Regulus. None of them are there."

Lily shut her light green eyes and ran a hand across them.

"Oh shit."

Hopefully they hadn't done anything stupid.

.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡　　　ﾟ+..｡*ﾟ+

Two hours had passed, and none of the missing students had shown up yet. Narcissa was starting to get worried for Hollis as well, especially after Lucius told her how angry Theodore had been when he left the common room for the library.

Taking a deep breath in, the pureblood girl swallowed as much pride as she could and walked up to Marlene Mckinnon, who was smoking against a column and looking out at the Black Lake between classes. 

"Mckinnon?" Narcissa asked, leaning against the wall next to her. "Mind if I join you?"

Marlene gave her a suspicious look with narrowed blue eyes before pulling out another cigarette and handing it to the Slytherin.