The Hallway Stairs | 𝓢.𝓑. & 𝓡. 𝓛.

9 - Alone Again, Alone Again

| Alone Again, Alone Again |

Dreary and miserable was the only way you could describe Gryffindor Tower after the Marauders had their 'one man down' fight. They were all depressed and seemed to be exhausted all the time. Sirius would never be in the dorm room except for sleeping; where he would slip in after the three were snoring already and exit before any of them awoke in the morning.

Diane was looking at her worst; her eyes lacked their mischievous twinkle and had dark bags underneath them. James' 'aura', as Marlene had called it, had dampened miserably. Peter didn't eat much anymore and was the only one communicating with Sirius; asking him how he was when he saw him alone. Remus was the worst. The night of their fight, he put a silencing spell on his bed curtains and sobbed for hours. He did this for the next two weeks, every night. Diane did the exact same; neither of them knowing the other was going through this alone.

Remus and Diane also didn't know that James cried in the shower, using it as an excuse. He would shake violently under the falling warm water and let it wash his salty tears away. He would dry himself and wash his face before exiting the bathroom, as to look normal in front of his friends. He took a sudden liking to smoking two times a day, worrying Lily the most, out of everyone. Poor James felt the need to be the stable one, always there for the others.

Lily, Marlene, Lizzie and Mary McDonald, a newcomer to the group, were all beyond confused with the four's sudden depression. Lily was the only one of them that knew about Remus' condition, so she had asked Diane worriedly if whatever this was had something to do with that. All she got was a pained expression on Diane's face and a shrug. Marlene had approached James and asked him  if he was alright, and if he could tell her what was wrong so she could help him. He told her they were just going through something personal and that they would get over it.

"Really, Potter? You want me to believe that?"

"Well, you'll have to because you're not getting another answer," he would reply, sternly.

   Lizzie approached Remus multiple times; sometimes to study with him or sit with him by the fire and ask him how he's doing. She'd never ask him what's going on, but she hoped she could comfort him and that he'd tell her on his own.

    Through all this Diane, James, Remus and Peter never truly talked about it. Remus would throw snide remarks hinting about how peaceful it is without Sirius. James would trip up and say something along the lines of "Alright then, Moony, Padfoot and I will- oh.", which would just give everyone around him an opportunity to look at him pitifully.

    During meals, Diane would look longingly at Sirius, who had taken to sitting with the girls and Kingsley Shacklebolt, a 6th year with them. He would catch her eye and give her a strange look, as if he was trying to communicate something to her. She would panic and look away, receiving a painful squeeze in her heart when she sees that now, James was looking at Sirius and playing absentmindedly with his food. He didn't eat much anymore, none of them did.