swim || remus lupin

tidal wave

A loud crash awoke me the following morning.

"Oi! What the hell Alice?" came a frustrated groan on my left.

"Sorry Mar!" The blonde haired girl shoved her pillow over her face and rolled back over. I peeked at Lily's clock which hung on the opposite wall. 7AM. I folded my blankets over and swung my feet over the side of the bed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Sorry Syd, did I wake you too?" Alice brushed her bangs out of her eyes, grabbing at the remaining books that she must have knocked over. I smiled and shook my head. I rose from my bed and walked over to help her sort through the clutter on the floor.

"Where's Lily?" I nodded towards her perfectly made bed.

"She had a meeting before classes I think, she's truly overloaded this year with her Head Girl responsibilities and packed schedule. Not sure how she does it," Alice shook her head and rose to organize the books back on her desk.

The brunette reminded me of fresh water on a sunny spring day. Calm, sparkling, still. If you were to backfloat and feel the warm sun on your face while enveloped in the cool, small waves, it would be equivalent to Alice helping you fold your clothes and asking, with a beaming smile, "Where on Earth did you find these trainers?"

I threw on an oversized sweatshirt that I had stolen from my dad and Alice and I left for breakfast. I offered to wake Marlene, but Alice had given me a pointed look with a vigorous head shake, so we departed without her.

As we walked towards the Great Hall I took a minute to admire the castle. Everything about it was so grand. The cobblestone bricks ran down the vast hallways and corridors, each with its own stability and meaning. The paintings lined each wall with faces of grogginess and light chatter as they moved between their individual worlds. Everything fit together so perfectly and a feeling of warm belonging washed over the school.

We arrived at the large cafeteria and took our seats at the Gryffindor table besides a sleeping Sirius and opposite a very disheveled looking Remus. Peter flashed me a small smile from next to Remus and mumbled a quick "Morning" before returning his gaze to the oatmeal he was pushing around on his plate.

I scanned the brown haired boy across from me. His eyes were shallow, face stretched and worn. As a whole he just looked so grey. He wore a very loose long sleeve, and as he reached up to rub the top of his head I noticed a white bandage on his hand.

"Oi, don't scratch mate," Sirius muttered, resting his head on his hand and taking a bite of his toast. Remus dropped his hand and pursed his lips. This boy was a shadow of the dashing light I had met the night prior.

"An all nighter before the first day of classes? Lily is not going to be happy," Alice shook her head, it would appear motherly if she weren't so innocent. Peter put his fork down.

"Not by choice, Alice." Sirius kicked him under the table.

"Shut it, Wormtail."

The rest of the meal was relatively silent. Peter refused to look over at Sirius, who had put his head back onto the table with his arms as a cushion. Alice seemed content with her peaceful meal and I was too nervous to talk. Remus looked as though he might shatter at the slightest sound.