CURSES AND CANDIES - REMUS LUPIN

𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑑

The Potters and Lupins were having about to have a combined mental breakdown.

"No, what I'm saying is that we're in the middle of a wizarding war, people are being killed every damn day, and the Ministry is on our backs!" Hollis cried, standing up from her seat with a screech backwards of the chair against the wood floor. "Do you realize how stupid it would be to have a wedding and invite more than like three people?"

"Let alone two weddings!" Lily added on, standing next to her best friend firmly on this. "I don't know, we can just get married after this is all over and we'll be able to do it properly and safely! Hollis and I both already said yes, not having a large ceremony soon isn't going to change that!"

"Well, to be quite honest, I highly doubt that we're going to be able to invite everyone we want after this is all over," Remus exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air with exasperation. "It's not something I just want to get over with but at the same time, I think every day that we wait is just closing the gap for when it's going to be even remotely safe to do!"

"Remus is right!" James said, now standing up as well. "How much longer are we going to put this off? First it'll be weeks, then months. And who knows when Dumbledore is going to ask us to do something again that's going to take us much longer than a violent morning in the Ministry?"

"That mission was just the beginning of all this!" Remus supported. "And thank Merlin we were all together and got out fine, but next time, one of us might be doing something really dangerous alone! Hollis might be fighting eight Death Eaters at once while I'm in a cave somewhere with some werewolves, and who knows how long it would stay that way?"

"And that will be for good reason!" Hollis shouted, picking up that morning's copy of the Daily Prophet off the table next to where Lyall was watching them fight with wide eyes. "I'm guessing you haven't read this yet?"

"Why is that even relevant?" Remus cried. 

"Because eleven muggles were killed last night when Bromerton Arcade was attacked and destroyed."

This rang silence among the two boys for a moment.

"Eleven?" James whispered in horror, thinking of the place they had spent the night bowling and drinking slushies with a whole new perspective. 

"Yes, eleven," Hollis confirmed, slamming down the paper on the table again. "Which is exactly why we don't need to be concerned about something as frivolous as a wedding! Don't you see that we have the opportunity to stop this, and you're going to sacrifice that for, once again, a wedding?"

"Maybe we are!" Remus shouted. "Sometimes we have to put ourselves before others, it's not healthy to be as selfless as you are!"

"We already have the damn rings and the last names, we don't need a ceremony to-"

Hollis was cut off in her reply by a burst of silvery blue light appearing directly in front of her face. The fluttering sphere slowly merged into the shape of a tiny dove no longer than her hand that had the most intriguing appearance of drifting through the air even while staying still.

"Whose patronus is that?" Lily asked with sudden softness, much differently than how she had been speaking before. "I've never seen that before."

Before any of them could open their mouths to reply, the dove spoke first in a panicked, rushed voice that frightened all of them.

"You're the only person I could think of to contact," Alice said, her voice high. "I'm at a bridge near the arcade that was attacked, or what's left of it. There are other Order members here, but it's just a few teenagers. We need as much backup as we can get. Please hurry!"