SCREAM | ginny w.

SCREAM | six

Remus came to pick her up straight after the Weasleys had finished breakfast. She had met Bill while eating- he seemed more alike to her than any of the other Weasleys that she had met, with his soft spoken attitude and clear enjoyment in the face of danger. Remus looked more tired than Vera had ever seen him, and he had a fresh wound on his collar bone that she was sure would scar. He didn't want to come inside the house, as if he was afraid of something that he'd find inside. Molly sent Vera out with him, the entire table giving her varying levels of enthusiasm with their goodbyes.

As they stepped out of the house, Vera let out a sigh she didn't know she had been holding in. Remus chuckled slightly as they walked to the apparition point. "Lovely people," he stated as they moved along. "Bit much when you first meet them."

Vera hummed in agreement. She had never met anyone quite like any of the Weasleys, which she had at first assumed to be a bad thing, though they had proved her wrong soon enough. "It is nice to know someone my own age," Vera agreed after a moment's thought. Remus nodded, before holding out his arm, having reached the outside of whatever protective spells had been put on The Burrow. They both turned on the spot.

Moments later, now in the living room of the cottage, Vera was looking at the pictures on the mantle. It was a bad habit that she still carried with her from her days before being rescued (though she despised that word) to have her eyes go straight to the pictures in someone's home.

Remus noticed her staring and smiled tightly as he looked at the pictures. "My friends," he clarified, though his voice was slightly strained.

Vera took a step closer, not wanting to pry but still curious. There were many photos of four teenaged boys, a few where one of the boys was hanging off the arm of a ginger girl, and a few where it was just Remus and another. Vera watched the pictures move, the figures inside laughing and hugging each other so casually that it seemed like it was just in their nature. Vera was mesmerized.

"That was you at Hogwarts?" Vera asked quietly. Remus sighed, nodding.

"Yes, this picture was taken during our seventh year," Remus said, throughly lost in his memories. Vera looked at the picture closer, noticing what appeared to be an exact copy of Harry. Though she had only known him for two days, she could tell that whoever this was had to be his father.

"You know Harry's parents?" Vera asked curiously. Remus nodded.

"I was friends with James and Lily both, up until their deaths," Remus replied, his voice heavy as he spoke. Vera felt slightly guilty.

"I am sorry," she said, though she cringed at her own apology. "I did not know they had died."

"I'm the last one," Remus said, picking up a picture of him and a man with long curly hair. It was much more recent than the photos of the others, which put a sick feeling in Vera's stomach as Remus' words sank in. "They're all dead, or as good as."

"I'm sorry, Remus I did not know," Vera said again.

"Don't apologize," Remus turned back to her with a smile, setting the picture back on the mantle, causing the two men in the photo to break eye contact with each other and stare at Remus. "I haven't even looked at these since Sirius died."

There was an ache in his voice as he said it, and Vera didn't know if she wanted to run away and hide or to comfort him.

"He wanted to get married," Remus continued, a small smile on his face. "Didn't care that we couldn't, or that he was stuck inside the house. All he wanted was to be stuck to me for the rest of time."

"You must miss him very much," Vera said slowly, attempting to comfort the man she had grown the care for in her time with.

"The past few months have been difficult," Remus sighed. "That's why Dumbledore had me take you in. He was worried that if I was alone, I would be stupid and do something I might regret out of grief. You have been a big help to me, Vera, even if you didn't know it."

"You have also helped me, Remus," Vera replied smiling slightly. "Without your help, I think I might have become nothing more than the scared little girl who was taken away."

"You hide your fear well, Vera," Remus said, making eye contact with her.

"You hide you grief well," Vera retorted, still smiling. "But it is all we know how to do, is it not?"

"Perhaps," Remus sighed. There was a silence between them again, and the clock ticked out each second out it. Vera was reminded of her first day with Remus, when the ticking of the clock had been all she tried to pay attention to. She hesitated a moment more, and then put her hand on Remus' shoulder. He looked at her, surprised that she would have the courage to touch him.

"Shall I make us some tea?" Vera said softly. Remus sighed again and nodded.

"Yes, I think tea will do us both some good," Remus replied. He offered a smile to Vera before he moved into the kitchen. Vera lingered for a moment more, watching the picture of the man she knew as Sirius and Remus. As she saw the love in their eyes that was painfully absent in Remus' now, she could only wonder how much he was truly hurting.

so sorry for the long wait guys but thank you all for 1k reads on this book! the plot is going to start picking up very soon as next chapter they're going to Hogwarts.

also yea I put wolfstar in fight me abt it