(𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟒) troubles will be miles away

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(Christmas 1981)

ATHENA HAD NEVER IN HER LIFE spent Christmas alone. The holiday was supposed to be a time of coming together and letting off the weight of the year with a laugh, a song and some presents.

Of course the background of Christmas was a lot deeper than that. Throughout the years it had transgressed the religious meanings to many including Athena. Truthfully, she'd never been very religious. When she had been younger she had but only because of the opposing views placed on to her by her parents.

In fact, for many years of her life she'd been under the strange belief that everyone celebrated Christmas. Which was of course completely incorrect and awfully ignorant.

Athena may not be religious but she'd always partaken in Christmas because it was a reason to be excited, to be happy. Sometimes she'd force this happiness onto herself, build up expectations for a day that passed faster than sand blowing from her hand.

Maybe the only good part of Christmas had been the people around her. It had taken losing them to realise this. It's not as though she was completely alone. Athena still had her sister and her parents but she didn't want to see anyone at the moment. No one at all.

She'd been spending days in a hollow shell of her real life and until a few days before, she'd completely forgotten that it was Christmas at all. Athena had simply been trying to play pretend as a teacher in Hogwarts when she knew in reality she had no right being there.

Aurora had invited her to spend Christmas with her and the family. This included her parents, her cousins and Dominique's family. It would have been a nice day for them. They didn't tell Athena directly but she knew they were celebrating the end of the war. She would have been too of it hadn't come at the cost of her happiness.

She'd argued with her sister about Christmas. Since when was there so much pressure to be happy? She'd never realised it before, how the world relied on smiles to see through the darkest days. Athena hadn't cared until she had no reason to smile. It was hard enough getting out of bed in the morning, doing simple tasks that had no real meaning and trying hard to not ask why she was still here at all.

Aurora didn't understand. How could she? What had she lost? Nothing in comparison to what Athena had lost. She still had someone she loved by her side which was all Athena really thought about. Losing her friends had been bad enough but losing Remus had completely broken her.

The woman had spent Christmas Day in bed. Not exactly sleeping but not exactly living either. She'd been halfway between slumber and awareness, just at that point where she couldn't drift into nightmares but couldn't let her waking daydreams take hold either. At this point life meant nothing and that was how it would stay.

She'd dragged herself out of bed at seven. The night was dark, the stars covered by clouds. The only thing she really registered was the fact that the moon was full. Athena always noticed now. She didn't want to but she couldn't help it. This was something that had been engrained in her mind from a life with Remus. Something she'd never quite shake.

𝐏𝐘𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐀 | Remus Lupin (2)Where stories live. Discover now