take a breath | remus lupin |

028

Remus felt terrible, and it wasn't just the shifting of his bones as the moon rose into the sky, or his head pounding with a migrane.

It had been about two weeks without a response from Anastasia. He feared the worst. Had she caught? Was she hurt?

Whatever the outcome, he realized it was his fault. He tried to keep thinking about it as the hair on his arms and head thickened and claws grew from his fingernails. It helped to ease the pain, in a twisted sort of way. I deserve it I deserve it I deserve it

___________________________________________

Ana had hardly seen Regulus since the strange visitor had arrived a week prior. He had been cooped up in the library, reading whatever book he could on dark magic.

It scared her. Was he really interested in practicing dark magic, or was it just a simple curiosity? She prayed that it was the latter.

She decided to sit with him that day in hopes that he would tell her what he was up to. He was sitting in a corner, a small stack of books on the coffee table next to him. He hardly acknowledged her when she entered.

"What's all this for?" she asked as nonchalantly as she could. She felt the cover of the topmost book, which had a dark grey binding.

"Curiosity. It's weird that we had all of these and I've never read any of them. I thought I read everything."

She sat in the chair next to him. "They look ancient."

Regulus flipped the cover of the book he was currently reading. "This one is from 1273. I think that's older than our family."

She stayed silent for a moment, watching him read. The space between his eyebrows was creased in concentration, his eyes squinting at the small cursive script.

"You're not thinking about joining him, are you?"

He immediately looked up, an appalled look on his face. "Of course not! I just want to know what he's up too, and why Mother and Father like him so much."

"Good," Ana said, internally sighing of relief.

She eventually picked up a book of her own- something about ancient medicines- and spent the afternoon reading. Walburga wandered into the room shortly before dinner.

"Trying to get those marks up, Anastasia?" Her mother snatched the book out of her hands, reading the title. "Ancient Medicines of the Wizarding World? That bitch Pomfrey is turning you into a pagan!"

Ana tried not to laugh at her mother's stupidness. She doubted she even knew what a pagan was. She bit her tongue as her mother grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her to her bedroom.

Regulus looked up in confusion as she was dragged out. He set aside his book and quietly followed the two women.

Walburga shoved her daughter onto her bed and glared. "Why have you been helping Pomfrey?" Her eyes were pointed with malice.

"She asked me to help her during Quidditch season. I thought it would give me a practical skill," Anastasia explained simply. She tucked her hand underneath her leg so her mother wouldn't notice it's shaking. "I like it."