maple syrup | remus lupin [1]

26. toodles!

"ARE YOU EVEN listening to me, Remus?" Sirius' voice interrupted a certain boy's train of thoughts in an annoyed tone.

Remus was thinking. Thinking, and also worrying, about Claudia. Like he always was at that point.

"Yeah," he mumbled after a little too long pause.

"Then what did I ask you?"

"Um... chocolate?" He said with a guilty grimace.

"Very funny," Sirius scoffed. "I was asking you if you had your prefect patrol now like you said?"

"Shit!" He exclaimed as he practically flew out of his bed.

"Who's it with?" Sirius asked the boy who was putting on a sweater in a panicked motion.

"Claudia," he said as his eyes widened and he headed towards the door. "Shit!"

"Talk to her!" James called after him, but he was already far gone.

Claudia was in that moment standing outside of the Gryffindor tower, pacing back and forth in pure boredom as she waited for the late Remus to show up.

She was feeling better that day. After finding that message, she wanted to think about the positive parts of things.

Like her friendship with Betty, Inez and Pandora.

And the fact that she got to sleep in a comfortable bed.

And that there was food to eat.

And that the school still had the books that she loved so dearly.

And that she had her patrol with Remus that night.

Because, truth be told, Claudia enjoyed his company plenty. She was happy to have a valid excuse to talk to him and be next to him. He was a warm and safe person; the one thing she was truly yearning for.

So, when a stressed Remus practically flew out of the portrait hole, Claudia couldn't help but to smile.

"You're here!" He said in both a panicked and a happy tone.

"Yeah," she chuckled. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah," he smiled sheepishly. "You?"

"Yeah," she smiled.

Lie.

She should be an actress.