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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
teenage delinquents
KELLAN AND BETTY soon became a commonplace sight. Things had reverted back. Hope Lupin was now alive and well, Lyall Lupin wasn't a drunk and Remus Lupin wasn't up in space. In a struggle with the thralls of life, Betty Lupin was finally holding the reigns again and she wasn't letting go again. Except the reigns weren't made of leather like the used to be as she cracked them, making her mighty steeds charge forward — collecting good marks and ice cream filled memories — they were made of the same fabric as the foolish Emperor's clothes.
The weather turned colder and scarves were brought out. Lily's stomach started to show more — something that she covered with sweaters and glamour charms. Betty saw less and less of her friends, determined to make things work this time around — even if it meant sacrifice.
And yet, as Betty Lupin did her prefect's rounds, she thought about everything that she'd done, but she couldn't seem to focus on any one thing except for her mother's smile. The last one she'd seen before getting into that wretched car and everything rolling into the next and then being sent six feet under. A memory, nothing more.
However, the sound of running footsteps and a couple of whispered shouts snapped her out of her head as she looked around for the source of the noise. She muttered lumos! and walked carefully towards the corridor where the noise was the loudest. Her heart started to race until she heard familiar nicknames being passed around.
"Quickly Pads!" someone whispered harshly from behind the wall.
"Boys," Betty hissed as she rounded the corner and faced the four Gryffindors who were attaching something to the stone.
"Piss off Betty," James grumbled as Sirius jabbed his elbow into James's side. James stuck his tongue out childishly at him, but still turned back towards the girl.
"You're helping us," Sirius said, quietly, but resolutely. "Come on."
"What?" Betty exclaimed a little too loudly, gaining the attention of Filch.
"There you lot are!" she heard him shout from the end of the next corridor over.
Peter quickly shoved stink bombs into her hands with a wink and a mischievous grin as he took off sprinting in the other direction, giggling like a child on Christmas Day. Sirius and Remus trailed after him, leaving James to quickly finish attaching the last one ( he was, after all, the most athletically inclined of all of them and could easily outrun the caretaker of Hogwarts ). He quickly stood up, ready to leave Betty standing in the corridor to take the blame, but he saw the stink bombs in her hand and groaned.
