maple syrup | remus lupin [1]

116. a birthday celebration from hell

A WEEK HAD GONE by since Margaret and Charles had visited Hogwarts. During that time, Claudia had barely been able to forget about the two, considering the mess they had left behind and the butterbeers she was supposed to get with them and the rest of the family to celebrate both her and her father's birthdays that landed pretty nearly to one another; Charles' on the 21st and Claudia's one the 30th.

So, let's just state the obvious. Claudia was having a shitty start to the day before her seventeenth birthday, also known as Saturday the 29th of January.

As she rolled out of bed, doing so with a groan of dissatisfaction, Claudia couldn't think about anything but the visit she was going to be making to Hogsmeade in a few hours time - where she would be reunited with every arse that had caused her so much suffering and trouble.

And, as she headed down to breakfast and reluctantly served herself some pancakes and fruit - a meal she missed despite its strange connections - she still felt like shit.

However, that changed quickly the moment she felt someone kiss her on the cheek and sit down next to her.

"Hello, birthday girl," said Remus, smiling foolishly and practically swooning her despite just how long she had watched that smile on his face before.

"My birthday's tomorrow," the girl said matter-of-factly, but despite that a smile was quick to arrive on her face.

"Oh, but it's been your birthday week all week long, my love," said Remus, smiling like an idiot. "It's a special week. And I intend to continue to make this special week special for my most special girl."

"Your most special girl?" Claudia asked with a raise of her eyebrows. "How many girls have you got?"

"Two," he smiled, causing Claudia to gasp.

"Are you cheating on me, ballerina?!"

"No, no," Remus chuckled. "I've got two special girls in my life. You and my mum."

Claudia smiled brightly, "God, I miss her. I might just go get her some day soon."

"You're gonna steal my mum?!"

"Maybe," she shrugged, returning her attention to the pancakes and fruit, only to sigh as Remus quickly took a few grapes off of her plate. "What're you doing?"

"Eating your food," he said, popping one into his mouth with a grin as Claudia shook her head amusedly and stole a muffin from his plate. "Now what're you doing?"

"Eating your food," she shrugged, and so, naturally, the two entered a stage of eating breakfast off of each other's plates, all their friends arriving and watching them in disgust as they continued to act like the starter pack of a couple in their honeymoon.

However, the times of distraction had to come to an end eventually as Claudia found herself realising that she needed to get going soon or she would be late.