maple syrup | remus lupin [1]

126. at the surface, there was light

RIVER LUPIN WAS a cat with her own mind. So, Remus chose to simply accept the fact that the cat, who had grown fairly but was still tiny, jumped off of his lap and took to strolling around the train instead of hanging out with the four Marauders.

Betty was just returning inside the compartment that she shared with Inez, Marlene, Lily and Pandora when the cat arrived, stroking herself against Betty's leg and then walking inside the compartment with her.

"Ah, look what the cat dragged in," said Inez with an amused smile on her face. "Literally."

"I wonder what she's doing here," said Betty, allowing the little cat to jump up in her lap as she sat down. However, River, as stated previously, had a mind of her own, so the next thing Betty knew the cat was walking back and forth between all of the girls.

"Where's Claudia?" Lily asked, receiving her fair share of cuddles from the little bundle of joy, who most certainly wanted both her mum back as well as some treats.

"No idea," Inez shrugged.

"I think she's with Remus," Pandora said, patting the cat on the head and giggling slightly because River looked quite funny as she did so.

"I just walked past their compartment," Marlene said with a frown. "I don't think she was in there."

"That's strange," Betty said. "Maybe we should go check for her and bring River back?"

"That we should," Inez said quickly, grabbing River from where she sat on Pandora's lap and heading out the door without another word.

"Is she alright?" Lily asked concernedly.

"She's worried," said Marlene. "For Claudia. Has been all Easter."

"She's not the only one," Betty said quietly, standing up and heading right after Inez.

Eventually, after a walk of both of them panicking internally wondering where Claudia was, they spotted the four boys sitting inside a compartment - three of them chatting and one of them bouncing his leg nervously.

Of course, this caused nothing but furthermore panic on the two girls, due to the fact that Claudia was indeed not in there.

"Where's Claudia?" Inez asked, opening the door abruptly and handing the cat to Peter immediately, who had no idea how to even hold one in the first place, bringing a stressed look over his face.

"She's not with you?" Asked Remus.

"No."

That was the only word the boy needed to hear before he stood up and walked out of the compartment in search for his girl, who had been responding but also doing so in a slightly concerning way.

He tried not to overthink it and assume that something was wrong. But it clearly was, and he knew it deep inside.

"I'll go help him," said James with a tight smile aimed at the two girls, standing up as well and heading in the other direction of the train.