maple syrup | remus lupin [1]

139. sweets & water balloons

"DO YOU PEOPLE WANT anything from the trolley?" Claudia asked all the people in the crammed compartment that consisted of three out of four Marauders, Inez, Betty and Marlene as the journey back to Hogwarts for their seventh year went on.

So far, since stepping on the train by herself only to reunite with the others, Claudia had somehow managed to go to the yearly prefects' meeting, sleep on Remus' shoulder and cuddle with her cat.

And now, after she had made the realisation that she could really use some chocolate frogs, the girl decided to go on a little mission.

"Yes!" They all said at the same time. Well, that was with the exception of Remus who merely looked at her in a way that, quite frankly, had Claudia in the mood to mildly punch him in the gut.

"Are you sure you-"

"Don't even, Remus," Claudia sighed. "I'll survive a two minute long walk, I can assure you. And, if I by some very unlikely and unlucky horrible chance collapse in the middle of the train, you'll be the first to know."

"But-"

"I'm fine," Claudia said with a smile, for she was understanding to why he was always checking up on her health and trying to keep an eye on her and make sure she was fine, which he had been doing nonstop for weeks now.

At first, Claudia wouldn't deny that she adored the attention. But now, after a while, she wished that he wouldn't always worry for her if she even so took a walk by herself, went a full day without taking a nap or accidentally forgot to apply the healing serum that would heal her gashes after that faithful night when Louisa had cursed her to near death.

She loved him, and she loved the attention, but she hated that he and everyone in that compartment watched her as if she was glass that was slowly falling towards the ground to shatter into a million pieces.

Though, she did understand why they all looked out for her as much as they did, because she had in fact almost died, and her health had been poor for over a month. Yet, she had healed miraculously faster and better than anyone thought that she would, and she honestly wouldn't say that she was in much pain anymore.

Sure, sometimes it hurt, especially when she was about to fall asleep. And, sometimes she needed to go and take a nap. But walking, swimming and living like normal wasn't impossible, and she knew what her own limits were.

She knew that she wasn't completely healed yet. She could tell, because her body ached sometimes, her breathing was sometimes rather abnormal and she did have coughing fits every now and then.

And, when she did have those coughing fits, it wouldn't be strange for her to cough up that strange old black liquid.

But Daktari said that it was normal. He said that she was fine, that she was going to get better and that she would be able to get back to normal for the most part.