maple syrup | remus lupin [1]

148. family protects family

"WHAT IS THAT, DEAR?" Claudia heard her grandmother ask her as she sat on the windowsill and stared at the book in her hands. The book that had revealed the truth.

Now, all she had to do was confirm it.

Claudia looked at her grandmother, who immediately could tell that she had gotten there too late. Claudia knew. Oh, she knew all too well what her father had done.

And she wasn't going to let this one go.

"I think you know just what this is," said Claudia, whose voice was quiet and raspy as if she had been yelling for hours, when she in reality hadn't spoken much all day.

Claudia tossed the book on the floor, and then she stood up and stared her grandmother dead in the eye, "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" Margaret asked, despite knowing what Claudia was going on about.

"Did my father kill my mother?"

"Oh, Claudia-"

"Don't," the girl warned, holding up a hand to silence her. "Don't pity me. Don't act as if you give a shit. And please, for the love of Merlin, don't act as if you're my perfect sweet little grandmother. Answer me instead. Did my father kill mum?"

"Yes."

Claudia's throat closed up, and she must've stared at Margaret for at least a few minutes before she finally could talk again, in an even smaller and weaker voice.

"H-how long have you known?"

"It came to my attention a few years ago," Margaret said, and she looked as if she was sad and remorseful which only made Claudia angrier.

"How?"

"The same thing happened to your aunt. I found that out on accident. I caught him speaking with Greyback about it. That's when I figured it out."

"And you still didn't do shit about it," said Claudia, staring at her out of disbelief.

"I tried," said Margaret. "I really did. Your aunt...Gemma, she was nice. I don't like the idea of nice people being murdered. Oh, and your mother, Claudia-"

"What about her?"

Margaret hesitated for a moment, but then she surrendered to herself, "Your mother was as good as one gets. I will forever be sorry for what this family did to her."

Now, one might wonder just why Margaret Maple didn't hate Claudia's mum despite everything. Well, she had first met the woman who soon would be the mother of her grandchild during an interview with the Prophet. Anne was a struggling writer who had arrived to interview the family in a devastating piece about the loss of Albert, the oldest son.

And, well, Anne wasn't exactly in the brightest of moods during the interview considering she knew Albert and Fayola as well as she did. But, she plastered on a smile and acted professionally.