Chasing Pavements | Remus Lupin

chapter two | returning to england

In the weeks that went by, Celeste took her time to pack for her move back to England. In a way, it was easy and hard to empty the house she grew to love, along with the country and job she would miss dearly. Still, Madame Maxime at Beauxbatons assured her that she was always welcome to come back if she had the opportunity to do so.

She was nervous to go back to England, having to face the people she left behind and the memories she intended to remain buried. A part of her wanted to stay in France and forget that Dumbledore even sent her a letter in the first place. But with the guilt weighing on her as she tried to live her life without trying to think any more about it would only do nothing but drive her mad. For all she knew, maybe going back would bring her closure.

When Celeste arrived at the train station with her trunks, she still felt anxious about leaving France, her heart beating fast yet aching at the same time. She watched as other families got on the train without a second thought, rushing their children. Celeste took her time as she paid for her ticket and hopped on the train, placing her things in the compartment above her seat. Sitting down, she looked out the window at her view of people walking in different directions of the station, huffing a sigh.

"Excusez-moi," a voice from behind her said, to which she turned around and was surprised to see who it was. "Is this seat taken?"

Celeste opened her mouth and smiled a little. "Philibert. You came."

"Well, Dumbledore's letter was very convincing, wouldn't you say?" he said, chuckling as he put his things in his compartment, then taking a seat across from her.

"Oh, is that the only reason?" she relied, raising her eyebrows and grinning his way.

Philibert playfully rolled his eyes. "If you already know the answer to that question, then why even ask?"

"Just to see if you'll answer it, or at least admit the main reason you're going back is because of him," she responded.

"So what if I am?" he asked, leaning back in his seat. "I think it's about time we know the truth, oui? Don't we all deserve that much?"

Celeste nodded her head. "Yeah, we do," she said.

Philibert huffed a sigh, folding his arms. "I mean, it's a big risk, I know, but I think twelve years is enough time to finally put things to rest, don't you think?"

She bit her lip and stared at her friend. Sure, it was time to get things settled, but how well would that go? What would the outcome be, having another fallout and more innocent people get killed in the process, then running away to avoid any more trouble from the Ministry? Everything could crumble like before, and then even more tension would arise between the friends. If that were to happen, Celeste might lose all of her friends for good, maybe never seeing them again. She couldn't bear the thought, especially with how well she and Philibert had done keeping in contact with each other over the years, even if they only saw each other for one day and it was just for a few hours.

"How different do you think things will be once we get there?" she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "We'll find out in a couple of hours."

"Are you nervous?"

"How can I not be?"

"Exactly how I feel."

Philibert let out a chuckle. "Well, we're definitely in for an interesting return, aren't we?"

Celeste grinned in response. Honestly, with not knowing what to expect after being away for so long, things would get rather interesting.

When the train left the station, the two looked out the window and took in the breathtaking view of France, wanting to remember the beautiful sights of the country before they would leave it behind. Celeste saw the way Philibert held a sad smile at the scenery, and she knew how much he would miss France, most likely more than she would. Both of them took a few more minutes before staring at each other again and getting comfortable in their seats for the journey.