𝕝𝕖𝕘𝕒𝕔𝕪 ⟡ ᴊᴀᴍᴇs ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ¹

eighty three: chocolate connection

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

REMUS FELT LIKE he was going to throw up. Genuinely, he couldn't do anything but pace around his room and tell himself to stop worrying or he was going to throw up. He hates throwing up. The act was just so dirty and made a mess if you weren't careful. The other three Marauders had stayed up all night with him, mainly because his pacing was so loud it wasn't like any of them could have fallen asleep anyways.

Peter nibbled on a cookie, both his hands holding onto it as he rocked back and forth. He's never been so sleep deprived before. Thankfully, it was a Saturday so there wasn't any school. Sirius had attempted to soothe his boyfriend for about the first three hours, but ultimately gave up after that and was now continuously banging his head against his own pillow. James was simply spinning in his chair aimlessly, his mind almost tricking itself into thinking he might have died and gone off to heaven. As of right now, that picture sounded nice compared to what they were currently doing.

It was far too early in the morning for any of this, and because all four hadn't gotten any sleep, it just made the situation ten times worse. Remus was the only one who didn't seem tired at all, though. In fact, with the amount his brain was buzzing, the rest of them were sure he was about to combust.

"Look, it isn't a big deal, Moony" James tried to console the boy, standing out of his seat but almost falling over due to how much he had spun around. It took a moment for him to realize where he was again. "It is the biggest deal!" Remus shouted, his hands thrown out to the side. "There is no deal bigger than this one!" Everyone's eyes widened, all of them silently wondering if he had actually gone mad. He was acting a bit... crazy.

"Lyra would never judge you-" The Potter's voice was cut off by the Lupin. "How long has she known?" he whispered. "She said she's been working on it for months, but it must've taken extensive research to actually find the ingredients and brew it correctly" Remus sluggishly sat down on his bed, running his hands through his hair. "How long has she known?" he asked again, his voice cracking.

James, Sirius, and Peter wordlessly moved over to him, wrapping their arms around his small frame. Remus Lupin was arguably the most damaged out of all of them. He hid it well, but there are some things that he just can't. He can't always be strong enough for somebody else to lean on. What about him? Everyday he wakes up and he just knows that in some way, he's failed. He's hurting. He's a beast that shouldn't even be at Hogwarts in the first place.

"We're here, Moons. We're here"

✰ ✰ ✰

Lyra waited patiently at the beginning of the hall. It was yet another night of patrols with Remus, and after not seeing him all day, she was sure he'd have questions. She took a deep breath, smoothing down the sides of her robes. Him and James were close. She could feel it. She wasn't surprised that the Potter had come along. Her best guess was that he was doing their rounds for them while her and Remus simply talked.

The two boys appeared in her line of sight slowly. Remus had his chin to his chest, his eyes trailing the ground steadily. He was too afraid to look up at her. James had a bit more sympathetic look on his face. While he didn't know that Lyra knew of his friend's condition, or the fact that she had known for a long enough time to brew a very intense and intricate potion, he did know Lyra. He knew her with every bit of his heart.

And despite everything that's happened between them, but also because of it, he knows that her intentions are pure. Lyra adored Remus. She always has. And she would never knowingly hurt him. So he trusted her. The Lupin had been in a slump all day. He barely ate, he barely talked, he barely did anything. But they all insisted he go to rounds that night to speak with her. He had to.