'°☆ tied to the thread •°

V

'Dear whoever finds this note,
by the time you read these words, I'm dead. My lifeless body will be lying on the grounds beneath the Astronomy Tower. My suffering tired me, therefore I put an end to it. It was my selfish decision and mine alone. I say selfish, because I know I’ll be the one that benefits the most from it. I’m sorry, Clara. I’m sorry for not having been a better role model and not having taken better care of you. I’m sorry for leaving you alone with our mother, please forgive me. You’re the best sister I could’ve asked for. I love you. I’m sorry, Luna. I’m sorry for having been such a burden on you, for having treated you so coldly despite your care and kindness. I don’t know why you stuck around since our first day at Hogwarts, but I’m eternally grateful you did. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. I love you in a way you can’t even fathom. I’m sorry, Professor Lupin. I’m sorry for having taken up so much of your time and patience for nothing. I’m sorry for having burdened you so terribly. You deserve a better student. I’m thankful for all your words of advice and reassurance. But it’s over now, you don’t have to bother with me anymore.
I’m sorry, but it’s for the best.
Goodbye.
Adriana’

‘Shit.’, Lupin thought and sprinted to the astronomy tower.

Everyone was at dinner, hence the Ravenclaw common room and dormitory were deserted. Adriana frantically looked through all of her books and papers spread out on her bedsheets.
‘It needs to be somewhere, I’m certain I hid it in a book…’
The realisation that hit her next made her freeze mid-motion. She must've lost it on her way to the tower. That meant there was a good possibility somebody had already found her letter, read it and now was on its way to her. There was an even greater possibility that said someone was the one that had chased after her: Lupin. Within the blink of an eye she had decided what she’d do next.
‘Who cares if somebody found it. Only more reason to get it over with. It’s now or never.’
With even greater speed than earlier she ran to the highest tower in Hogwarts, also known as the Astronomy Tower. Her stamina was astonishing, considering her physical condition. She arrived at the tower and sprinted up its stairs full of adrenaline. Having reached the platform, she stood still for a second, breathing heavily.
‘It’s finally going to be over.’
The sly smile on her lips faded when she heard hurried footsteps running up the staircase. Footsteps she only knew too well. The red and scarred face of Remus Lupin appeared. Without hesitation she sprinted towards the railing.
"Arresto Momentum!”, he cried out with his wand pointing at the girl.
The spell hit her and she stopped moving. This gave Lupin the possibility to catch up with her and wrap his arms around her body before casting the counter spell. The girl tried to free herself from his embrace, but Lupin was strong. They fell to the floor, but that didn’t stop her from squirming around hysterically.
“Adriana.”, he said in an unusually serious tone.
She whined as tears streamed down her face.
“Adriana, calm down.”
She didn’t give up and continued to struggle, but eventually gave up from exhaustion. She realised that she had lost. Her body was trembling in his arms and she was breathing heavily. They sat on the floor like this for a little while, before Lupin spoke.
“Are you hurt?”, his voice had returned to its usual softness.
Adriana shook her head. She wished she were hurt. She wished there was a physical distraction from the feeling that arose in her chest and spread through her whole body.
“I’m sorry for casting a spell at you, I needed to stop you.”, he apologised, “Let’s get away from here, okay?”

On the whole way to his office, Lupin kept Adrianas shoulder gripped firmly, as though she’d run away again any second. But even if she had been given the opportunity, she was in too much of a shock to use it. Once they arrived at Lupin's office, he didn’t immediately try to disturb her silence. He wrapped her in a thick, woollen blanket and lit a fire in the chimney. The professor then brewed some tea and sat down next to Adriana. It was all just like the very first time she had sat here. Lupin had set down her mug on the table in front of her, where she left it untouched. Her body was still shivering.
“Adriana?”, Lupin asked quietly.
But she didn’t reply. Her only reaction was a tear rolling down her already tear-stained cheek. He was aware that she was not currently in a state of mind to talk, so he let her stare at the flames absent-mindedly. Every now and then, Adriana broke into tears and buried her face in her hands. Lupin rubbed her back and waited for her crying to subside. They sat like this for a while, until the silence was interrupted by someone knocking at the door. Lupin eyed Adriana, who showed no reaction to the noise, before getting up and answering the door.
“Good evening. I’m really sorry for disturbing you, but do you know where Adriana is? I haven’t seen her since afternoon and I’m starting to worry. I mean, it’s long past dinner and she’s nowhere.”, a hectic voice said.
Adriana recognised it immediately as Luna’s. She buried her face in her hands again and wept.
“Don’t worry about her, she’s with me. I don't think she can spend the night in the dormitory, but she’s safe.”
“Did something happen? Is she hurt?”
“She’s not hurt, no, but speaking as of now, she’s a danger to herself and needs to be watched over. But Luna, don’t worry about it, it’s going to be okay.”, he reassured her, “You take care of yourself and get some rest, alright?”
“Alright. Tell her that she’s important to me, okay?”
Luna's voice sounded like she was about to cry too. Lupin nodded before he sent her off. He returned to Adriana, who still sat with her face in her hands.
“You heard her, didn’t you?”
She nodded slightly and burst into tears again.