stain ☾ remus lupin

TWENTYEIGHT

L O S S
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Though the girls had only planned to stay a couple of nights, the sun continued to rise and set, and their sixth day at the Potter house began. She had no fear of overstaying her welcome. Besides, each time she mentioned leaving, Mrs. Potter would laugh it off and invite her to stay another night. The woman loved James's friends, and when she wasn't spending her time fretting over the six of them, she was constantly muttering about how Fleamont should have arrived home a day ago.

"Probably just doing extra work, always volunteering to help, he is. One of the reasons I married him, he does have such a good soul. I shouldn't worry so much, right dear?" Mrs. Potter questioned nobody in particular as she paced around the room. Her hands brushed nervously on her shirt every once in awhile and she continued to mumble to herself, "He'll probably send an owl soon. Yes, an owl."

The infuriating argument between Freya and her own parents was tucked in the farthest, barren corner of her brain. She no longer reflected on it, and it had been nearly two days since she gave it any sort of thought. However, the letter that waited for her on the kitchen table on that early Wednesday morning was what brought reality crashing back in.

The neat, cursive handwriting of her mother familiarly decorated the outside of the crisp, white envelope. She hesitantly picked it up and flipped it back and forth once or twice. Finally, with a slight sense of annoyance, she peeled the flap backwards and shook the envelope until a folded piece of paper fell from its grasp and onto the wooden surface.

Azure eyes skimmed over the crimson ink of one of the many pens her mother kept in a ceramic, unused coffee mug on their kitchen table. The letters formed words that were pieced into sentences that caused her slightly sunburnt cheeks to move as her jaw tightened. A rather aggravated sigh was all that followed.

Dear Freya,
Your father and I have done some thinking over the last few days, and we have decided that we would like to hear you out. If you agree, we'd be perfectly happy to have an adult conversation with you about this magic at the house.
We miss you, and we are so terribly sorry for making you feel as if you are in the wrong for anything you've done relating to Hogwarts, magic, and so on.
Love,
Mum and Dad.

Freya's thumb subconsciously pressed with such pressure against the fragile paper that it crinkled along the edges. Her eyes skimmed the ink written words at least three more times with mild surprise. The letter was the last thing she had expected, as her parents had never sent her one of such content before. The usual mail from them included news, gossip in their family, or a birthday card. This was obviously nothing of the sort.

"—Have decided that we would—" The muttering of Remus could be heard from behind her shoulder as he read the letter to himself. She attempted to ignore him, but as he was right beside her ear, it became increasingly difficult.

"Do you mind?" She finally snapped with such annoyance that it came out almost harshly. Her grip on the paper ceased and it fluttered from her hand and landed on the tablecloth covered wood that her elbow was propped on.

Remus furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, not entirely sure what he had done to receive such an irritated comment. His coffee colored eyes blinked as he stopped himself from saying an equally rude comment. It was then that he realized his murmuring was what was putting her off, and it wasn't because of him necessarily, but the idea of her meeting up with her parents to discuss the subject she always lost at with them — magic.