Lollipops ↬ Sirius Black

Lollipops - Chapter 14

It was not long before Naomi hastily concluded her meet-up with Madam Pomfrey, in order to question Remus as to why it was that he was hiding there. In the meantime, the boy remained kneeling down behind the wall, a new expression of shock dawning on his face. He silently cursed himself for peeking into the Hospital Wing, because that was his downfall. For, Naomi caught him doing so, and now, his plans would be revealed.

For that, Remus knew that he had to think quick. If he was fast enough, he would be able to run away without being seen...

"What are you doing here?" A voice hissed at him. Remus felt a looming presence shadowing over his body, and with dread, slowly looked up. There, with an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face, stood Naomi, her unamused face demandingly towering over his cowering away one.

He hastily scrambled up and began to scratch his head, searching for an excuse. "I—erm... I had to, y'know, do stuff!"

The girl leaned back, not only because he was taller than her and she no longer appeared as intimidating, but because she was more worried and fretful than she was angry. She softened her voice a little bit, "Were you listening in to our conversation?"

Remus knew that by 'our' she meant her and Madam Pomfrey, and, of course, he'd like to make up an excuse for his being there, but under the piercing and worrisome gaze of his peer, he couldn't find it in him to lie. With that, the teenage boy guiltily murmured, "Yes,"

Naomi's breath evidently hitched, and there was a pause in which she took in his response. By the time she had done so, a distressed look settled on her face. One that, believe it or not, put Remus to shame. "Oh, Remus. Why would you do that?"

He was confused by why her voice was so gentle, calm, and understanding, but her tone put him at ease, urging him to settle down and not worry. "Look, Naomi," he sighed, and in that time, Naomi nodded, encouraging him to continue. In a very unassuming voice, he confessed, "I've... I've been following you around. For quite some time, actually."

Naomi looked scandalized and violated. "Well, why would you do such a thing?"

Remus sighed. "The thing is, Naomi, it's not just me who's been following you around," he confessed again. "It's all of us—me, Sirius, James, Peter—we've all been following you because we wanted to know if you were a trustworthy person,"

"A trustworthy person?" Naomi grew slightly incredulous. "Why on earth should that matter to you?"

"Because you know our secret!" Remus exclaimed, and she softened her features a little. "Look, this thing that you know, it means a lot to me, as well as the rest of the Marauders," he said, anxious. "If you rat us out, well, we're as good as dead! I'm not sure if you understand, but—"

"I do understand, though," she softly stated, catching Remus by surprise. She explained, "To want to keep a secret so desperately. Look, if it matters so much to you, I won't say a word to anyone. Promise."

He took some time to let her words sink in, and when he did, he gave her a solemn yet relieved nod.

"Good?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Good." He confirmed.

With that, Remus nodded in a sign of farewell and began to tread the opposite way. However, no further than a couple of steps, he was, once again, halted by Naomi.

"Wait!" she exclaimed. He inquisitively turned around, and she anxiously glanced around before questioning him in an uncertain tone. "You didn't, erm... you didn't hear anything... concerning? Or out of the ordinary? When you were eavesdropping on Madam Pomfrey and I?"