The markings scattered his back, interlocking and over-layering to weave a tapestry of anguish and indescribable pain.
As she opened her eyes, the comforting smell of coffee and parchment filled her nose. For the first time in 5 years she had opened...
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Harper ran her fingers over the scar.
"Does it hurt?" She asked quietly. "No, not now."
Whilst the harsh redness of the wound had faded, and most of the marking was invisible at a distance, the violent scar across Remus' face still hadn't faded.
"It'll fade eventually." Remus reassured her. "I'm not bothered by it... I just don't think it can do you any good seeing it all the time." Harper admitted, pulling her hand away.
The two were sat side by side in an otherwise empty train compartment on the Hogwarts Express.
"It hasn't been that long." Remus shrugged. "We're leaving school for summer, it's been a few months." She countered.
Remus sat with his legs outstretched and propped up on the bench opposite them. Harper sat to his side, next to the window, and had her own shorter legs resting on top of his as she rested her head on his shoulder. The summer sun beat through the window warming them as they sat with their legs entangled, enjoying each other's company before the long holidays.
"Harp, what are you going to do when you get home?" Remus asked, fully aware that the topic of conversation might annoy her. "I don't know." She replied shortly. "I don't want you to get in lots of trouble for what happened at Christmas. I heard the howlers your grandparents sent."
She just hummed quietly in response, picking up Remus' hand and messing with his fingers in her lap.
"Are you sure you want to go home?" He asked. "I don't know." She admitted. "Are you scared?"
Harper tensed up slightly, dropping Remus' hand, "Yeah... Yeah I am."
"Harper..." Remus sighed, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him. "It's not like they'll do anything terrible... It just wears you down emotionally listening to them all the time." Harper mumbled.
"You could stay at mine?" Remus offered, "Only if you want. My parents would be more than okay with it." "No, no I should go home."
"I don't get why though. I mean, they treat you like rubbish and you hate them but you still try to defend them. It's not okay, is it?" Remus could feel anger bubbling inside of him. "Remus I-" "Why don't you stay with Lily? You won't have to see me during the full moons and you'll be away from your family. I know it's not my place to say but I really don't think you should be around them considering everything that's going on."
"Remus, just-" "Everyone's talking about people going missing and that it's some sort of cleansing and I'm just saying your mother probably would support that and if you go home they might not let you leave. What happens if you go missing for being a blood traitor?"
Harper fell silent, no longer having the will to stand her ground in the conversation - not that she had particularly been doing it before. This subject was the one thing they disagreed on, although Harper would probably admit Remus was right she wouldn't do what he said. Harper's mother had once been understanding, she had after all fallen in love with and married a muggle born wizard. She only hoped that one day her mother would return to be that same understanding woman she had been all those years ago.
"Harp?" Remus asked hesitantly. "I just really don't want to talk about it. Please, let me deal with it when I get there. If I really need to I'll come to you, okay?" "Okay." Remus sighed.
Harper pulled Remus into a hug, holding him so tight and hoping that they would never be separated. This, of course, would not happen.
"You still smell of coffee." She mumbled into his jumper. "Do you still like it?" "I think I'll always like it."
The compartment door slammed open as Sirius strutted in, closely followed by James and Peter.
"Would you two calm down? This is a public place." Sirius shielded his eyes as he moved Remus' legs off the bench and sat down opposite them. "And this is a hug." Harper replied, sitting upright.
"Are you not meant to be in the prefect's carriage? You know, with the prefects?" James asked Remus.
His eyes widened as it dawned on him, although Remus had to admit he was a terrible prefect. All year he'd been neglecting his duties or bending the rules for his friends and he was a little surprised McGonagall hadn't picked him up on it.
"Well it's a bit late to start being a good prefect now." Remus shrugged, hoping his absence in the prefect's carriage had gone unnoticed. "I think it's past 'a bit late'. You've been the world's worst prefect for two years now." Sirius sniggered.
Harper sighed, causing Remus to look over at her, "What?" He asked. "We've only got one year left at Hogwarts... It's weird isn't it? What are we going to do?"
Remus slung his arm around her shoulders, "What are you going to do?" "I'm going to party. I'm talking 24/7 365 days a year partying." Sirius smirked, staring up at the wall almost as though he were picturing it before him.
"Still set on becoming an Auror?" Remus ignored Sirius. "I don't know... A whole year of partying sounds like a better bet." Harper laughed as Remus rolled his eyes.
"Guys!" James stood up. "Ja-ames!" Sirius sung in response.
"We can't be talking about after school yet! Hogwarts isn't over yet!" James exclaimed desperately. "You're just saying that because when we leave school you won't see Lily again." Sirius pointed out jokingly.
Little did he know the severity of James' feelings. Sure, at first it was purely based on the fact that James thought Lily look unbelievably hot. As the year had progressed however, James now spent much of his time with an intense pain in his chest. It was like when Lily entered the room he could finally breathe again, but she was the only one that made him nervous and unsure of himself. James Potter was irretrievably in love with Lily Evans and nobody could really see it. Even Lily couldn't see it - although she wouldn't admit she quite liked the boy.
"Promise you'll write?" Harper asked, grasping the bottom of Remus' jumper in her hands. "Of course I will, and you need to too." "But don't forget to." "I would never forget about you."
Harper pursed her lips as she looked up at Remus. They stood closely together on the packed platform at Kings across station. The other Marauders and Lily had already bid their farewells before making a quick exit, leaving Remus and Harper alone.
"You'll come an visit won't you?" Remus asked now, running his hand through her hair. "Yeah, definitely." She nodded quickly.
"You know I love you, right? I love you."
Harper felt her mouth run dry. But she wasn't scared now, she was happy. Despite knowing she would go home and be mercilessly persecuted by her family about her disgraceful choices, Harper wasn't nervous. And that's why those four words fell from her lips so effortlessly.
