pink! - remus lupin

04 - what was it again?

SOLEIL DIDN'T LIKE THE TRAIN VERY MUCH. Or, so it seemed anyway. When they began to leave the station, she meowed quite viciously. Then, when Cameron offered to pay for Stella's sweets, she pawed anxiously at her owner's lap. It was all fine until their previous conversation was brought up again and Soleil had had enough. She began to scratch at Stella's arms, leaving light marks from her clipped claws.

"Soleil Luna Pumpkin McLeod, what is your issue? Are you taking advantage of me because you know it would be impossible for me to be mad at you?" Stella scolded, gently, of course.

"Soleil Luna- what was it again?" asked Cameron, still infatuated with the girl.

"Pumpkin McLeod, it's quite the name but I like it."

"Why Luna? Pumpkin I get, for Autumn. But Luna, I'm a bit lost," he questioned, and it was not a good question to ask.

"For my mother. She died when I was a baby," Stella replied bluntly, not letting her emotions get to her.

"I'm so sorry for-"

"Don't. I don't want to hear it. I don't need your condolences, I wallow in my self-pity every day! So please, don't tell me you're sorry. Truth is one of the only things I require to live my life, and God knows that wouldn't be the truth," Stella spat, her rare anger lacing through each word harshly.

So Cameron didn't say he was sorry, he just looked at her for a moment, and he realized something very important. Stella McLeod wasn't the perfect girl everyone thought she was, aside from not having friends, of course. Her perfect test scores weren't the product of endless love and support from family. Her fashion sense wasn't from playing dress-up with her mother as a young girl.

Stella was the product of her own making, of her loneliness. So he realized that she wasn't Stella, she was merely an echo of her true self, and he was determined to find out what her voice really sounded like.

~

Hogsmeade Station soon came into view, and Stella felt her heart racing in her chest. Thankfully, the two new friends had long since changed into their robes, both adorned with the bright yellow Hufflepuff crest. Stella would have forgotten if she hadn't changed early enough. She smiled at Cameron, and he returned that smile, them both knowing this year would be so different from the rest.

Once the train came to a complete stop, Stella grabbed her small backpack from the overhead compartment and gently scooped Soleil into her arms, careful not to wake the kitten. They double-checked the seats for extra candies or gold between the cushions, then left to deboard the train.

"Stella?" Cameron asked nervously.

"Yep?" Stella replied, popping the p.

"Would you like to sit with me during the feast? You don't have to, but if you want to then, uh, yeah," he continued anxiously.

"You're rambling, Cam. Of course, I'll sit with you. I thought we'd end up doing it anyway."

Cameron smiled contentedly. His day had not gone the way he had anticipated, but it went quite well. Not only was Stella now his friend, but she seemed to like him too. He didn't want to assume anything, but he figured they might become something more than friends by Halloween. He'd wait for her though, whenever she was ready if she ever would be.

~

They boarded the nearest carriage with enough space for the two of them, Stella marvelling over the thestrals, Cameron marvelling over how the carriages were drawn by nothing. Soleil soon woke from her nap, stretching out in Stella's lap. "Have a good name, Ollie?" Stella asked her, using a new nickname.

Soleil simply nudged her head against Stella's arm, then rolled over onto her back. She just sat there for a moment, blue eyes staring up into those of her owner. Stella rubbed her tummy softly, soothing the kitten back into a peaceful state. "Would you like to hold her?" she asked Cameron, who had been staring at the two once more.

"Uh, sure," he answered, not confident in his cat-holding abilities. Stella took Soleil into her hands and carefully put her down in Cameron's outstretched arms. She watched as he blushed when their hands made contact, as he snuggled Soleil into his chest. "She's so soft!" he exclaimed, earning a few questioning looks from the surrounding passengers.

"Hey, Cam?"

"Yes, Ella?" he replied. Stella smiled at the unfamiliar nickname.

"What's your middle name?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Thomas. Was my great-grandfather's name. You?"

"Violet, it was my mum's favourite flower. Dad didn't like it at first, but he would have done anything for Mum," she told him, voice cracking slightly at the end.

"Stella Violet," Cameron pondered. "It's beautiful, your Mum sounds like she was a lovely woman."

Of course, Stella only knew her mum from stories, but she too thought Luna was a lovely woman. Frey wouldn't have fallen in love with anyone less than that, she was sure. The moment was broken by Soleil's meow, a cry for attention. "You're lovely too, Soleil. Mum would have adored you, Dad said she'd always been a cat person," Stella reassured her cat.

~

The carriages soon arrived at the gates of the castle, the views of both the school and Hogsmeade breathtaking. Stella jumped off of the carriage, taking Soleil from Cameron's arms as soon as she got off. She thanked him for being so good with the kitten, then they set off in the herd of students, big and small, toward the castle. Stella helped guide a few second-years, as they had never been that way before. Cameron winked at a few of the girls who were staring at the uncommon sight of Stella with another student.

"Fuckboy," Stella muttered underneath her breath, even though Cam was close enough to hear her.

"Hey! I'm just naturally flirty!" he explained.

"So you're a fuckboy?" she reinstated with a laugh. That time, he laughed too.

It didn't matter that they hadn't ever had a full conversation before that day, or that the pressure of their OWLs was looming over their heads. It only mattered that they were enjoying themselves, and that was a feeling Stella hadn't felt in too long.

~

WOW LOOK AT ME MOM! I know I updated yesterday, but there's nothing wrong with updating again, right? I actually have to get ready to leave my house (what?) to go apple picking so yeah, but I gotta go over some points quickly. Soleil is superior to all others, thank you very much. Stella talking about her mum makes me sad. And the last one, SHIP SHIP SHIP SHIP SHIP. I legit love Cameron and Stella so much and yes you should be worried. I may or may not be slipping in a bunch of references to Shawn's songs just because he's Cam's face claim. One last thing, though. I have a nickname problem, so just know that everyone will have one or two or too many. I love you all!

Love, A

originally published October 20, 2019