pink! - remus lupin

06 - why, cameron?

THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, STELLA WAS IN A CONSTANT STATE OF EUPHORIA. One might even say she was glowing, should they have paid attention to her and not her alleged boyfriend. To Stella's surprise, though, no one seemed to hate her for hanging around Cameron. Sure, it was awkward for some who had liked either of the two, but it wasn't loathing of the other. Almost like whenever she talked to another student, to the surprise of onlookers, they were speaking like old friends who ended on bad terms, even though neither had wanted it to end.

It was Thursday, the ninth of October when something seemed to change. When Stella walked down the stairs in the morning, it was like all eyes were on her, staring. Everyone in the sunlit common room looked like they knew something she didn't, something big.

She approached the nearest student in her year curiously, a small smirk on her face. "What?" she asked inquisitively. "Did something happen? Is my dad okay?"

Stella could have sworn she heard someone say, "More like daddy," at that.

The girl, Lottie Newman, looked over to her friend, Jia Cheng, then turned back to Stella. "I guess you'll have to see for yourself, won't you?"

~

Stella let out a small 'hmph' and left the common room, hoping to find more information at breakfast. When she arrived, it was the same as when she appeared that morning to her fellow Hufflepuffs, maybe a bit more jealousy than her housemates. Professor Dumbledore sat at his place, a twinkle of knowingness in his eyes shared among the other people in the Great Hall, and when she sat down beside a first-year student by the name of Killian McEvoy, he walked over to her place.

"Perhaps you ought to take a short walk to the Astronomy Tower, Miss McLeod. I went just a few minutes ago, the sky is especially beautiful today," he suggested casually.

"But Professor, I have to eat before class. I'll be late for Divination!" she contradicted confusedly. The morning had already been a lot for Stella, and she couldn't bear missing class.

"I insist. You deserve a break, Miss McLeod. Perchance, one must 'let loose' a little. Wouldn't you agree?" he replied, then sent her off with a wink.

Stella was more than confused; everything was starting to get to her head. The Transfiguration quiz she would have the next day, the girls who stared and whispered whenever she talked to Cameron, the kids who rolled their eyes whenever she answered a question correctly in class, the four boys who winked at her in the corridors. Stella could hardly take it, but she would never let anyone know. If she did, she would become vulnerable, and vulnerability was not something she could afford to face.

~

She climbed the stairs of the Astronomy Tower, early morning sunlight streaming through the small windows. It was a gorgeous day, no doubt, though a little bit chilly. The cold might have just been Stella's nerves, but the breeze was present. She rounded the last curve in the staircase, coming the top of the tower. She was started for a moment at what she saw, but when she took it in, she couldn't have been happier.

A boy stood at the top, his silhouette illuminated by the early daylight. A blanket lied on the stone floor, two plates of waffles and a small pitcher of pumpkin juice sat on it. Stella looked up at Cameron in disbelief. No one had ever done such a thing for her before.

He looked up at her sheepishly, then looked back down at the ground. "I know a Thursday is a bit odd for a special breakfast," he spoke. "It's the only time I could arrange it so neither of us had Astronomy the night prior. I guess we're up here in the tower anyway, that might have been a bit much."

"No! No, no it's perfect! It's just, why? Why did you do this? I'm nothing special, not to mention I probably look like a wreck-" she started, only to be cut off by Cameron.

"Don't you dare say you're nothing special. You, dear Stella, are the most special person I know, and I know everyone who goes to this school," he said genuinely, truth laced through his every word.

"Can I hug you?"

"You never had to ask."

"Cam, this is lovely and all, but you still didn't answer my question. Why?" Stella was still bewildered by the display before her as she wrapped her arms around his torso, the difference in their height evident.

"I thought you'd like a quiet morning, just you and me away from today's chaotic reality," he justified, clearly not letting on as much as he could've.

"Alright, then," Stella smiled. "Did you bring coffee? I don't think I'll be able to go on with the day without it."

"Coffee? What kind of Brit are you? I brought tea if that's alright."

"I suppose it'll do. Honestly, though. We've been eating breakfast together every day for a month and you still don't know I drink coffee?" Stella questioned jokingly.

"In my defence, I've been paying more attention to you than what you're eating."

"You drink coffee, Cam."

~

Stella looked up to Cameron from her hold in his embrace. So much warmth radiated from the pair, so much love, even if they didn't know it yet. She opened her mouth to speak, surprised once more at her confidence, "We should get eating. I don't think I'd enjoy cold waffles and tea, unless you've put a warming charm on it, of course."

"I didn't think of that," he pondered aloud.

"I didn't expect you to," she reassured, slyly smirking at her insult to his knowledge.

They released each other from their hug, both longing for the other once more as they sat down on opposite sides of the blanket. Stella took a small bite of the now-cold waffles, then took her wand from the pocket of her robes. "Focillo," she said quietly, and a burst of warm air emerged from the tip of her wand, heating the food comfortably. "Would you like me to heat yours as well? I'm going to do the tea afterward."

"Yes please, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all, love."

~

Hello hello hello! Let me just say, the amount of support I get from you all is incredible, so thank you so much for everything. All my chapters are fillers right now, but I promise something will happen soon! If you know me to any extent, you know I will not let things stay this calm for too long. It's just not how my life works. Quite frankly, it is debatable whether I legitimately have a life or not, but we're just okay to ignore that for now. Okay? Okay.

Love, A

originally published November 3, 2019