GUYS MY AGE | Remus Lupin

TWO

BRONTË
" crying does not indicate that you are weak ; since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive "

VIVIENNE HATED THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT HER BOYFRIEND HAD GOTTEN FOR HER. She would even go as far as to say that she detested it. Perhaps she should've been grateful he'd spent money on her, in hopes to see her smile, or even feel touched with how eager he was to watch her tear open the wrappings. But all she felt was repulsiveness swallow her whole at the mere sight of it.

"Do you like it?" Oliver Wood asked ardently, his pleasant Scottish accent pulling Vivienne out of her reverie as he grinned toothily at her. He moved across the compartment to sit next to her, bringing an arm over to rest on the back of her seat. "D'you want me to help you put it on?"

Vivienne stared at the necklace delicately placed in the middle of the flat, velvet box. He had spent luxuriously, she could tell from the way the thin, gold chain gleamed brightly amidst the dim lights inside the Hogwarts Express and the incandescence of the ruby pendant.

"I got you that because it reminded me of how you'd dress to my games when you'd cheer for me," Oliver explained, glancing at the stone then back at her. "You're all bedecked in red from head to toe, so I thought it'd be nice to see you in this as well."

Breathe in — breathe out.

She tried not to let him see the way her hands started to tremble and the grimace threatening to tug on her lips.

He only meant well, he wouldn't have known.

Vivienne stared harder at the jewelry as though willing it to combust into flames — she kept her gaze locked on it as though it'd magically allow her to suddenly be able to stomach the sight of it.

     "Viv?"

     "Thank you," she blurted out before saying anything she didn't mean. Smiling up at Oliver, she repeated the words slower this time, "Thank you for the necklace." She laid the box on her lap and slid the cover back on it, as though the thought of it being concealed meant it was gone forever.

     Oliver kept his brown eyes on her face, studying her features — then he frowned. "What is it? What's wrong with the necklace? Do you not like it?"

     "No, I think it's pretty," she lied at once.

     "You're lying," he retaliated, letting out a puff of breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "What is it you don't like about it?" he asked, his voice dropping to a mumble — a cross of irritation and weariness. This wasn't the first time she'd lied about saying she enjoyed something she truly didn't.

     Vivienne felt a hint of anxiety rise up inside of her upon realizing Oliver was disappointed. "Wait, no, please don't be upset with me." She attempted to reach over and take his hand in hers, but he'd stood up and made his way to the opened compartment doors.

     "I'm not upset," Oliver quickly said, sliding the door shut so they could have privacy from the other students walking up and down the corridor. "I just want you to be honest with me if you don't like something."

     "Don't close the door," Vivienne tried to say as calmly as possible.

"Last time we hung out with my friends, you told me it was all right we stayed out late. I didn't even know you weren't feeling well until you were sick the next day." Oliver ran a hand frustratedly across his short hair.

"Oliver, please open the door," she repeated, eyes darting around the walls around her as panic began to rise inside her chest.

He didn't seem to be listening to what she'd said. His eyebrows were furrowed as he continued to rant about all the times she'd lied to him. "I'm just saying, Viv — you need to stop running away every time I try to talk to you about our problems — "

Vivienne didn't wait to listen to the rest of what he'd said — she'd push herself off the seat, the box dropping to the ground as she yanked open the door. Ice had frosted over her veins as she sent a glare at Oliver, her body trembling as she gripped the handle tightly. "I told you not to close the door."

"See — this is what I'm talking about," Oliver reasoned. "You complain when things like this happen, but you never tell me what's wrong or why you act the way that you do. Just — just talk to me."

She avoided his gaze, focusing on the slightly weathered seats. "And I told you before — my problems are mine to bear alone. They're not your burdens to carry." Before he could open his mouth again to make a retaliation to that, she turned around. "I'm going to look for Varian — he should be up at our usual compartment."

"Viv, wait — "

     "We're here!" one of the younger students exclaimed, effectively cutting off Oliver as Vivienne halted on her feet. "We're slowing down; we're here!"

     She frowned, looking over her shoulder to see the befuddled expression on Oliver's face as he, too, realized that the train was slowing down. "We're not there yet, are we?" she asked.

     He shook his head, peering out the window through the heavy rain that fell as he squinted to get a better look. "No, I don't see the castle."

     "Then why — " she was cut off by a shriek escaping her lips as the train came to a sudden jolt. She lost her balance, toppling over her feet as Oliver swiftly caught her before she fell. His arms encasing around her, he held her firmly as the lamps began to flicker out all at once.

     Darkness surrounded them without warning — terrified shouts from the first years echoing from the different parts of the train. Vivienne shivered despite the thick jumper she was wearing and the warmth Oliver was emitting — a strange sort of cold seemed to sweep inside the compartment.

     "What the hell is happening?" she whispered, fingers clutching his shirt tightly as she stared at the direction of where the opened door was.

     "I got you," was his quiet reply, holding her safely in his arms.

Vivienne's heart thundered against her chest as her breathing quickened — she knew something was about to go terribly wrong, but she didn't know what.

And then it appeared.

Something dark and shadowy moved across the ground, hovering past the doors. It was cloaked and unseen, yet it reminded her of death. She stifled a gasp, shuffling a step backwards further into Oliver's hold as the scuffle of her shoe attracted the creature to her direction.

Before she could even anticipate it, a weathered hand — scabbed and decayed — reached out from beneath the cloak. Then it began to draw in a long breath as though attempting to suck as much air as it could into its lungs.

Vivienne felt as though she'd been plunged into a pool of ice cold water, her entire senses growing numb as her body locked up. Flashes of images seemed to flicker in her mind — crying, begging, the clanging sounds of something metallic, pain.

The last thing she saw before she blacked out was bright light illuminating the room as she slumped into Oliver's arms unconscious.

A/N

And there we have chapter 2! Super short, but I decided to do so for faster updates AND to have more chapters. What did you think of this? Any thoughts on why Viv acted the way she did about the necklace and the door? What about Oliver and his side of the argument?

Any guesses on what she saw when the Dementor tried to perform the Kiss?

I hope you guys enjoyed this! Don't forget to vote and comment!