Wild Amenity » Remus Lupin

19. An open door to freedom (and drama)

Wednesday, 1st September 1976. 7 days until the full moon.

Lupin.

Lupin.

Lupin.

Why did Judson had to call him that?

To be fair, that's what he's called. But there was no denying Judson had screwed up badly. Real bad.

His brain really was having the time of its life reminding him of it through the whole prefects meeting on the way to Hogwarts. Every time he was finally focusing on what the Head Girl in the Slytherin clothes was saying, Judson remembered calling Remus, the boy he was kissing on his bed not even a month ago, by his last name like he was just a classmate. An acquaintance.

Lupin.

The last words Judson picked up from the meeting were 'volunteer', 'patrol', 'first', and 'choose', so he immediately thought of it as a race. He was the first to stand up and offer his and Juniper's slot of her preference. The faster he walked, the faster he would be out of Remus's eyesight, and therefore, decreasing the chances of—

Lupin.

Fuck.

Judson walked away so fast Juniper had to stick his feet to the floor with a spell to force him to wait for her and walk together. She mentioned something about what smelled so bad for him to make that face, and he just said yes.

"Oi, you idiots!" Judson heard Maverick yell from behind. "Are you walking all the way back to King's Cross? I'm here."

Juniper pulled Judson from the wrist and dragged him inside. Judson thanked God they were the only three in that compartment once Maverick fearlessly asked Juniper about her summer and her whereabouts, given that she did not answer the letters of any of them. She went through it like it was nothing, but knowing Juniper came from a pureblood family, Judson couldn't help but think something else was going on.

Lupin.

He made a big effort to focus on his friends, but his mind was a war of sorts, and embarrassment was winning. Judson wondered if it had been too much of a change, or if Remus was expecting something from him, something different, or something like the last time they saw each other. A kiss in front of all the school's prefects was a little too much, but maybe a smile? An everything-is-alright smirk? A nod?

Maverick spoke all the way to Hogsmeade, if that was even possible. In between the sword battle between embarrassment and gloom (that invited itself in), Judson remembered Maverick talking to different people that walked by their compartment. Judson was just gone.

Once at the castle, he did not hear a single word from Dumbledore's speech, and just watched children sit on a stool, put on a hat for thirty seconds and walk to a random table. In between all the cheering the students did, his eyes searched for Remus in the Gryffindor table. Every time. He wished for just a second of interlocked glances, but there was no way Remus's head would turn all the way back to him. Would it be too much if he searched for him later? Judson considered it an option, and began preparing his speech again, since the one he had prepared for the prefect meeting had been wasted in nothing.

Lupin.

After dinner, including a dessert Judson ate as sorrowfully as he could, all houses marched to their common rooms. First years went ahead, while Maverick, Judson, Ophelia and Juniper waited for the halls to empty a bit for them to walk peacefully.

"Oi, look who's there!" Maverick said, stopping on his tracks. Judson looked where Maverick's finger was pointed, and he immediately wanted to disappear. "Hey Lupin! How was summer?"