Frames » Remus Lupin

eight

The date. Ophelia was panicking inside, pulling she tried to hold her feelings in the best that she could. She didn't want to snap at one of her new friends and have to live with that guilt for the rest of her life. However, she didn't have to do too much, as the rest of her dormitory took over.

Lily woke her up at promptly six thirty in the morning before sending her to the shower with a bundle of clothes. Ophelia, dazed and tired, took a slow, sleepy shower before pulling on the jeans and big, fluffy sweater that Jack had given her for Christmas the year prior.

"I want to stay true to you," Marlene said, as she pulled Ophelia's brown hair into a half ponytail- her signature look. Ophelia just yawned. "No makeup, because it's not you. Keep the glasses, you rock them, honestly." Ophelia put her glasses on again and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked essentially the same as she normally did.

"No reason for you to change for him," Mary said, tapping her fingers to her forehead. "Then it's not real for either of you."

"Make him fall in love with you," Alice said, sitting down next to Ophelia, "not who you want to be."

"I'm ready for breakfast," Lily said, sighing and the girls broke out into giggles.

"Aren't you going to Hogsmede too, Lily?" Ophelia asked, a faint smile on her face.

"Mmmm? Oh yes, Severus and I are going, just as friends. We'd rather not go, but I told Potter I was already going with someone and I hate lying."

"Well, we can't have Potter thinking that you were avoiding him, now can we?" Mary asked, her tone dry and teasing.

"Come on," Dorcas said, rolling her eyes at Mary. "I hope they have peppermint tea today; I've really been craving something like that."

"You're always craving something like that," Marlene called as they all made their way down the stairs, which, for once, were actually stairs. The girls had become so accustomed to sliding down the stairs after Sirius or James tried to sneak up the stairs to see someone (or Lily, in James' case) that they grumbled as they took the long descent from the fourth year dorms to the Great Hall.

Breakfast was the happiest Ophelia had been since Dolohov had cursed her seven years ago. As she giggled and smiled with her friends, she made eye contact with Professor Dumbledore, who was observing her with pride, and received a little nod in response. Turning back to her friends, she caught Remus' eye as well and offered him a shy smile.

"I've never see you this social... gosh I think ever, Lia!" Alice said, her hand laced with that of her boyfriend Frank. Ophelia shrugged.

"It's difficult to be social when you don't have any friends," Ophelia said. "And besides, it was better for me that I didn't have any friends. We all know how I can get..." Ophelia lowered her head before sucking in a breath in the awkward silence. "It's time I told you about myself, seeing as we're all friends now." Ophelia composed herself and wiped her emotions from her face.

"What's that mean, Lia?" Dorcas asked curiously.

"I'm sure you have all heard the rumors about me or seen it happen before. I'm cursed to be a weapon in war. When I get angry, I attack," Ophelia said simply, wringing her hands secretively under the table.

"Oh, Lia," Lily sighed, taking one of Ophelia's cold hands in her own. "That's got to be horrible thing to live with."

"You get used to it after a while," Ophelia said, her eyes sweeping down the table. She stood up suddenly. "I will see you all later, but I have business to attend to." They all bid her goodbye and she walked over to the Marauders.

"Hey, Ophelia," Remus said, scooting over to make room for her. She sat down gently.

"Hello, Remus, James, Peter, Sirius," she said, stealing a piece of toast off of James' plate.

"Ophelia!" He whined. "That was my toast!"

"You've three other pieces, I'm sure the theft of a single piece won't hurt you," Ophelia said, batting James' hurt look and words away.

"She's got a point, Prongs," Sirius said, eating from his own monstrous pile of toast.

"Anyway, Remus, would you like to go early to get ahead of the crowd?" Ophelia asked, turning around to stare straight into his soul with her piercing navy blue eyes. "Mr. Filch should be opening up the doors about now." As soon as she said that, Filch ambled out of the room to go open the doors.

"You're insane, Lia," James said. "How can you live with such insanity?"

"Feeling lost, crazy and desperate belongs to a good life as much as optimism, certainty and reason," Ophelia said, the ghost of a smile dancing across her face.

"Sure, I'll come with you early," Remus said, standing. "Who was that?"

"The quote?" Ophelia asked, wrapping her arm through Remus' outstretched one. "Alain de Botton. One of my favorites."

With that, the two left the Great Hall, arm in arm, gently smiling at each other.

This above all, to thine self be true.
-Hamlet