CURSES AND CANDIES - REMUS LUPIN

𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑤𝑜.

"Hol, you literally came to Hogwarts half dead," Sirius said, a note of alarm creeping it's way into his voice.

"And Pomfrey said that she had never seen someone with a combination of poison, burns, and water in their lungs along with just being pretty fucked up in general-"

Hollis knew they were just trying to help, but there was something in her mind that was just making her feel so damn angry that she couldn't explain.

"Yes, I already know perfectly well what is wrong with me!" she snapped, making all four boys tense up slightly at the venom in her voice. "So thank you for making me more aware."

Remus's expression melted and then hardened back with the will to try and make her feel better, once again cut off by Hollis's angry voice.

"So I don't know what you want me to do," she fumed, standing up from the bed and glaring at all of them. "Do you want me to start crying about how much I miss him or something, or maybe have a nice mental breakdown so that all of you can feel better?"

As his green eyes widened at her, Remus made a small move to touch her arm that she quickly pulled away from.

"Hollis, you know we obviously don't want you to be sad," he started, beginning to feel desperate. "We just don't know why you haven't been showing literally any emotions besides this weird fake happiness since you got here."

Once again, whenever Hollis got that urge to apologize and hug him, it was blocked by some unknown force preventing her from feeling any positive emotion too strong.

"I mean, we don't want you to cry," Sirius whispered nervously. "But you're just like ice."

"And it's really scary," James said finally.

All four boys stared at her with anxious tension, knowing that they had said all they could and the only thing they could do was watch her reaction that came next.

Remus watched with narrowed eyes as he fingers slowly rested on the locket around her neck subconsciously and then shut her eyes.

"I promise that I want to tell you," she told them, no tone of any kind penetrating through the wall of her voice. "I want to tell you everything."

"But?" Remus prompted after a few seconds, knowing that it was going to be hard for Hollis to say.

This time, she left him take her hand.

"But Regulus already died because of it, and the last thing I need, the world needs, is for someone else to get theirself killed for the sake of something I can do on my own, or I at least know someone who can."

There was obviously a gaping hole that she wasn't filling in here.

"We want to help," Remus told her firmly. "Whatever it is that needs to be done, it's going to be easier if we all do it together."

Hollis doubted any of them even knew what a horcrux was.

"Trust me, Lupin," she whispered, feigning emotion that she wanted to feel as she looked into his eyes. "And listen to me."

Swallowing hard, Remus nodded.

"I'm in too deep, and I can't drag another person down with me."

.‌｡‌*‌ﾟ‌+.*.‌｡‌　‌　‌　‌ﾟ‌+..‌｡‌*‌ﾟ‌+‌ ‌

Hollis was very thankful that she was friends with some of the smartest people in their year, because otherwise there was no way in hell she would be able to catch up with the weeks of finalizing knowledge she had missed.