swim || remus lupin

on the horizon

"What did Remus say at breakfast?" Alice asked.

"Basically the same story that we pieced together," Lily shrugged, flicking through her cards. "Said he was interrogated when he returned last night and Sirius went after him, Remus got a few punches in, though."

"Sirius probably didn't let him explain," I muttered, my blood boiling at the reminder of our fight.

"Maybe he didn't need him to," Lily suggested. "If he knew Remus had feelings for you, he'd have a right to be jealous and angry at Remus for sneaking off with you late at night." I nodded slowly.

"I guess it would make sense."

"You two have that Astronomy thing with them tonight, yeah?" Marlene asked, throwing down a card absentmindedly.

"Oh fuck, I forgot." I said, rolling my head back in agony.

"Oh joy, the love triangle in a confined area," Lily joked.

"You'll be too busy making out with Potter to notice," I quipped, pushing the blushing ginger on the shoulder.

"Shove off, Syd," she groaned.

"I didn't even think of that! Lils you have to make a move tonight," Marlene squealed, shifting the topic.

"What would you like me to do, pull him off to the side and rip his shirt off while those three kill each other?"

"I mean yeah, that's one option," Marlene said, scarily serious.

"You could just talk to him," Alice mentioned obviously.

"That would be the preferred solution," I added.

"Ugh, think of the drama," Marlene cried dramatically. "Alice, why didn't we take astronomy?"

"You hate thinking about things larger than life such as the universe, time, and muggle calculators," the brunette listed.

"Well how does it do all of that math with no magic?!"

Time ticked by, and with each passing moment I experienced a new emotion. Frustration over Sirius's immaturity, sadness over our final words spoken only hours after such an intimate night, wonder over the possibility of Remus's part in all of it, confusion over my feelings for the both of them, and dread over having to face all of this within the hour.

At around 11:40, Lily and I grabbed some extra snacks and blankets and departed from our dorm room.

"You ready for this?" She asked as we descended the steps, her fiery hair high in a messy bun.

"Nope," I breathed.

However, we were greeted at the bottom of the steps by only two boys; James and Remus. Remus's dark right eye was still prominent in the dim light as the two teens looked up the staircase.

"He's not coming," James said, comprehending our unspoken question. "Guess you're stuck with us."

The walk to the astronomy tower was awfully quiet. Lily and James were immersed in a light conversation about magical ethics, leaving Remus and I strolling silently beside them.

The awkwardness was possibly unnecessary. The night prior this boy had been the first person to allow me complete transparency. We had hit a level of deep understanding that not many were capable of. The night prior he was my closest friend. But, the night prior I also had a boyfriend (apparently). The hint of anger returned.

"The directions from Sanastra say we just have to observe and draw a dark nebula," James said, eyeing a piece of paper. "Seeing as the Slytherins have taken over the East side of the tower," he nodded towards a group of teens who were laughing loudly and launching pieces of food over the edge, "Evans and I can share this telescope," he smirked.