maple syrup | remus lupin [1]

30. knight in shining armour

"No," she said with a shake of her head.

"Yes. I'll help you," he suggested.

"Absolutely not!"

"Why?"

"Because I can't just leave," she sighed. "I have obligations."

"If I can leave you can leave," he said assuringly but Claudia merely shook her head again. "And trust me, I will leave soon."

"It's easier for you. You're a boy, you've got Regulus to fill your post, y-you're so much braver than I am."

"That's not true," he scoffed.

"What do you mean?" She asked, but he didn't answer her.

"He'll hurt us, won't he?" He asked again with a grimace. "That's why you're so scared. That's why you won't talk to us."

She didn't say anything as she fiddled with her rings.

"I am right, aren't I, Claudia?" He asked.

"No," she mumbled.

"Betty said that you don't want us around firstly because you fancy James," he started. "But she also told me that you don't even fancy him."

"How did she know that?!" She gasped.

"She didn't," he smiled sheepishly. "I guessed, and now you've confirmed it."

"Git," she muttered.

"The other reason to why you are ignoring us was apparently that your brothers don't like us, which for the record is completely barbaric," he said dramatically in order to make her smile, but since she didn't he just continued.

"My guess is that you're scared that your brothers will rat you out if you spend time with us, and that he will hurt you because of it."

Claudia looked at him shocked. "How did y-"

"I may be completely oblivious most of the time but I can see when someone is scared for real because of their family. And Betty talks so highly of you that I just assumed that you are the type of person who would protect people in place of yourself."

"She does?" Claudia asked, referring to Betty.

"Yeah," he nodded with a faint smile. "She always says that you'd do anything to protect the people you love. And that you're too selfless for your own good. She said that she wants to be like that too."

"Huh," she said. "But she is that way."

"I know," he answered with a smile. "Oh! I almost forgot," he said as he picked something out of his pocket.

A chocolate bar and an envelope.

"Remus," Sirius said with a grin and a sly wink. "He's... he is worried about you."

"He is?" She asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, I think he kind of knows what's going on too," he confessed. "He was... worried when your father grabbed you at the platform. You looked so scared, Claudia."

"Oh," she replied. "Thank you for bringing me this, and for... uh, getting me away from Evan."

"Of course," Sirius smiled. "That bloody git needs to piss off."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I'm glad Betty has you."

"So am I," he grinned. "No, but honestly I really do like her a lot."

"I know," Claudia replied as she flipped the chocolate bar around and read the note that Remus had stuck to it.

Feel bad? Eat me! You'll feel better.