saige | t.lupin

condolence

Describing Saige Stirling was a conundrum to many. It seemed that there wasn't an existing word to capture the girls essence. Beautiful but scarred, charming but callous. Kind but hypercritical. How could one just use one word to describe her?

Physically, there was no denial that she was wonderfully gorgeous. Golden blonde hair cascaded  down her shoulder blades, slight waves creating small curls at the ends of her hair. She had eyes that everyone envied. Eerily serene, relentlessly cold grey eyes. One wrong look could pierce you in your place, unable to move under her gaze. A small scar rested on her left cheekbone, a thin white line of the past. Regardless of the imperfection, Saige was undoubtedly the prettiest person to attend Hogwarts during her time, perhaps ever. 

Emotionally however, Saige Stirling was an unsolved mystery to anyone who tried to crack her iron clad demeanour. She was intelligent beyond belief, that was known to all. It wasn't uncommon to see the girl buried under a pile of books, she was a Ravenclaw after all. She seemed to be perfect; prefect, shoe in for head girl. Saige guarded herself contently, earning her the occasional accusation of being heartless. She became known as the ice queen of the school, subject to the jealousy of many. She was friendly, funny and approachable, but the lack of known information about her life out of school was unnerving to many. A faint line surrounded the girl, and few dared to cross it. 

Saige knew exactly how she saw herself. She was a role model, and she wouldn't let herself give anyone the wrong impression of her. Unlike her peers, she saw all of her flaws, visible and hidden, as if they were as obvious as daylight. She saw the dark half moons under her eyes and every small scar that littered her battered and abused body. She saw her slender bruised arms juxtaposing her pale skin and felt weakness rack her body. She saw a manic version of herself, relentlessly studying and training. She examined every imperfection that grazed her soul. She felt her emotions creeping in at the worst of times. She felt the small crescents permanently carved into her palms and tasted the blood that leaked from her bitten lips. And most of all, she felt the feelings that she had suppressed for so long slowly start to creep back into her life. She wanted to tell people of her life, wanted to tell someone that she was in pain and that she didn't think it would ever stop. 

The problem here: Teddy Lupin. Her distaste for the boy seemed to be fading as she found herself slowly, almost unwillingly open up to him. He seemed to always catch her at her worst, most vulnerable state; bruised and battered, compelling the girl to pour out all her harboured emotions and well-kept secrets. Saige found herself revealing her deepest, darkest secrets that she had sworn to take to her grave. Just the thought of it left a bitter taste in her mouth. However, she couldn't keep herself from Teddy's alluring warmth. The boy she had previously thought to be bland and supercilious now held a charm about him that Saige couldn't seem to describe. It felt as if a tether attached her to the boy, their connection not allowing her to continue her locked up facade as he saw through all parts of her demeanour. 

Saige was not alone in this. Teddy Lupin too found himself drawn to the girl. Something about her mysterious story enticed him. As he managed to ever so slowly unwrap each painful layer of her, he became more and more understanding. And the worst, he became more and more guilty. Teddy had spent most of his schooling with the girl thinking she was nothing but ungrateful and cold, and he had not failed to make her aware of this perception. He had made snide remarks, rolled eyes and even yelled at her before. Why was she so stubborn? Why would she act so closed off and brash when she had the perfect life? It was now however that he realised that Saige Stirling had anything but. Her soul was so scarred with grief and suffering that she shut down. Her only option was to go on the defensive, to guard her heart with everything she had. 

And as she sat across the Hufflepuff table from him, he watched her gingerly pick at her food. The twos sudden pairing had come as a surprise to Hogwarts students. Just days into the term Teddy Lupin would be seen almost dragging the girl to his table, or at her refusal, he would join the group of eagles for meals. No one knew what seemed to draw the pair so suddenly close, and rumours began to instantly circulate. Not that this wasn't predictable of course. Saige had expected the whispered theories of their secret relationship and ones of Teddy befriending the girl on a dare. Truth be told, Saige didn't understand the boys sudden need to care for her. She had half expected him to never speak to her again, and she wouldn't be mad at him for it. The girl had lived a lifetime of being hurt by those who she allowed herself to grow fond of, and at this point it didn't seem to hurt so much anymore. However to her surprise, Teddy began doting over the girls every need, constantly checking up on her. She had told him what felt like countless times that she didn't want his pity, only to be scolded for thinking such a thing. 

"You need to eat," Teddy stated a matter of factly. 

"Really?" Saige responded sarcastically, earning a flat look from the boy. 

"Yes," he replied. "You have training this afternoon and rounds tonight, and you've barely eaten anything. You're going to collapse."

"Have you been stalking me, Lupin?" she teased. 

"Oh sod off," he rolled his eyes playfully. "You've been complaining about training all morning and it seems that I need to remind you that we're on the same rounds, Stirling."

Defeated, Saige pointedly shoved a forkful of food in her mouth, earning an appeased grin from Teddy. 

"Do I really have to sit here?" Saige shifted uncomfortably, the only blue amongst a sea of yellow. "I'm perfectly capable of managing my own food intake, you know?"

"Well you don't have to sit here," Teddy said bashfully. "I just thought that since we don't have a lot of classes together that it might be nice to see each other at meal times."

"Awwww, Teddy wants to spend time with me!" Saige laughed at him, his hair tinging pink only encouraging her to tease him further. 

"So what? We're friends," Teddy threw a bread roll at her. 

"Yeah yeah, if you say so Lupin," she said, dodging the attack. 

"I do say so actually."