black coffee | remus lupin [2]

76. an explanation is in order

｡･:*:･★,｡･:*:･

CLAUDIA HAD DESTROYED the horcrux that was the locket. She had done it with every bit of anger in her, and somehow it had worked.

David discovered that she had succeeded with it as the family entered his study. Claudia was passed out on the floor, and so Regulus immediately rushed to her side as the rest found themselves confused to why the mess of a girl had arrived home with Remus, rushed up the stairs and then locked herself in there.

They soon got their explanation to that question, of course, because as Regulus took care of Claudia, Remus explained it all. He too was a mess; his hands were shaking and his eyes were filled with a certain darkness.

Claudia, who had passed out from the dark forces that had left the locket once she had destroyed it, woke up a few hours later. Regulus was on her side, confused as to why she immediately said so many things about him being alive and okay.

He got his explanation too soon enough, of course. He never met Jo, but it saddened him that she was gone, just like it saddened him that Claudia was going to be forced to deal with the grief of another loved one. He also felt sad at the thought of everything Claudia had witnessed in front of that wasn't real before she fainted, which was just the icing on the cake.

"Drink some water for me, alright?" Regulus said to her as he picked up the glass on the nightstand, that he then gave the girl who was sitting on her bed, covered in blankets and pillows.

Claudia accepted the glass and took a tiny sip, blankly staring straight ahead with a certain greyness in her face.

"Thanks," she then said in a raspy voice as Regulus took the glass from her.

"Do you want me to stay here with you?" The boy asked gently.

"Um..." Claudia began, but she couldn't exactly tell him what she truly wanted as she looked up to find Remus standing there in the doorway.

Regulus noticed how she froze with her eyes set on something, so he turned around to find Remus standing there as well.

"Hey, mate," Regulus said, breaking the eye contact that Claudia and Remus were holding with his voice.

"Hi," Remus said awkwardly. "Um...could I maybe talk to you, Claudia?"

Claudia looked surprised for a moment for some reason, but then she nodded and forced a small smile. "Sure. We can talk."

Regulus looked between them about five times, and then he lowered his voice as he spoke to Claudia in a serious tone.

"Are you sure about this?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Really sure?"

"Yeah," Claudia nodded. "You can go, alright? But please come back when he's gone."