Meretricious | Professor Lupin

107. Barbie

"Annoyed" she answered.

"This won't work if you don't try" he set his back on the couch.

"I am..." she shrugged, "I don't know what I am."

He stared at her hand, she was peeling the skin off her thumb with her index finger.

"Let's talk about how it happened" he proposed.

"You mean how he broke up with me and practically left me for dead" she looked at him.

"That's one way to put it" he nodded.

"He was mean. I was mean. End of story" she said.

"How were you mean?"

She took a deep breath.

"How about we start at the beginning of the end? How did you feel when he threw you against a tree?"

"It was an accident" she answered.

"That wasn't the question" he replied.

"I don't hold it against him. He wasn't himself, he didn't hurt me."

"Spencer, the question was how did you feel."

She rolled her eyes, "well obviously it hurt. My ribs were broken, my elbow was dislocated, and a tree made its mark on me. To say the least I won't be recycling anymore."

He nodded, wanting her to go on.

"I don't hold it against him" she shook her head.

"What do you hold against him?"

She shrugged, "how he reacted? He didn't even hear me out."

"And that morning... how did it happen?"

"I told you. He was mean, I was mean. End of."

He waited for a response.

"He walked in at 7:45" she whispered, Nox got on her lap. "Nox greeted him at the door, like always," she pet him, "and I went to hug him" she looked up at Snape.

"I didn't notice the suit case he put down beside him and he didn't notice the wrap on my arm" she shrugged. "and for about five minutes I believed everything was going to be ok. We talked, he promised everything was going to be fine and... and then it wasn't."

He saw the tears form in her eyes.

"You know," she chuckled sadly, "we wanted to adopt Harry."

He sat straighter.

"I don't know how you can talk about the house you want to live in and say you want to adopt a child-" she cut herself off, shaking her head.

"Whatever it is he had" she spoke after a few moments. "That's what he called us. Verbatim, Sev."

He took a deep breath.

"So yeah, he was mean and I was mean" she admitted. "And, yeah, I regret it. And I could tell you all about what words he used and what tone and how he broke my chair by throwing it into the kitchen yelling that he doesn't love me but what good will it do? Can you answer me that?"

"What are you feeling now?"

"I'm angry" she said through her teeth.

"Why?"

"A multitude of reasons" she rolled her eyes.

"Name one" he replied.

"Climate change."

"Funny" he didn't laugh.

"I love him" she looked him in the eye. "I still love him... I'm angry with myself-"