Love & Scars

Can I Help You?

When dessert disappeared and Dumbledore finished his begin of the year speech, Remus jumped up from the table. Lily was right at his side, while the others followed closely behind them. Normally they would take their time coming up to the common room but now they all followed him upstairs. He had the longest legs of all of them, and took two steps at a time, reaching the portrait first. But the Fat Lady was beginning with small talk even though he already said the password about three times. The others had caught up with him as he glared at the portrait.

"Gigglewater." He said through gritted teeth.

"Fine, fine." The Fat Lady sighed. "Your girl is inside, don't need to get all huffy." She muttered as she threw the painting open. He ignored the way James and Sirius glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. Izzie was never his girl, not in the way the Fat Lady implied anyway. He stepped in the common room and her scent hit him right away, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"I'll check our dorm." Lily said before running up the steps.

James and Sirius were roughhousing as they walked up to their dorm, Peter following behind them. Remus walked over to the girls' staircase and waited until Lily came back. But that didn't take long, a few seconds later she was back.

"She isn't upstairs. Her things are there though, maybe she's roaming around."

"She wouldn't-"

"Moony?!" James called down, his voice a little off. Lily and Remus glanced up the boys' staircase.

"She's up there, isn't she?" Lily asked and Remus knew with one sniff, she was up there, he nodded. "Alright, you'll make sure she is okay?"

"I always do." He said quietly. Lily wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. He patted her back reassuringly. When she pulled back, she offered him a small smile before she headed upstairs. "Coming!" He called up the stairs as he made his way to their dorm.

Remus held back a grin as he saw the others in the room, looking at the sleeping girl in his bed. James was unpacking his things but looked over his shoulder every other second. Peter was openly staring at her, her shirt a little tugged up, revealing a bit of unblemished part of her stomach, he was bright red. And Sirius, he hasn't unpacked a single thing. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed as he looked at her like he's trying to solve a puzzle, and unlike Peter, his eyes were fixed on her relaxed face. Her light caramel brown hair was sprawled around her head like a halo. Her features were smooth and relaxed, but he could smell the salt of tears on her cheeks, and the slight scent of dittany coming from her. It made him stiffen before he walked over her quietly.

He kneeled down next to her, pushing a strand of hair out of the way that stuck to her face a little from the tears. "Iz? Izzie?" He gently rocked her shoulder. He could feel the eyes of the others all on them, James even stopped unpacking to see what would happen.

She frowned before her eyes flittered open. "Remus?" Her voice was groggy.

He smiled a little. "You had me worried."

"I'm sorry." Her eyes flickered around the room and saw the others staring at her. James and Peter quickly ducked their head away, but Sirius gaze was fixed on her. She turned back to Remus. "I should tell Lily-"

"She knows. Told me to look after you." He smiled. "Do you want to talk?"

"Yeah." She nodded and pushed herself up. "Where-"

Remus placed himself on the bed next to her, kicking off his shoes doing so. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close before he closed the curtains and put a muffliato around them. He felt her relax against him.