Two Ghosts || R. Lupin (HEAVY EDITING)

NINETEEN

The last push between having stitches, and having no barrier between the blood and the open air. She could feel the slow ooze begin to pick up the pace.

"Aah!" Lurapithia gritted her teeth together.

Sirius slid the door open all the way and rushed towards Lu, who was tearing up. He found it quite hard to watch someone in pain. From where he came from, he was used to it, but it never settled well with him. But this time he didn't know how to help.

"Lu? What's wrong? W-What did I do? Can I help?" The frantic questions dribbled out of his mouth and fell to the floor, no meaning at all.

The only thing keeping Lurapithia from screaming was the grip her teeth had on the inside of her cheek. "No, no! There's nothing you did. I just- just twisted my neck quite painfully this morning. I sat back here trying not to move it too much. You startled me... That's all."

Sirius' long fingers hovered inches away from the burnt skin of Lu's palm. She quickly yanked it away from sight, tucking her inflamed fingers into her robe.

"Lurapithia," his voice was warning her to tell the truth, "how did that happen?"

She anxiously tugged at her robes, her lip growing raw underneath her teeth. Her brows furrowed suddenly.

"If you must know, I was making eggs! I burned my hand on the pan. It was an accident!" She stuffed her hands in her pockets, glaring at the floor. "Honestly, what do you think happened?"

Sirius looked at her sadly, but she didn't see. "Remus wanted me to come and see if you're alright, since he's a Prefect and all that." He sucked in a breath and repositioned himself away from Lu, "Well, it seems like you're doing just fine. I think I'll just go report back."

And with that, Sirius strode out of the compartment.

Down the hall he went, his plank-like legs carrying him. Lurapithia listened as his footsteps got less distinct, until they fully disappeared. She let out a labored, heavy sigh and sat straighter. She twiddled her thumbs.

Lurapithia wasn't one to wish for much, but one thing she really wanted right then was a friend. She groaned. She had pushed Sirius away. Why had she done that? He could've stayed awhile, but she doubted that he would've wanted to. He had James and Peter to entertain. She had no one to smile with but the spider in the corner, but no one smiles for a spider. Not even the saddest girl on the train.

Just as she had done so many times, she looked back to when she was younger. So many teens do this far too often. People think that there really isn't much to look back on when your a teen, but at that moment, Lurapithia was the oldest she had ever been.

When she was eleven, she was the happiest she had ever been. The year was 1972; her first year at Hogwarts. The year of barely visible grazes and scraped knees and beginner spell books. She had always known she would attend the school of witchcraft and wizardry, but no one had ever told her what it looked like before she got there. That was what always amazed her; the majesty of the castle. How everything looked like it was supposed to be there. Every hall had something new to look at, every staircase was intricate and precise, the Great Hall was the best of all. The ceiling that resembled the sky outside. She couldn't feel trapped in there even if she tried. If it all was too much, all she had to do was fix her gaze on the stars above her, and everything would be fine.

As she thought about Hogwarts, she felt better about her situation, because she knew that the trainride she hated would take her somewhere she loved. And with that thought, and a couple more drops of blood, the train came to a halt.

♦♦♦

"Hey, Lu!" She heard the warm, milky voice of Remus drifting to her in echoes.