lovesick || r. lupin

¹⁵a remedy

Ayla and Avi said their goodbyes to each other after their conversation about the first month of school was over. Avi decided to stay at the lake, though the sun was setting and Ayla let him, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze for reassurance while she departed.

As Ayla walked through the doors of the Hogwarts castle, she stared at the letter that was being held in her hand. It still didn't feel like the contents of it had fully settled and she felt her stomach twist and turn in ways she couldn't describe while her eyes burned as if she would break down any moment. Ayla felt like she was being too dramatic about it. People, through her whole life, had always told her that she was too emotional. Too forgiving and understanding and compassionate when it came to situations like these. Too much of everything, really. Ayla supposed she felt so much that she was overwhelming for others and that's why people avoided her when stuff like this happened. They never liked how she always gave the benefit of the doubt.

Ayla tried not to cry. She bit her lip and pulled at her eyes in a way to try to make the tears seep back in but all the built up pressure felt like a dormant volcano preparing to explode and she couldn't help it. Tears fell and slid down her cheeks, her face growing red and puffy as it usually did when she cried. She hated crying, she always felt so stupid. Like all those things that people said about her being too emotional were true. That made her cry even more.

Ayla decided the best way to handle this situation was to have a good talk with Grace. Grace always knew what to say when Ayla felt like the world was falling apart, even if Grace was rubbish with words.

So, Ayla headed for the Slytherin common room. She rushed through the halls, making her way down the stairs to the dungeons, looking at the mildew-y floor as she scrubbed at her tears. Suddenly, though, as if hitting nothing, she ran into an invisible object. Then, out of thin air, Peter Pettigrew was sprawled across the stone floor, looking up at her as if caught doing something wrong.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I should have looked where I was going!" Ayla cried, even though she swore she hadn't seen the blond boy a second before. She held out her hand to help him to his feet, which he gingerly took, frantically looking to the right side of him as if someone was there. Peculiar.

"Ah, ehmm..." Peter sputtered, still looking around nervously. "Ehmm... I- uhh- I mean- I mean thank you. Yeah, yeah, thank you." He pulled Ayla the opposite way, turning her around from where she was standing. Even more peculiar.

Then, another voice came.

"Quill?"

She turned around and saw three boys. James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. James was holding something behind his back, trying to make his face stoic as possible as Sirius bit back a laugh. Remus looked at her with a worried expression.

"Are you alright, Ayla?" Remus asked, his eyebrows furrowed lightly. "Have you been crying?"

Ayla's face reddened more than it already was and she bit at her cheek. "I- I've just had a rough day, is all, that's it."

"I can get you some water, if you need it?" Remus said compassionately. He stepped back as if ready to leave to go grab a simple glass of water.

"Oh, no, please no. Really, it's fine. Thank you, though, that's very kind."

Remus didn't reply, he just stared at her, his eyebrows still furrowed and his body unmoved from the position he was in. He looked like he was ready to still go off and fetch the water.

Sirius looked between the two, then looked at Ayla for a good hard second, as if thinking of something. Then he said, "I have an idea on how to cheer you up."