yellow (remus lupin.)

eleven.

ELEVEN.

Thursday rolled around once more, meaning another after school lesson with Harry and Professor Lupin. He hadn't been seen all week, apparently having been in a seriously bad way for the past six days. Cara wasn't even sure if she was meant to turn up for the lesson.

"That man has the world's worst immune system." Stassie rolled her eyes, sipping her pumpkin juice.

"So do I go?" Cara sighed, exasperated with the whole situation.

"Go and check his office in case he left a note on the door or something?"

Cara prodded her treacle tart with her spoon, taking more interest in stabbing at it than eating it. She had been like this all week, with both Stassie and Oliver taking notice at how appalling her attention span had been recently. Cara wanted nothing more than to spill her heart out over what she heard that night, but she wasn't a good enough liar to come up with a reason she was out of bed.

"You're not eating that?" Oliver asked her gently, realising she was feeling rather fragile.

"Nah." Cara pushed it in his direction and stood up from her seat in the hall.

"Alright, well, have fun!" He called, his words echoed by Stassie as Cara left the hall.

Barging through groups of first years like a bulldozer, Cara headed towards the office she was becoming so acquainted with. Every second she spent alone with her thoughts was a constant cycle of hearing the teachers' discussion the other week. It was like someone was replaying a tape, winding it back and forth on the same section. Whatever it was, it seemed particularly serious, and her mother was in on it too.

Reaching Remus's office, she knocked on his door politely. He hadn't left a note anywhere, so she assumed it was alright for her to proceed. It was Harry that opened the door and let her in.

"He'll be down in a moment he says, just getting his things together." Harry told her as they sat down on a shabby yet comfy looking sofa.

Cara didn't feel like saying much, so instead nodded with a small smile. She slipped off her heavy robe and pulled off her jumper — Harry doing the same — as they acclimatised themselves to the boiling hot room. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes before Remus appeared out of his sleeping quarters, shocking both Harry and Cara with his appearance.

Remus looked ruined. It was if he had aged ten years in a week's time, his hair showing more greys than usual. He was dressed in trousers and a shirt, not even wearing his trademark cardigan. He was limping down the stairs, wincing as his foot hit each stop. The scars across his face appeared far more angry than usual, almost as if they had been reopened and the wounds were fresh. It looked as if he had been in a fight.

"Sir, we can go if you're not well." Harry told him, sincere concern in his words.

"Don't be daft." Lupin waved his hand at Harry in dismissal. "Your education is far more important than my recovery. Although, I doubt I'll be up for anything practical today."

Harry reassured him that was okay, before Lupin sat down on one of the couch chairs by the fire. He groaned softly as he sat down, giving himself a moments rest before speaking once again.

"Lupin you aren't well, I'm going to go." Harry sighed and stood up, picking up his jumpers as he did so. "Don't worry about it."

Lupin finally conceded and let Harry leave, much to his disappointment. He had the overwhelming urge to look after Harry, perhaps due to his close friendship to his father. Letting him leave felt like letting him down, but there was simply no way Remus was in any fit state for anything.