CLAUDIA WOKE UP the next morning due to the noise four boys who were having a very panicked discussion were making. Well, it was mainly three boys making noise considering one of them was just pacing back and forth without saying a single thing.
They were talking about Remus' furry little problem, and the angry things said about the moon by Claudia the night before, that almost made it seem like she knew something.
"She was drunk, it doesn't mean a single thing!" James whisper-shouted.
"Please, people are always honest when they are drunk!" Sirius whisper-shouted back.
"What was there to be honest about?! She just said she hated it!" James exclaimed.
"Do you even remember what you said last night?!" Sirius questioned.
"Uh, no...?"
"Well, be thankful that you don't!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"No, but like actually, what did I say?"
"You said that-"
"What's going on?" Claudia asked groggily as she sat up, immediately regretting that considering her head was pounding. "Why are you fighting?"
Remus stopped pacing, James and Sirius stopped fighting and Peter stopped watching them do so; because now they all looked at a confused Claudia, who was clearly exhausted and hungover.
"Uh..." said Peter awkwardly. "James and Sirius always argue, it's no big deal."
"Actually, we need to have a talk with you, Claudia," James said calmly, taking the lead so she wouldn't hate Sirius any more than she already did.
"Did I do something wrong?" She asked concernedly, feeling her heartbeat speed up at the same time as she sat up by the edge of the bed, the four boys standing in front of her.
"No, no, no," Remus said hurriedly. "You've done nothing wrong."
"We were just wondering something," said Sirius, hoping that Claudia wouldn't glare at him like she normally did when he spoke to her, but she didn't.
"Wondering what?"
"Last night, you said something quite...strange," James started.
"Oh my god," Claudia sighed, considering there could be about a thousand things she could've said.
Her secret mission, her past, her books, Betty, Nolan. Remus. You name it.
"What did I say?"
"You just, it doesn't really matter, but you just said something that could mean something but we're not entirely sure," James went on.
"That literally makes no sense."
"Do you know?" Peter asked, cutting straight to the chase.
"Uh, know what?"
"Do you know?" Sirius asked.
"Know what? You're confusing me."
"We mean like, do you know something you're not really supposed to know?" James asked.
"I know a million things that I'm not supposed to know..." Claudia said, trailing off as she noticed just how anxious Remus seemed to be, considering he was anxiously cracking his knuckles and not saying anything.
So, she reached out and grabbed his hand without saying a single thing, and then she turned back to face James who was the one in the middle.
"What exactly are you on about?" She asked him as she felt a tingly feeling come over her, due to the fact that Remus was anxiously drawing circles on her palm in order to calm himself down.
"Just...do you know something about...someone that you're not supposed to know?!"
And that's when Claudia realised something.
"Shit," she whispered, which caused all of them to panic even further.
"Shit? What do you mean shit?!" Sirius asked.
"He knows."
"Who...what!" James questioned in a shout.
"He knows, of course he fucking knows," she said with an almost scary chuckle.
Claudia hadn't thought about it until then, but the night before Nolan had implied that he knew about her friendship with the Marauders.
Betty fucking told him.
And Claudia was dead meat. Or, that's at least what she would be the second she returned to Maple Manor.
"Who knows what?!"
"I..."
"Claudia!"
"I...I think I'm going to be sick," she then mumbled, running off to the bathroom the second she paled and realised that the hungover was going to get worse.
Oh, how it got worse.
But, Remus was right behind her, holding her hair back and running circles on her back at the same time as she hated her younger self for even so touching the Firewhiskey.
And, when she was done vomiting and over the incredible embarrassment of doing so, which involved apologising to the boy a million times, she finally regained herself and went back to her overthinking.
"Remus, I have no idea what they're talking about," Claudia said in an almost guilty tone. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologise, love, it's nothing. They're just being dramatic is all," Remus said softly as he caressed her cheek with his thumb.
"Now, will you tell me what's going on?
Claudia sighed before she nodded. "I think I need to tell all of you."
•••
Claudia had decided to return to her dorm that night. She had told the boys about Betty and Nolan, and their reactions were mixed to say the least.
James was furious.
Peter was confused.
Remus was both furious and suspicious.
And Sirius was heartbroken.
And for the first time in so long, Claudia had decided to be nice to him, because despite what he did, he was heartbroken. And she never wished for anyone to feel that way.
For the first time, Claudia listened to what Sirius had to say about the fact that he cheated on Betty.
And, in conclusion, Sirius was drunk, confused and he felt as if he couldn't control it. And the next day it was all a blur.
It still made Claudia furious, but she was too exhausted to even care at that point.
She walked back to her dorm with a new fear. She had no idea what it would be like there - how Betty would act and how Inez would talk. How Pandora would watch and how she herself would listen.
She was terrified.
But, she had to return at some point. It was inevitable. It was her dormitory too, and Betty wasn't going to take that away from her.
Hogwarts was her version of a home - and she wasn't going to let yet another person ruin that for her.
Even if she was convinced that she hated Betty.
"Claudia," Betty said with a hopeful look in her eyes the moment the girl stepped inside the dorm, were all three girls stood.
It was clear that Betty had had one of the worst nights of her life. After Claudia had left, Inez had continued to yell at her, and then they had returned to the dorm separately and no one had said a word.
When Betty woke up the next morning, both Inez and Pandora were gone. Betty had stayed in there all day, not even so eating a meal, just waiting for Claudia.
Eventually Inez and Pandora had returned, and the yelling had begun again.
But, the moment the brunette stepped inside, it paused for just a little while.
"Betty," Claudia said simply, no expression on her face.
"I'm so sorry," the blonde girl blurted, walking towards the brunette, who immediately looked uncomfortable. "I know nothing I say is going to make you forgive me, but-"
"You're right about that," Inez laughed. "You know what? I was nice to you last night, but do you see what she looks like? She looks like a complete mess, and it's all because of you."
"Inez..." Pandora warned, considering the fact that Inez's constant yelling only made things worse, and the fact that she knew that Claudia absolutely despised it when people yelled.
"No! You're so fucking stupid Betty! And selfish, and you're a bad friend too! And you're just...you're so bloody blind! And to think I ever-"
"What do you mean I'm blind?" Betty questioned, small tears forming in her eyes from Inez's words.
"Nolan's not just a piece of shit, he fucking hurts her you idiot! They all do!"
Claudia stared at her in disbelief as Betty and Pandora both froze at the new information.
"What do you mean?" Betty asked cautiously.
"They're fucking abusing her is what they are," Inez sighed.
"Oh my god," Betty said under her breath in pure shock.
"Inez, please stop," Claudia begged as the tears rushed down her face.
Claudia hated this. She hated it when Inez yelled. She hated Inez for telling Betty and Pandora her secret. She hated her for not allowing her to do the talking.
And she hated Betty for everything.
"And there you go, snogging him like he's a perfect little gentleman! Well, guess what Betty? You're just fucking stupid-"
"Please, stop!" Claudia continued to beg.
"You're fucking stupid, and all you care about are boys and makeup and your stupid hair and-"
"Stop!" Pandora yelled. "Can't you see what this is doing to her? Why are you both being such terrible friends right now?!"
"What?!" Inez exclaimed. "How the hell am I being a bad friend?!"
"You of all people should know what it's like when someone else tells people your secret, Inez," said Pandora slowly. "You're too busy yelling at Betty for you to even notice how much Claudia needs you right now!"
"Pandora, it's fine-"
"No, it's not! You're supposed to be there for Claudia instead of yelling all the time, Inez! And you!" She said, turning to Betty. "What you did was so bad that I can't even look at you right now! Come on, Claudia, let's go somewhere else."
"Claudia, wait!" Betty sobbed. "I don't even know what happened, it's like I couldn't even control it!"
"Couldn't control it?! Couldn't control it!"
"Inez, shut up!"
Claudia turned around to face the blonde girl, and that's when she gave her a deadly look. "I don't care about the fact that you didn't know, that wasn't your fault. But either way you snogged, maybe even did worse things, with my stepbrother. And the entire time you didn't tell me anything, instead you ignored me."
"Claudia-"
"And I'm sorry Betty, but I cannot help but to hate you right now," she said the moment before she turned around and walked down to the common room.
"I'm so sorry, Claudia," Pandora said as the two sat down on the couch in the common room.
"It's fine, really."
"No it's not," Pandora frowned. "What Betty did...I can't even. And Inez wasn't supposed to tell her that without your permission. And I'm sorry for...you know."
"I know," Claudia said with a small smile. "And I kind of get Inez...she's even more furious because...well, you know."
"Yeah, I know."
"Thank you for everything, Pandora," Claudia smiled faintly. "But, I have to ask you, weren't you supposed to go surprise Xenophilius right now? You know, for his birthday?"
"Meh, he can wait. I need to stay with you tonight," Pandora said.
"It's his birthday, Pandora. Please go with him, I'll be fine," Claudia sighed.
"But, Claudia-"
"I'll be fine."
"Do you really want to return to the dorm alone?"
"I don't think I'm going there," she said.
"Then where are you going?"
"I'll just sleep here," Claudia said with a grin, leaning her head back. "It's a perfectly comfortable couch, and I'll probably wake up to some cute first years tormenting me into braiding their hair like they always do."
"Claudia," Pandora chuckled. "Go to him instead."
Go to him instead.
Claudia didn't know how Pandora knew that he was her safe space, or at least something along the lines of that. The girl knew about the boys, sure, and Claudia did speak about Remus more than any of them, but the fact that she fancied him wasn't even something she had admitted to herself.
But Pandora knew.
Just like Mary knew.
And James, Sirius and Peter.
And Inez and Betty.
And Lily and Marlene.
And even Madam Rosmerta.
Merlin, pretty much everybody knew at this point!
Claudia did just what Pandora had told her. She tiptoed back to her dorm, grabbed the cloak, and then she walked all the way to the Gryffindor tower into the boys' dorm, silently crying due to how badly she just wanted everything to go back to normal.
When she carefully opened the door, she was immediately met by the sound of soft snores coming from three out of four boys.
And then, she saw that the person she had come for was awake, sitting up on his bed reading a book with a pair of reading glasses on.
"Claudia?" Remus asked as soon as she came in, his concentrated face immediately softening at the sight of her. "What are you doing here?"
"I, uh," she mumbled as she played with her rings, refusing to meet his eyes. "I just can't be there tonight...so I was just wondering if-"
"Come here," he said as he placed down the book on his nightstand and then held out his arms for her.
Claudia looked up and a small smile came over her face the moment before she practically ran into his arms. The two then ended up like they always did, his arms wrapped around her and her head on his chest.
"You can sleep in here whenever you want to, you know that, right?" Remus asked.
"I know," she whispered. "Thank you Rem, I honestly don't know what I would do without you."
"You'd be just fine I believe," he chuckled as he began to twirl her hair with his fingers.
"I wouldn't," she denied. "I didn't even believe that I would continue on until I met you."
__________________________________
a/n: happy two months of maple syrup!
claudia: "i know a lot of things but idk about that"
inez has good intentions but it comes off the wrong way because...yk