REMUS COULD NOT read the look on Claudia's face as he asked her if she wanted pancakes and golden syrup on that Saturday morning. It was somewhere between a frown and a look of pure embarrassment and guilt.
"What's wrong?" He asked her as their friends continued to ramble and laugh around them.
"Uh," she said, her unreadable expression turning into a grimace. "Have you, uh, ever heard of this...myth?"
"What myth?"
"About, uh, werewolves," she said.
"Oh."
"One serving of syrup a day-"
"-Keeps the werewolf away," Remus finished with a frown. "You believed in that?"
"One serving of syrup a day keeps the werewolf away."
A silly, silly myth that stated that if a person consumed enough golden syrup a day something about it would chase the werewolves away.
Claudia had no idea what that 'something' would be, nor did she know if it worked.
Well, actually, it clearly didn't work considering she had consumed enough golden syrup for all of the Hogwarts students' lifetimes and longer, and even then a werewolf out of all people had held her, kissed her, made her laugh and made her feel at home.
A werewolf out of all people had fallen in love with her.
Where that myth came from no one new. It was strange, and stupid - but Claudia was afraid and fears make people blind.
And fears had a tendency of making Claudia do stupid things.
So, to keep herself a little less scared of the thought that Greyback would one day come after her, Claudia had started pouring syrup on the pancakes that ever so reminded her of her mum, simply for a little reassurance and a little lie to make her feel safe.
It was to be compared with checking behind ones shower curtain to make sure that no serial killer was standing behind it.
A way to make her feel a little more safe, despite how silly it may have sounded.
"I don't know, maybe I did believe in it," she confessed. "Nolan and Nicolas said that it worked after it happened. My aunt mentioned it once too...because she was afraid. And then I thought, after Gemma, that he would come for me as well. And my mum always made pancakes so I guess it just fell naturally. I'm sorry-"
"You don't have to apologise," Remus said, but Claudia could tell that it made him feel uneasy anyway.
"Remember what I said, Remus," she said softly as she placed her hand on his shoulder.
Remus felt the whole world stop just by her touch.
"I was scared. And stupid. But I'm not anymore. Because I know you. Okay?"
"Claudia-"
"You changed the way that I think, Remus. I'm not afraid anymore."
"It's okay if you are though," he replied. "I completely get it if you are."
"Why would you say that?" Claudia asked with a frown as she tried to catch his flickering eyes.
"Because it's understandable," he said. "I'm a monster, Claudia. There's that-"
"You are no monster, Remus Lupin," Claudia said sternly, before her eyes softened as she unintentionally took his hand. "I won't let you tell yourself that."
"Why not?"
"Because what you struggle with does not define you," she said. "It doesn't define you. Just like my father doesn't define me."
Remus simply shook his head, "I can't-"
"Maple!" Someone suddenly called, that someone standing behind the pair with a very handsome smile on his face. "Or, maybe I should say Claudia now that we're teammates!"
"Hi, Henry," Claudia greeted Henry Chang with a smile on her face, letting go of Remus' hand as she did so.
Ouch.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked as he sat down next to her, noticing the weary look that Remus was giving the pair.
Henry Chang loved love. He loved love just as much as he loved the stupid Ravenclaw girl that had decided to ignore him after he had accidentally told her that he loved her far too soon.
And he loved love just as much as he loved going on dates.
"I actually have a question for you," he said, earning himself an intrigued smile from the brunette girl next to him.
"Ask on, Chang!"
"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me today?"
That question felt like a punch in the gut for Remus. Actually, no, it felt more like a million punches in the gut.
Now all he could do was pray that she would say no.
"Sure," Claudia replied, feeling both very surprised and a little awkward as well.
Now, you may ask why Claudia even said yes in the first place. In all honesty, Claudia had no bloody idea either.
Maybe it was the fact that Henry Chang was sweet, handsome and very trustworthy.
Or, more likely so, maybe it was because she needed to get Remus out of her damn mind so that she wouldn't lead him on.
Because, let's face it, Claudia most likely was leading him on.
Remus, however, couldn't think straight as she said yes. Claudia had still not decided to speak to him about his love confession, and it was truly driving him insane.
Insane to the point where he felt ready to yell it to the world - but most certainly not insane to the point where he felt like asking her about it.
So, he had come to the conclusion that maybe Claudia thought that the three words he had written down on that piece of parchment was only meant in a friend-kind-of-love way, and not in a lover-kind-of-love way.
But Remus knew that there still was something there. It had always been, and it always would be.
Because, if Claudia had merely seen Remus as her friend, she would not have kissed him first. She would not have squeezed his hand three times that night, nor would she have been holding his hand a few minutes prior.
"Great!" Henry said happily. "So...it's a date?"
"Is it?" Claudia asked with an amused smile that she was trying so hard to not drop.
Because it did not feel right, not at all.
Especially not with him sitting there.
"I think it is," Henry said sheepishly, kissing her on the cheek and then walking away from the table. "See you in thirty by the entrance, alright?"
"Alright!" Claudia said, her eyes following the boy before she turned them back to her friends - them all staring at her out of pure disbelief.
Well, maybe not all of them considering Remus was far too busy staring at his shoes as he tried his hardest to not curse, cry, yell, run away or die right there and then.
"And what the hell was that?" Lily asked in a rather blunt tone, considering all that she had worked for was crumbling before her eyes.
"Uh...that was Henry," Claudia shrugged, her too trying not to curse, yell or cry.
After seeing the look on Remus' face Claudia hated herself even more.
All that she could do was repeat to herself that it was better that way. It was better to end things before they could even begin.
"Which reminds me that I need to go get my stuff," she said, standing up.
"Where are you going?" Inez asked.
"On a...date with Henry."
"Why?" Betty asked bluntly.
"Because he asked me and I said yes," Claudia replied awkwardly, trying her hardest to not look at the extremely quiet Remus.
After a few moments of silence, Peter finally spoke up, "Have fun!"
"Thanks," Claudia replied with a thankful smile. "See you lot later!"
And just like that, Remus watched Claudia slip right through his fingers.
Or, so he thought.
"Don't worry, Lupin," Betty said comfortingly. "She'll come around."
"What do you mean?"
"Claudia loves you," she said. "She'll come around."
"So why is she going on a date with Chang?"
"She's afraid," said Betty. "Fear makes her do stupid things sometimes."
"Why is she afraid?"
"She's afraid because she loves you," the blonde said. "Nothing scares her more than that."
"And, besides, Lupin," Inez chirped up with an equally comforting smile on her face. "This is just temporary."
"How are you so sure of that?"
"Because, once again, it's Claudia. You're the only one who can make her stay."
"That's not true-"
"Jealousy is a disease, Lupin. Don't contract it."
"That seems a bit impossible right now."
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a/n: the syrup thing is so stupid which is why i love it