"AND GRYFFINDOR WINS!" The commentator of the first quidditch match announced as Claudia sat on the stands with Betty, Inez and Pandora.
"Finally that's over with," Betty said happily, standing up and helping Pandora up as well.
"I thought it was fun," Pandora said positively. "Trust me, it's better to just watch than to be the commentator."
"I thought you did a good job last year, Pandora," Inez smiled as they all headed down the stairs so that they could head back to the castle.
"Oh, thank you," Pandora breathed, her suddenly noticing the faraway look in Claudia's eyes. "Are you alright, Claudia?"
"What?" Claudia questioned, her eyes trailing away from a certain boy back to her friends. "I'm fine."
"Maybe you should just talk to him," Betty said after a moment of them looking at Claudia with unconvinced looks on their faces.
"Talk to who?"
"Oh, please, stop lying to yourself!" Inez sighed. "This is driving me bloody insane!"
"Wha-"
"Remus!" Pandora yelled. "Bloody Remus! Talk to him before I do it myself!"
Claudia was taken aback by the sudden outburst from both Inez, and Pandora (who for the record was not someone who had had many outbursts).
"I...I just don't know what to say," Claudia eventually confessed. "My brain's a mess."
"I don't think your brain's a mess," Betty said softly. "You love him. That's that. So get over yourself and talk to him for Merlin's sake!"
"Okay," Claudia said, gulping nervously as she headed towards the boy who was standing with James on the pitch alongside Sirius and Peter.
"Claudia!" She suddenly heard from beside her, causing her to stop abruptly and turn to be met by Henry.
"Oh, hi!" She said kindly, thinking about her rude way of leaving him last time they spoke. "I actually wanted to apologise to you-"
"No need for that," he smiled. "I just came here to ask if you were going to the party in the Gryffindor common room tonight?"
"Yeah I think so," she replied. "Are you?"
"Yeah! I guess I'll see you there then?"
"Guess so," Claudia smiled as the boy walked off, only for that smile to drop as soon as she saw Remus staring right at her.
And this time around he didn't just look hurt.
He looked angry.
•••
"Are you ready?" Betty asked Claudia, who was in that moment standing in front of a mirror, applying red lipstick.
"No."
"You'll be fine," Betty assured her.
"No."
"Just don't speak to him if things are too bad. And if they aren't bad, please, for the love of Merlin, speak to him!"
Claudia said nothing to that, she simply placed the cap back on the lipstick, took a deep breath and walked towards the door.
"Let's go then," she said, and suddenly she, Betty and Inez were walking into the Gryffindor common room - Inez walking straight to her, now, girlfriend and Betty staying by Claudia's side.
Oh! Inez and Marlene were now together. Their date had gone just as Lily and Claudia had presumed, and now they were finally girlfriend and girlfriend.
And Pandora was nowhere to be found, most likely on some strange version of a date with Xenophilius.
"Don't leave me," Claudia whispered to Betty as they slowly walked towards the table with drinks. "Not for a minute."
"Can't make any promises."
"That's reassuring."
"Well, Lily is already pushing Remus your way so I'm pretty sure that I'll be shoved in another direction within the next few minutes."
"Betty, don't-"
"Hi, Clauds!" Lily greeted as she and Remus arrived, Remus' eyes immediately trailing to Claudia's red lips.
"Hi," Claudia said with a rather awkward smile as she tried her hardest to not look back at the boy who was in a complete trance.
"So, I actually have to borrow Betty for just a minute," Lily said, grabbing Betty's arm and dragging her away.
Claudia immediately groaned internally, and the reassuring look Betty sent her way most definitely didn't put her misery to stop.
She was feeling that way because she couldn't control herself around Remus.
He was, as one would say, her biggest weakness.
"Hi," she eventually said with a small smile.
"Hi," he replied, and as soon as his eyes met hers Claudia could come to two conclusions:
1. He was already a little drunk.
2. She most definitely wouldn't be able to stay away.
"Where have you been all week?" He asked, now standing next to her with a drink in his hand. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."
"I've just been busy," she shrugged, her too picking up a drink. "You know, the usual. Homework, prefect stuff and quidditch."
"Ah," he said. "But everything's good?"
"Mhm," she nodded. "And with you?"
"I guess," he said, and Claudia couldn't help but to feel terrified because of the way that he was looking at her.
There was something in his eyes that she couldn't even describe - but it was there and she knew just what it was.
Love.
"Stop looking at me like that," she mumbled, turning her eyes away from him.
"Like what?"
"Like that."
"If you wouldn't be so damn gorgeous maybe I could," he slurred after a moment of silence.
"Remus-"
"No, actually, forget I ever said that," he rambled. "Nothing could make me stop looking at you like this. Absolutely nothing."
The ability to form words left Claudia then, so she merely gave him a look that she herself thought to be pointed - but in reality it looked just like the way Remus was looking at her.
She looked at him with love in her eyes.
"Hey, guys!" James said as he arrived and broke the uncomfortable yet comfortable silence. "How about a game of spin the bottle?"
Both Remus and Claudia gave the boy weary looks at first, but then they surrendered and joined in on the game - Claudia sitting down next to Henry, who was also playing.
"Party good so far?" Henry asked.
"Sort of," Claudia responded with a chuckle. "Remind me why we are playing this again?"
"Because Potter is trying to kiss Evans is why," Henry countered. "And because it stirs the pot a bit, doesn't it?"
"I guess," Claudia said, and then the game began.
James ended up being first, and, much to his dismay, he was forced to kiss some random girl instead of Lily.
And Claudia couldn't help but to see something familiar in Lily's eyes.
Jealousy.
After a few rounds of pointless kisses, Betty span the bottle - only for it to land on Inez.
"Oh," Betty said, her eyes instantly landing on Marlene. "We don't have to-"
"It's the game rules," Marlene shrugged with a small grin. "It's completely fine on my part. As long as it's cool with you both?"
Inez started to question why the hell she and Marlene, an actual couple, were even playing in the first place - but the careless look on Marlene's face told her that it was fine.
It was just the simple little fact that Marlene had no idea about who Inez used to crush on only a few months ago, that person being Betty herself.
"It's fine," Inez said. "You?"
"Uh..." Betty said awkwardly. "Sure, I guess."
"You guess?" Marlene snorted.
"It's fine," Betty nodded, and then the two shared a short and soft kiss on the lips.
A kiss that caused Betty to stay quiet the rest of the game.
A few more rounds went by, people laughing and kissing as music played loudly and other students danced around the room and several people drank alcohol - both Claudia and Remus included.
Though, Remus was far more drunk than Claudia.
"Alright! Henry, your turn!" A boy said, nudging his friend who span the bottle.
It landed on Claudia.
Claudia stared at the bottle as Remus immediately shifted his eyes away from the two in case they would kiss. And, at this point, only a few people in the group were still talking.
And several others were completely quiet as they hoped that she wouldn't make a mistake.
"You don't have to," Henry suddenly whispered in her ear. "I get it."
Claudia turned to him with the intention to get it over with, but then her eyes flickered to the boy who was staring at the floor - and that's when she shook her head with a grimace.
"I can't," she said, and then she felt Remus looking at her again.
"Wait, what?!" Henry's friend who was sitting next to him questioned. "Why does she get to say no?! That's against the rules!"
"It's fine," James cut in.
"No, it's not!"
"It's fine," James repeated.
"No!"
"Yes, it is!" Henry yelled at his friend. "Drop it!"
Henry's friend gave him a frown, and suddenly the game was back in motion.
Well, that was for the most part.
Both Remus and Claudia were too busy with their internal confusions to even participate - and eventually Remus walked off to get more to drink and Claudia zoned out completely.
"You need some air?" Henry whispered in her ear, receiving a nod in response.
And so they left the common room, Remus' sad and frustrated eyes following them the entire way.
"Is everything alright?" Henry asked as they stepped out and Claudia took a few deep breaths.
"I don't know," she admitted. "Everything's just so messy."
"How?"
"I don't know what to do," she sighed. "I keep contradicting myself and confusing myself and others and I'm just bloody tired of being so damn confused all the time!"
"Is it about Lupin?" Henry asked knowingly.
"Mhm," Claudia nodded. "It's just so frustrating. Because he's so perfect, but I would just ruin things for him if I even went near him. I break everything I touch."
"What do you mean?"
"He deserves better than me," she said. "So much better than me."
"And why do you say that?" Henry asked. "Because, frankly, you seem pretty much perfect for him."
"Well, I'm not," she said. "He deserves someone who isn't complete chaos."
Henry paused for a few moments as something came to his mind, "You like him right? Maybe you even love him?"
Claudia nodded.
"Then you shouldn't do that to yourself," he said. "Because he loves you back, we can all see it. And you can't decide for him what is good for him and not. And I think you're lying, Claudia. Because you're completely perfect and anyone who knows you knows that."
Claudia didn't know what to say to that.
But Henry knew what he needed to do; because a little push had never hurt anybody.
"Can I try something real quick?" He asked, receiving a nod in response.
And then, Henry kissed her.
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