𝕿he platform was buzzing with students meeting back up with their friends after the Christmas break, Newt having just dropped me off a little earlier and saying a lengthy goodbye before leaving again so I was waiting for a sign of anyone I know as of yet, it was half past ten so someone should be here soon.
The rest of the Christmas holidays had been perfect, I didn't see Remus for the rest of the break as it was the full moon on the twenty seventh and he was resting for days after, I didn't really want to disturb him, knowing the full moons are harder when the Marauders aren't with him and he's alone. He wrote when he was feeling better though and said he was okay, a little sore but okay which made me slightly relieved.
I tapped my foot on the floor, fighting the urge to hum a tune to keep myself occupied, knowing if I did so, I would end up drawing a lot of unwanted attention by charming people, which is definitely not how I wanted to start the new year. I grinned quickly when I saw a speck of familiar brown hair, the brunette scanning over the platform until her chocolate orbs met my coloured ones and she beamed,
"Willow!" She shouted, earning a lot of attention, pushing through families that watched her as if she had grown three heads, as I rushed towards her with an excitable flood running through my veins after not seeing her for three weeks. I smashed into her arms, the girl lifting me off the floor in glee, my legs wrapping her waist, clinging onto her tightly, much to the confusion or amusement of the whole platform.
"Scar" I breathed out, the girl laughing happily and spinning us around, nearly tripping but gaining her balance again when I jumped off her, standing in front of her, my eyes taking in her paler and skinner complexion, reaching and caressing her defined cheek with the back of my hand, "You're okay?"
"Now, I am. Oh Wills, I didn't eat any sugar and only two or one meal away, it was awful" She sighed, letting her chocolate orbs wander over my face, her hands reaching tucking some blonde hair behind my ears on both sides, "Good Christmas?"
"Yes, good" I nodded, her eyes lifting over my head, pursing her lips before folding her arms over her chest and averting her eyes away, my eyebrows furrowing, turning around and seeing Theo with his usual smirk, his hands behind his back as he gazed down at me, my eyes just blinking at him, my expression void of any emotion,
"Hello, sweetheart" He greeted, Scarlette mumbling words under her breath as I just simply stared at him, frowning faintly in remembrance of the way he departed from me for Christmas. I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all. He forced that kiss on me like I was a trophy he had won and took it for his own, it wasn't fond, it wasn't affectionate, it was forced and dare I say wrong. It felt wrong.
"Theodore" I nodded politely, before turning back around to Scarlette, her eyebrows raising at my reaction, before his hand grabbed my shoulder, turning me back around to him, the girl growling at him putting hands on me whilst I simply looked at his hand and up to his eyes, asking flatly, "What do you want?"
"Aren't you happy to see me?" He questioned, a smug smirk still playing on his lips, until it slowly dropped when I replied simply,
"No"
"Oh shit" Scarlette muttered, extremely surprised at her best friend's answer to the question, wondering if something had happened after she left or over the holidays because Willow was fairly happy with Theo beforehand, and now she was treating him like she treats any boy luring over her. Though she didn't have much time to ponder because her eyes flickered down to where the Slytherin boy grabbed on to her wrist harshly, pulling her closer to him, Scarlette stepping forward, trying to get his hand off her wrist though he just added more pressure, not that Willow was reacting.
"Are you trying to hurt me?" I asked rather uninterestedly, feeling his hands secured tightly around my wrist no matter how much Scarlette tried to pull it off, it was sure to leave a bruise. It hurt, but I wasn't going to let him know that, or he'll think he has power over me and will do it whenever he wants to get me to submit to him, which is not who I am.
"Did you miss me, Willow?" He spoke through his gritted teeth, narrowing his eyes at me, as I merely looked up at him,
"Do you think my answer has changed? I'd stop if I were you, you'll draw attention to yourself and this isn't the place for this conversation. I suggest you go away on your own terms before I charm you to do so" I told him quietly, my eyes scanning around the platform, spotting the three Lupins looking at the scene, my lips tugging upwards at them, they didn't return the smile though, they looked concerned and worried....Remus looked angry.
"Find me later" He ordered before letting go of my wrist and strolling off in the direction behind me, my eyes casting down to my wrist where there was a red handprint and mark already appearing, causing me to cover it with my sleeve,
"That mother fucker i'm going to fucking kill him" Scarlette spat after seeing my wrist, a knot forming in my throat, when the family of three approached us quickly, a smile forcing its way on to my lips, nudging Scarlette to stop swearing and speaking rather inappropriate insults for when they stood in front of us, Remus' eyes focused on my wrist even though it was covered by my sleeve,
"Willow, are you okay?" Hope quizzed, peering over my shoulder to the direction Theo left in, Scarlette pausing and turning to me with a confused expression, not aware of my meeting of the older Lupins,
"Yes, Hope, I'm okay. Are you?" I asked softly, travelling my eyes over to Remus and hiding my hand behind my back, his honey eyes meeting mine, a flash of worry overcoming the anger for a second, his lips parting as he blinked at me, tilting his head to the side,
"Did that boy hurt you?" Lyall inquired with narrowed eyes, my eyes tearing away from the werewolf at the last moment when I moved my head towards his dad,
"No, he didn't. I'm okay-"
"The red handprint on your wrist says otherwise" Scarlette scoffed, not even caring who's presence she is in, her arms folding over her chest, glancing to where Theo was stood with Avery and Mulciber, pointing out people and talking about them, "I swear to fucking Merlin i'm going to fuck him up, that fucking cunt. Oh, how rude of me, I'm Scarlette" She introduced, holding her hand out to Hope and Lyall, replacing her sour look with an innocent smile, Remus and I exchanging an amused look despite the circumstance,
"The other half of Willoette, it's a pleasure to meet you Scarlette, we've heard a lot about you" Hope replied, bringing her into a hug like she did with me, causing me to move out of the way and stand beside Remus, not meeting his gaze when he looked to me.
He could tell she was hurt by the way she was carrying herself and because she wouldn't meet his eyes again. He felt nothing but pure anger and resentment towards the Slytherin for hurting her, the girl who has been occupying his mind for the entire Christmas holidays after their time together at his house and in the town. How dare he lay a finger on her sweet soul. He reached down, lifting her hand up and carefully pulling the sleeve of her sweater back to reveal the red handprint Scarlette was talking about, his blood boiling from the sight.
"I'll kill him" He seethed, spotting the handprint and shooting his honey eyes towards the boy on the other side of the platform, neither of us realising Scarlette had long since stopped talking to the Lupins and they were watching and listening to our conversation,
"No, don't cause a scene, i'm fine, honestly. His ego is bruised more, trust me" I spoke quietly, calling his eyes to me in my mind, a flood of success running through my veins when he instantly looked at me, softening and relaxing considerably. I took a moment to scan over his face, noticing a new scar on his chin, it's small and probably un noticeable to anyone else but I could tell it was new, it wasn't there before and it's pinker than the others which conveyed me to ask, "How are you feeling?"
"Well before I was good, now not so much" He mumbled, a light sigh leaving my lips when he smoothed his thumb gently over the hand print, unbeknownst to us, his parents exchanging a glance with the brunette who simply displayed a knowing smile and sent his mum and dad a wink.
"Willow-tree!"
"Lolo!" We heard familiar voices call from across the platform, my lips twitching at the sight of James and Sirius, who looked better than what James had described when he first went home, to which I was glad about. I felt Remus tug my sleeve down as they approached the couple I saw greet James before Christmas I now knew as Monty and Mia following closely behind, Peter appearing out of nowhere and joining their side too as they headed towards us.
"How do you look even more gorgeous?" James teased with a goofy grin, enveloping me tightly into his arms tightly, cinnamon and broom polish filling my lungs from his quidditch jersey he was wearing, my heart warming when he nuzzled his head against mine, "I missed you, Willow-tree"
"I guess I missed you too, Jamesie-deer" I sighed softly, pulling away from the boy and hugging Peter whilst Scarlette and Sirius greeted each other, James greeting Remus, "Hi, Peter, good holidays"
"Yeah, thank you for the sweets. How about yours?" He asked with a smile and flushed cheeks when I pulled back, my lips tugging upwards when I nodded my head,
"Good, thank you, and I quite enjoyed my lemon drops, how on earth did you know?"
"I have no idea" He jested, before I felt someone wrap their arms around me from behind, my eyebrow raising, when he nestled his head against mine, burying his face into my neck, mumbling,
"It's good to see you, Lolo"
"I could say the same for you, Sirius. How are you?" I quizzed almost silently, turning around to see him, a smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes. He could probably have others fooled but not me, I saw right through him, and it wasn't because he was upset about leaving home, it was about Regulus. He didn't know how their relationship was going to be now he had ran away without him, "We'll talk later, hm?"
"Sure" He nodded, a mischievous grin making its way onto his face, swivelling me around and positioning me in front of the Potter couple as James did the same to Scarlette, standing us both in front of them. It's not the way I would have liked to meet them with it being pretty rushed, but I guess we can't always have what we want,
"Mum, dad, meet our girls" James piped up, switching places with Sirius and wrapping his arms around my shoulders, resting his chin on top of my head, whilst I scanned the older version of James in front of me, his cheeks turning a bright pink, his eyes growing round, a small smile on my face trying to get used to the reaction of people when they meet me for the first time, "Look at that Willow-tree, you have my dad blushing...."
"James Potter you are grounded as soon as you come back for Easter" He ordered firmly, everyone laughing at his reaction, turning to watch when I extended my non bruised hand to introduce myself,
"Hi, Mr Potter, i'm Willow, it's a pleasure to meet you"
"Oh merlin" He breathed out, turning even more red, his wife pushing him out of the way with a scolding look before sending me a warm smile and enveloping me into her arms much like Hope did the first time I met her,
"You have to forgive my husband, he's still not house trained" She apologised jokingly, causing me to laugh gently before pulling away, her affectionate, crinkled eyes meeting mine, "James was right, you are quite beautiful and unique. Anyway, I'm Euphemia but they all call me-"
"Mia" the four boys chirped before James paused, shaking his head and correcting, "Mum"
"It's nice to meet you Mia, i've heard much about you. As I have you, Monty, it's quite alright I know i'm weird looking" I spoke calmly, standing beside Scarlette, looking between the couple stood besides Lyall and Hope, the brunette draping her arm around my waist and bringing me into her, "I'm sorry, this introduction is rushed I-"
"Oh don't apologise, dear, it's not your fault. We're just glad to finally put faces to the name Willoette"
"Ah, we're famous Wills" Scarlette grinned, tugging me closer when I chuckled, mirroring her grin, the four adults chuckling themselves,
"Go on, go get your compartment together" Hope urged, reaching and fixing Remus' jacket, whilst the Potter's fussed over James and Sirius, Scarlette and I exchanging an entertained glance with Peter.
"Mum, this is embarrassing" Remus whispered with warm cheeks, however quite liking this motherly affection, his mum seemed to perk up a bit since meeting Willow and he was extremely happy about it. She wasn't as pale or sick looking, and she wore a smile every single day,
"Oh sorry, I forgot no embarrassment in front of the non pretty girl" Hope muttered, causing her son to heat up even more, her husband snorting and nodding his head in agreement, before Hope spoke quietly, looking quickly to the girl holding her wrist in her hand, chatting normally to Peter, "You say you're just friends, whatever you are, Remus. Look out for her, I don't like the look of that boy, especially if he's hurt her in broad daylight"
"Of course I will, mum" He nodded, wrapping his arms around her one last time and pecking her cheek before hugging his dad, saying goodbye to the Potters and joining the group as they boarded the train together, hoping to find the usual compartment together,
"That was golden, you definitely have to charm him, Willow-tree" James claimed with an entertained expression, Sirius sliding open the door to the compartment, all of us piling in and taking up some of the seats, Scarlette sitting herself between Sirius and Peter whilst I sat in between James and Remus,
"Jamesie-deer i'm not charming your dad" I told him truthfully, Sirius cackling into laughter before piping up,
"Yeah, what if he accidentally kissed you or something"
"He's attractive yes, but i'm good thanks. Married men and also a father to one of my friends isn't my ideal type" I uttered, wrinkling my nose up at the thought, subconsciously leaning into Remus' side for comfort, James making a sound of agreement, Peter sniggering at me reply,
"And your type is-"
"Abusers" Scarlette insisted, still sour about the whole ordeal on the platform, Peter, James and Sirius furrowing their eyebrows looking at me whilst I just looked out of the window, lifting my hand up and waving to the two sets of parents outside of the window before the train started rolling around away, not turning to Scarlette when she spoke up with a sigh, "You can't ignore this hoping for it to go away, Wills"
"Leave it Scar, i'll deal with it" I mumbled, pulling my sweater further down my hand, the brunette scoffing, placing her hands out of in front of her as though she was going to be proving a big point,
"And what are you going to do Wills? I'm not going to let you crack on with him when he's hurt you-"
"He hurt you?!" James, Sirius and Peter exclaimed with wide eyes, scanning over my appearance to look for a sign of injury, just as the compartment door slid open to reveal the four Gryffindor girls, a relieved sigh leaving my lips from the sight, knowing the conversation would stop there,
"Gryffindors! Slytherin! Fluffy puff!" Marlene announced, bowing at the compartment door before Lily rolled her eyes, pushing her in, Scarlette moving on to Sirius' lap when he unfolded his legs, tugging at her waist like they did going home, Lily sitting down in between them and Peter with Mary sitting down on her lap.
"Are you sure you don't want to sit here, Lily Flower?" James offered, patting his lap, grunting when Marlene shrugged and plonked herself down on him with a grin, causing me to laugh softly at the sight of James' surprised expression, Marlene wrapping her arms around his neck, pretending to pepper kisses all over his face,
"Willow" Remus called quietly, earning the attention of the veela when she turned to look at him, his heart racing in his chest when he divulged into the different adventures to be explored in her eyes, a blush rising up the back of his neck. He grins sheepishly at her inquisitive brow before gesturing to Alice still stood up against the compartment window, his eyes flickering down to her lips when they tugged upwards, shifting slowly and placing herself on his lap to give Alice room to sit down, his arm loosely hanging around her waist to hold her into him when she sat sideways, leaning into his chest.
I closed my eyes briefly, resting my side against his warm chest, listening to everyone chat excitedly about their Christmases whilst I just rested still, trying to forget about the throbbing pain in my wrist. He hurt me. He hurt me and it didn't look like he regretted it at all, he wasn't bothered, he intended to hurt me, both me, him and Scarlette knew that. Why would he hurt me if he genuinely liked me? I sighed gently, keeping my eyes closed and drowning out the world, that was until I felt the boy shift slightly and drop his head down near mine before whispering softly,
"Are you okay?"
"Mmhm" I nodded, though I knew he wouldn't be convinced, compelling me to flit my eyes open finding his directly peering into mine instantly with worry swirling around, "Actually I think i'm going to go for some fresh air and to the bathroom"
"Don't go near him" He muttered, nevertheless letting me go, everyone turning awkwardly quiet when I left the compartment without a word, Remus rubbing his hand over his forehead when everyone looked to him curiously, but he just looked to her best friend, who was already standing from Sirius' lap, following her out just in case something happens.
I swallowed thickly, practically rushing past the full compartments filled with excited and buzzing teenagers, feeling tears beginning to sting behind my eyes no matter how hard I tried to pull them back in. I hardly ever cried, the last time being when Lily and I had that argument in the Gryffindor common room. I felt the first tear roll down my cheek when I approached the bathroom, luckily finding it empty and opening the door as quickly as I shut it and locking it. Tears clouded my vision as I pulled up my sleeve, light sobs leaving my tight throat at the handprint already beginning to bruise, before I placed it under the cold water tap to soothe the feeling, desperately hoping it would suddenly disappear from the water.
"Willow, it's me, open the door" I heard Scarlette call, knocking lightly, my other arm reaching to wipe under my eyes before unlocking the door, keeping my wrist under the tap when she opened the door, closing and locking it again, staring at me in the mirror before I broke out into larger sobs, looking down at my wrist. I feel weak and pathetic for crying over something that was technically my fault but I couldn't fathom to understand why he did it. He's always been different with me, he's never laid his hands on me before except affectionately.
Scarlette's heart ached at the sight of her best friend, her sister sobbing to herself with her wrist under the tap as though it would magically disappear under the touch of the water, but they both knew better. She knew this was going to be the turning point, Willow isn't a fool, she won't let this happen again and it never should have happened in the first place. She shouldn't have let it happen, she knew what Theodore Nott was capable of and she should have never let Willow get close to him.
I sniffed when she turned off the tap, leaving my arm wet before wrapping her arms around me reassuringly, my head nuzzling into her shoulder, taking a few deep breaths to compose myself whilst she slid her hands up and down my back, whispering comforting words into my ear, moving her head slightly and kissing the top of my head before saying quietly,
"Let's end this thing with Nott....I think you already wanted to anyway"
"Yeah..." I sniffed, lifting my hand and wiping my eyes before glancing at her, a small smile on her face, brushing my hairs out of my face when I murmured, "Why did he hurt me?"
"Because that's who he is, Wills, he's not going to change. Yeah, he can be soft with you sometimes but he's just masking his true self deep down. You deserve better, you deserve someone who's sweet and kind, someone who would give you the world without you asking for it, endless amounts of love and affection. You deserve more than he will ever give you, Willow and i'm sorry for not telling you sooner"
"Don't apologise, it's not your fault it's mine. I'm too fucking friendly and nice and people think they can use me and walk over because of my badge" I scoffed, averting mg eyes down to my wrist that was now drying, even more so when I pushed my sleeve back down,
"Exactly so let's teach those motherfuckers, yeah? Chin up, and keep strong now the tears are gone, we'll show Theodore Nott who the best bitches are" She declared with a grin, my lips upturning, letting out a breathy laugh and agreeing with her, meeting her chocolate orbs again,
"I love you, Scar, I don't know what i'd do without you"
"I don't know what i'd do without you, you're my sanity. So we stick together, forever. I love you, Wills" She whispered, wrapping her arms around me again in this tiny bathroom, the both of us ignoring the knock on the door, simply relishing in the moment, "Give us a fucking minute!"
"Us?! You're shagging in there?!" We heard a familiar voice speak, causing the two of us to laugh, unlocking the door and opening it to reveal the tousled haired boy, dragging him inside and closing the door again, the three of us bunching together, the boy smirking, "Well this is cozy....but I actually needed to go"
"Be our guest" Scarlette hummed, gesturing to the toiled, the boy wrinkling up his nose and folding his arms over his chest, leaning into the sink before looking to me, "Shit, what happened to you?"
"Theodore fucking Nott put his hands on her, I say we fuck him up, Reggie" Scarlette informed him, rolling up my sleeve to show him the mark, his jaw immediately locking, clenching his fists,
"I'm with you, we'll teach that filthy bastard a fucking lesson" He snarled, yet carefully holding it up and bringing his wand out of his pocket, muttering a healing charm, not even bothering that we weren't at Hogwarts, the train counts,
"Thank you, Reg" I spoke appreciatively, reaching and pecking his cheek to which he softened and smiled warmly at me,
"Anytime Wills, we have our badger's back"
"The honey badger is coming out to play" I smirked, circling my wrists in a motion, the pain I was experiencing before hand slipping away into my pockets, glancing between the two of them, "Let's let Reg do his thing, Scar, we'll see you later" I told him, dragging the girl out of the bathroom Regulus chuckling and closing the door behind us as we made our way back through the train to the Marauder compartment everyone glancing to the doorway when I opened it, locking eyes with the mousy haired boy reading his book, letting go with one hand and opening up room for me before returning back to the book.
Remus smiled to himself when she trudged in and perched herself back on his lap, lifting his arms over her head like they did on the way home for Christmas so he could read over her shoulder in a comfortable position whilst she rested back into his chest, though this time, it seemed to have more of an effect on him, his heart roaring in his ears, heating them up when her lemon and flower scent washed over him like a crashing wave on a beach, compelling him to rest his chin down on her shoulder before he whispered,
"Feeling better?"
"Loads" I whispered back, closing my sore eyes again when his scent filled up my lungs and the heat from his body radiating to mine, making me feel drowsier. I leaned my head into his without a second thought, allowing sleep to wash over me as I rested on his lap, feeling incredibly relaxed and warm....most importantly safe and protected in his arms.
"That's what she deserves" Scarlette whispered to herself from being on Sirius' lap, eyeing the pair looking considerably more comfortable with each other than they did before the holidays, her best friend leaning her head against his whilst she drifted off into sleep, the boy continuing to read with his arms keeping her still and secure, letting her do what was most comfortable for her and working around her without hesitation. That's what Willow Bellamy deserved, Scarlette was sure of it. Willow Bellamy deserved Remus Lupin, there was no doubt about it.
•4448 words•
Clearly in the middle of a 'Buttercup' brainstorm like I had with Ambivalence a couple of weeks ago. I love this stage of the book when feelings are starting to brew, I love writing it as much as when they finally get together ♡︎