CHAPTER 22
(part five)
"My Special Girl"
Our heart rates increase while our breathing slows down when we cry. Along with the fact that we release stress-relieving hormones, oxytocin, and endorphins. That and your brain is getting less oxygen, you feel clarity. It makes you tired.
All that science to lead into-
Ana had fallen asleep like a baby after a spoken tale, on that treen bench with a pillow of Hope's legs, a lullaby of her brushing hands, a blankey of a wet towel, and covers of Welsh drizzles.
Hope called Remus out to the field of a backyard. Letting him carry the dreaming fox back into the home, resting her on the couch.
His hands pulled out from underneath the princess hold to grab a blanket and spare her shoes.
But she woke up like a kitten, peckish to hunger and the lack of his outstanding body heat.
And Remus apologized profusely for rousing her awake.
The Lupin's (mostly Hope and Remus, Lyall was rubbish) used their best sweet eyes that they were ever so talented in, asking her to stay, not to leave.
Ana laughed at this. She had no were else to go. Well, her uncle's, but in her teenage mind, that was no choice when she could be here.
She wanted to be here.
Sat in the warmth of the living room on blood orange recliners and the blue and white striped couch. Surrounded by shelves of books mixed with magazines and humanities.
Lit by no overhead lights but either frilled tassle legged lamps or prudent table ones.
All the color and clashing objects would have made any uniform person shy away from each eye catching side table or ornate trinket. Even the paintings next to each other went from muted city impressionism art to a vibrant abstract scene of what might be a spanning tree or a large squid.
But Hope had managed to make it all look surprisedly natty. Probably all those magazines she collected.
They ate roast, all saving room for the black berry batter pudding that Hope baked, raving about it being her own blackberries she'd grown and picked from the left side of the cottage.
Remus had made Ana's plate for her, asking her if she was alright for the third time when Hope asked them to bring the dishes back to the kitchen.
Remus brought out some of his records to play on the family's record player. Ana hummed along to each tune. After, a game of rummy that left Hope winning.
The girls set to finishing packing all the snacks Hope had gotten for the friends, and faint catching up after the long separation.
Remus thought he had heard Ana telling his mother about her embarrassing flying lessons in the first year; Remus smiled. He liked that story.
She laughed, trying to get out how awful animals acted around Remus like he was some bane.
All the while, Lyall and Remus played separate games of solitaire over the coffee table, missing playing cards, trying to listen to the girl's laughter and sweet academic stories from the past five years.
Some Remus had never heard, like apparently the girls had spent almost all of second year with their five twin beds charmed together like a big slumber party (by Ana), and had gotten away with it cause the lazy gryffindor prefects that year never did room checks.
Remus was very grateful to the shoddy prefects that year. It gave him and the boys many nights to explore and map every cranny of the castle.
He melted through the floor when Ana told his mother how Remus wouldn't talk to her at all even after they were put as partners in potions third year, and he had sliced his hand open cutting fluxweed- not lightly but big gash running down his palm- but he still refused to say anything not even tell Slughorn.
Ana lauded about how bossy she was telling him everything to do, all the while he was bleeding everywhere, and she hadn't noticed.
Remus swore he saw his father cough away a laugh.
-
Remus pulled off the comfort quilt from his bed, showing his much more presentable light blue comforter. Laying the quilt on top of his makeshift cot, he had made on the left side of his room by the window and the wire basket that held his records.
Ana had gone for a shower in his bathroom after the story of James' scavenger hunt when Hope ushered her to clean up after her day(s) of travel.
And though he had heard the streams silent whiles ago, he chose to stay in the familiarity of his room.Ana seemed so fine (happy even) after it, even before Remus' apologetic explanation of his father's job.
It aged Remus. How is she so fine? How do you bounce back like that?
She assured Remus in the kitchen. It wasn't real, so there was no need to get in a fuss about it- completely letting out the part that she had sobbed after for a share of an hour.
So Remus played along like this knowledge didn't make him a fool of mockery. Like he didn't want to smash that wardrobe into pieces, like some rock star to their guitar. Like he didn't feel he was being belted with hails of tomatoes from every onlooker of this universe.
-
He had been standing in the center of his poky room scowling, looking for any trinket or poster to embarrassing for his temperament ego, when she walked in.
Her hair was wet and looked much darker. She wore a blush yellow silk romper with long sleeves and lace trimming, a thin ribbon tied in a bow tracing the square neckline. It was short, her crew socks covering more leg than the silk fabric.
She held a cup of tea in her hands; the mug had an image of Eeyore smelling a yellow daisy.
She looks so p-
Stretch Armstrong! Fuck of course, I think of it as soon as she comes in.
Remus slowly backed up to the wall behind him, reaching up to pull the marred stretch toy pinned by nails of push pins to his virginal walls.
The boys had made it like this after he got the elastic toy for Christmas second year. Drawing on it, adding yarn of hair, giving it a big uni-brow, bright red lips and the designated name of Filch (for no particular reason.) Remus has pulled its flexible limbs as much as possible and pinned it to his wall, thinking it was very funny.
not funny stupid
He pulled it off aggressively, keeping in a squeak when the elastic slapped his hand behind his back, pulled back into its original shape of a man's figure. Putting it in the drawer of his dresser behind him, watching as Ana's eyes floated around his room.
"Gosh, your room is so silly, I love it." She turned to close the door.
His room was silly. It still had its Winnie the Pooh wallpaper with Winnie and all the friend in multiple adventures with flowers and trees and butterflies and over that were prints overlapping prints of posters. Lot of posters.
He had an unnecessary amount of Bowie that needed to be better dispersed around the room to not make it look like a shrine. A fair amount of Bob Dylan, The Hollies, lots of Eagles, and Queen.
Ana's favorite poster was a print in bold orange letters that said, 'Happy Hottest Day in History.'
And though his bed seemed to have gotten bigger, he still had an immaturely sized desk that Ana doubted he could use or even get his long legs under.
She figured she was right because it seemed to just be a stand for piles of book.
He had a bookshelf, but all the books were either read a long time ago or never touch.
Ana thought it was probably the first.
He had pictures too, one of the boys and him. She figured this was second year. He had another one of their whole year's photo this one was third year's. Another was of his family, Remus looked eight.
The last one was from their day in London. Ana was the only one facing the camera, smiling with her hands up to wave. Everyone else was in the background of the bus. Remus had taken this photo.
He played with his fingers, nodding as a thank you, rocking on his heels closer to her. "You okay?" He whispered.
Ana smiled. Her short(er) height allowed her to catch his eye, even with his head slightly down. "Yes, loads, now that I've finally got my tea."
Remus scoffed out a smile.
She looked so pretty now, all the crying- had somehow washed away any imperfections that Remus had never seen and left her dulcet. The fortitude of fragility gave some reward of beauty to the conqueror.
crying
His smile turned into a grimace, looking like he was about to apologize again.
Ana hit his shoulder awkwardly with her free hand. "Oh stop moping, you know my biggest fear now so.. you know..."
"Don't use it against me."
Ana tried to make a joke, it was a joke. But Remus didn't think of it like that.
"promise."
Authors Notes:
Finally the end of a more than 7.5k
word chapter
The next chapter might be my new favorite it makes me giggle I love it. I didn't think anything would top my favorite, chapter 4.
Next part will be out Wednesday.
Date posted : October 6th, 2023