Bitterblue [Lena!]

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus had never been fond of heights, really. He was rubbish on a broom, heck - he wasn't even particularly tall (yet). Still, he knew there were no astronomy classes this particular afternoon and he had a free period. Usually, free periods were spend with all the Marauders together, Remus half-studying or reading and sort of attempting to keep the rest out of trouble while they lounged all over the place and got bored (which usually led to trouble).
Not this time, though. After falling out with Sirius, the relationship between the Marauders was strained. Sirius and Remus were direct opposites, James was trying to be neutral but edged towards Sirius, and Peter, well.. let's be honest, James and Sirius were more awesome than Remus was, apparently, so he wasn't really a support, either.

The worst thing, though, was the fact that the whole situation was killing his concentration. Reading was something that usually helped, but this fight bugged him, annoyed him, lurked at the back of his soul constantly. It felt so unnatural to be fighting with his best friend, that something so trivial had escalated. Deep inside, actually, Remus even knew he had already forgiven Sirius, and it made him all the angrier. Was Remus that dependent? Was Remus that gullible? Had Sirius that much power over him? Sirius had said terrible things to him, and here was Remus' inner self, forgiving him in a day. Remus had practically forgiven Sirius before they'd even had the conversation with James!
Oh, sure, his anger had flared up for a moment when he had recalled the things Sirius had said to him, but the flame had died the moment it had flared, and he had felt sorry at once. Of course, he hadn't said so. He had said he didn't feel sorry at all, and that he was angry with Sirius.
He had a right to be angry.. right?

Anyway, here he was - Gryffindor coward, on top of a tower because he knew that was the place where his friends wouldn't look for him. If they were even looking at all.

[Lena Marie Becket]

Clothing: click meeee

Lena had noticed something was wrong. She wasn’t blind or deaf. She had noticed the Marauder’s splitting up a little bit and had heard rumors about possible fighting they had had. Which was not a good thing to hear. Those four were the closest friends ever and had been so for 5 years. And suddenly something had happened to mess it up. And her biggest worry was for Remus. It seemed he was being left alone more and more as the days progressed and it worried her a lot. She had been trying to find a chance to talk to him but it had never seemed the right time. And the other three were lucky she hadn’t chunked a book at their heads and yelling at them “do you see what you’re doing to him?! You’re supposed to be best friends!”But she didn’t knowing better than to do that. That would cause even more trouble and that really probably wasn’t the best idea.

So when she saw Remus head out of the common room, she followed him, wanting to talk to him and see what happened and if he was ok. As he headed up staircases, she headed up them. She lost him for a little while on one of the staircases because it decided to move while she was on it and it took her a little while to get back on track. So he had been gone for a while before she found him, purely by chance. Lena had been checking the towers, to count them off on her list, but she’d found him anyway. She took a deep breath and walked out and toward him, forcing herself not to look over the ledge, being terrified of heights. “Remus?” she said softly, letting him know she was there. She continued until she was right beside him and laid a hand on his back gently. “Do you want to talk about it?”

[Remus John Lupin]

In the twenty-something minutes he'd been up here, Remus had to admit he hadn't made any progress. All his mind had done so far was loop, loop, and loop over the situation again and again, pointing out new mistakes, new alternate outcomes if he had reacted differently.
It wasn't doing him any good, and what was more, he hadn't heard Lena coming, and slightly jumped when she said his name. "Oh - hey." He gave a bit of a smile. Strange enough, he didn't flinch at the touch, while Remus wasn't usually a touchy-feely type of person.

If he wanted to talk about it. Remus gave a bit of a shrug. He didn't know.
"It's.. sort of complicated," he muttered, though he felt bad the moment he said it. "Not- not that I think you couldn't understand it's- well." Remus fell silent, pensive. "We got in a bit of a fight. And it wasn't a Sirius-spur-of-the-moment-thing, it was an actual, fully fledged fight." He coughed. "I physically attacked him, actually - can you imagine?" Remus shook his head slightly and swallowed.
"I'm not even sure if I know what happened," he eventually concluded, hoping to stop her from asking questions he couldn't really answer. "Thanks, though.." Remus smiled at Lena slightly.

[Lena Marie Becket]

Clothing: click meeee

Lena saw him jump slightly when she spoke and winced because of it. She hadn’t meant to scare him or make him jump. Especially when they were on a very tall tower and if you fell off, you’d be dead. She gave him a small smile in return, trying to make him feel better. “Hey.” She was glad her touch didn’t seem to bother him. It looked like he was getting more used to people touching him. Or maybe it was just her.

If he wanted to talk about it. Remus gave a bit of a shrug. He didn't know.
"It's.. sort of complicated," She raised an eyebrow, worried about how it could be complicated. "Not- not that I think you couldn't understand it's- well." Lena shook her head, not having been worried about that at all. She knew he knew she was intelligent and so she wasn’t the least bit insulted. “Don’t worry about it, Remus. I know what you meant.” She tried to give him another smile. When he fell silent, she let him, wanting him to say what he was comfortable saying. She was there to make him feel better, like he’d done for her. "We got in a bit of a fight. And it wasn't a Sirius-spur-of-the-moment-thing, it was an actual, fully fledged fight." She raised another eyebrow, growing more worried about that. "I physically attacked him, actually - can you imagine?" Her mouth dropped open slightly, not believing it. It must have been really serious to get that kind of reaction from him. Remus got angry even less often than she did. Which was a big deal. She said something softly, though she knew her comment really wasn’t needed. But she thought she had to say something then. “I can sort of imagine. Everyone feels anger at some point.”

"I'm not even sure if I know what happened," Lena mused softly, wondering exactly what they had both said and so forth. She was worried about the Marauders. They shouldn’t be so split up like this. "Thanks, though." She smiled back. “Don’t worry about it. You know you always have me to talk to.” She shrugged and settled against him. “I just wish I could do something to help.”

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus hadn't sat down close to the edge of the tower for exactly that reason - falling off. Sure, he felt pretty miserable, but that didn't mean he wanted to die, actually.
He found he was sort of glad Lena was here. She knew all of them well enough to know the dynamics within their group, even if she didn't know about Remus major secret, she knew him well enough to realise this was serious.
Then again, the whole fight had started over someone finding out what Remus was, why should he not tell Lena, hm? What exactly did he have to lose? And surely Lena wouldn't be close-minded about it, would she? Or, maybe, she would - there was no saying how people reacted to news like that.

Of course, Lena was nothing less than understanding and Remus felt grateful. He wanted to tell her about it, really, but how could he without going into detail that no one was supposed to know?
Still, Remus couldn't help but chuckle when Lena's jaw dropped as he confessed he'd fought with Sirius. "I know I hardly look impressive, but is it really that impossible to believe that I floored Sirius Black?" he asked with a bit of a smile. He knew she might also be surprised because of the sheer fact he had been that angry.
“I can sort of imagine. Everyone feels anger at some point.” Remus fell silent at those words for a moment. Yeah, he had been angry - Remus had been angry, not the wolf (had his friends really been that bothered by it?). "Yes, but I should.. should've been rational," he mused. "It's just-" Remus shook his head. "Let's just say the least of the insults thrown at me was that I was a waste of time," Remus said, promising himself that that would be all he said, too. He didn't want to get Lena into trouble - or scare her off and down the tower.

“Don’t worry about it. You know you always have me to talk to.” Remus smiled slightly, gratefully. “I just wish I could do something to help.” Remus shrugged. "It's fine." Of course it wasn't. "I suppose I got myself into the mess, I should be able to get myself out. Somehow." Again, he shrugged, he appeared to be doing that a lot. "I'll be fine somehow. Moreso because I have you for a friend."

[Lena Marie Becket]

Clothing: click meeee

Lena had her own dark secrets that she didn’t like to share. So she wasn’t about to push Remus to tell her anything he didn’t want to tell her. She was fine just talking to him and hearing what he was willing to tell her. Or them just talking about what ever there was to talk about. She just wanted to make him feel better and if there was anything she could do, she’d do it. "I know I hardly look impressive, but is it really that impossible to believe that I floored Sirius Black?" She laughed softly. “Not really. It’s just amazing that you two fought. That’s what blows my mind.”

"Yes, but I should.. should've been rational," Lena smiled and shook her head. “Someone very smart once told me to not always try to be rational about things.” She looked at him pointedly, reminding him of what he had told her that day by the lake. "Let's just say the least of the insults thrown at me was that I was a waste of time," Lena felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance, really not happy about that. “You are not a waste of time. Ever. Those insults were a waste of time and if I could, I’d go kick some sense into Sirius and the others for you.” She was really not happy at the others and she wanted to do something about it but it was none of her business getting in the middle of it all.

"I suppose I got myself into the mess, I should be able to get myself out. Somehow." She shrugged and looked over at him. “You’ll figure it out. You’re brilliant. Everyone knows that. If it can be fixed, you can do it.” Her brown gaze watched him carefully, her heart going out to him and how much this whole problem obviously bothered him. "I'll be fine somehow. Moreso because I have you for a friend." She smiled and laid her hand on top of his softly and squeezed it before moving her hand away again. “You will always have me as a friend, Remus. No matter what happens in our futures.” And she meant every word. No matter what, she would always think of Remus as her best friend, no matter the distance between them or whatever might happen.

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus knew Lena wouldn't push him, but truth was that he really did want someone to talk to about this whole thing, and he wasn't sure if he could without explaining everything.. Then again, the mere thought of having to tell her everything made Remus feel sort of exhausted in advance - there would be so much to tell and explain and just recalling the memories was a lot of work, let alone pouring that in one coherent whole.
Besides, better not give Sirius another reason to be pissed at Remus. And, also, hadn't Sirius accused him of just wanting attention and sharing his condition for that sole reason? Remus knew he didn't want attention, if there was anything he didn't crave so much, it was just that, but if he told Lena now (even if he'd had the guts) he would be dangerously close to proving Sirius right. That was the last thing Remus wanted.

“Not really. It’s just amazing that you two fought. That’s what blows my mind.” Remus chuckled slightly despite everything. "Oh, well, we fight now and again, really - but it usually doesn't take this long for the differences to be settled.." He sighed and shrugged. "I'm not really sure what to do now it's come this far. I tried apologising, and it didn't work."
He laughed softly as Lena pointed out that he was ignoring his own advice. "I suppose you got me there," he admitted, though he actually had no idea how not being rational might help him. To be honest, he didn't know how being rational was going to help him, either.

“You are not a waste of time. Ever. Those insults were a waste of time and if I could, I’d go kick some sense into Sirius and the others for you.” Remus smiled at her slightly. "Well, he might have had a bit of a point.." he mused softly. "Besides - it's not that I'm completely innocent. We both did damage. If I hadn't lost my cool, I don't think I would be sitting here." It was true, Remus was convinced that if he hadn't snapped, it would've stopped at bickering and they would've been fine again by now.
He looked at Lena a little surprised when she stated he was, apparently, 'brilliant'. "I don't know where you got that idea," he said, referring to brilliant, "but to be honest I have no idea. I apologised, got mad at him again, avoided him for some time, confronted him about things - nothing's worked so far."

“You will always have me as a friend, Remus. No matter what happens in our futures.” He smiled slightly, though the feeling of support and strength that surged through hikm was stronger than he let on. "Thanks," he whispered, "and likewise." Part of him was sceptic about the statement, telling him it was impossible to make such promises at this age; another part of him was telling aforementioned part to kindly sod off.

[Lena Marie Becket]

Clothing: click meeee

Lena watched him go silent for a moment and let him, leaving him to his thoughts. Whatever had happened had obviously been really hard on him, and the others. But the others weren’t as sensitive as Remus. Remus was compassionate and the other two were just passionate. She didn’t know what James had done, or tried to do, to fix this whole thing. She knew he had to have tried something though because no way he’d allow two of his friends to fight that long without trying to fix it. But she had seen James more with Sirius than with Remus and it was starting to annoy her. And Peter, of course, was always with those two. They’d affectively blocked Remus from their group. And it better be fixed soon. It really wasn’t her business but it really pissed her off seeing them doing that to one of their oldest friends. She might not talk to Sirius about it, because they still hadn’t talked and fixed their own problem yet, but she’d tell James to grow a set and try to actually fix things.

"Oh, well, we fight now and again, really - but it usually doesn't take this long for the differences to be settled.." He sighed and shrugged. "I'm not really sure what to do now it's come this far. I tried apologising, and it didn't work." Her eyes were sad as she watched him talking. “I’ve never seen you guys fight like this before. And if the apology didn’t work, Sirius just still has his head up his butt and hopefully soon it’ll get unstuck. The guys are being idiots.”

"I suppose you got me there," She knew she was right. He’d had said it was impossible to be rational all the time and she believed him. He shouldn’t feel bad for not being rational once in his life. Usually he was the most rational person she knew. He was allowed to flip out once in a while, in Lena’s opinion.

b]"Well, he might have had a bit of a point."

[/b] She frowned and shook her head fiercely. “There is no point there. At all. You might not have just stood there and listened to the insults but you had ever right to stick up for yourself. You are not a waste of time.” Her eyes were blazing slightly in her passion on the subject. "I don't know where you got that idea," he said, referring to brilliant, "but to be honest I have no idea. I apologised, got mad at him again, avoided him for some time, confronted him about things - nothing's worked so far." She reached over and poked him in the leg slightly. “You are one of the most intelligent people I know, Remus. And my theory on Sirius’ head being stuck up his arse still stands.”

"Thanks," he whispered, "and likewise." Lena smiled at his whispered words and laid her hand on his again in support, squeezing his softly before letting go. She had no idea what might happen in the future for either of them but she knew he would always be a special part of her. Remus was her brother in her heart. No matter what if they had only gotten close this year and they weren’t related by blood. None of that mattered. What mattered was he was her best friend and had been there for her when she needed him and now she was here for him. That was what was important. “You’re always welcome, Remus.” She gave him another smile before looking out and over the tower, thinking of how they only had a couple more weeks of school to go through. Would everything be fixed by then? Would they all pass their OWLs? Only time would tell.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus felt bad for worrying Lena. He knew she didn't mind and that she just wanted to be there for him, just like he was there for her, but he still felt guilty. To be completely honest, the 'you're a waste of time' comment had hit home, and it had made Remus reevaluate himself. How useful was he to his friends? Yeh, so he had been there for Lena, but in turn he was just making her worry again, wasn't he? And was he really a friend to his friends? Wasn't he just the one that always tried to talk pranks out of their heads and made them study? He bit his lip slightly. Remus knew he shouldn't dwell on thoughts like these, and he hoped Sirius had just said it to be hurtful, but the insult must've come from somewhere - had Sirius really considered him a waste of time at some point? Even if only for a second or so?
Also, he felt bad about making his friends seem like the bad guys, while he was probably just as guilty - if not more.

Remus moved a little uncomfortably when he noticed the look in Lena's eyes. He didn't like this. “I’ve never seen you guys fight like this before. And if the apology didn’t work, Sirius just still has his head up his butt and hopefully soon it’ll get unstuck. The guys are being idiots.” Remus attempted a smile. "Yeah, I'm sure that's all. Just needs time, right?" Remus knew this fight couldn't last forever. Or, well, at least they'd have to be on speaking terms again at some point. Hopefully. He could live with whatever outcome the fight had (he had to), but he didn't like Lena worrying about it while it was his problem to worry about.
“There is no point there. At all. You might not have just stood there and listened to the insults but you had ever right to stick up for yourself. You are not a waste of time.” Remus could almost feel her eyes burn, so he avoided her gaze, and shrugged. "Well, if you think about it.. I wonder if I have been a good friend for them. Or if I was the type of person to be friends with them, to begin with?" he mused. "I'm not disputing that I'm a nice person, I suppose I am - it's just that I'm wondering if this wasn't just a breech waiting to happen, you know?"

He didn't meet her eyes again until she poked his leg and got his attention again that way. “You are one of the most intelligent people I know, Remus. And my theory on Sirius’ head being stuck up his arse still stands.” Remus laughed softly. "We'll see where it ends," was all he said. Remus felt it was all there was to say.
Lena was being a great friend and support to him, but talking to her like this was putting an immense amount of emphasis on his unhappy feelings at the moment. Remus swallowed as she squeezed his hand gently. “You’re always welcome, Remus.” Remus smiled back slightly and moved to get up.
"I think I could do with some tea, don't you?" he suggested, looking outside a little absent-mindedly. "Tell me some good news." He smiled slightly and held out a hand to Lena to help her up.

[Lena Marie Becket]

Clothing: click meeee

"Yeah, I'm sure that's all. Just needs time, right?" Lena sighed and shrugged, hoping that all it took was time. Tempers like Sirius’ didn’t just fall away. But maybe, before too long, things would get back to normal. Maybe even before school was out for the summer. That would certainly be nice. For all of them. Remus deserved to have his friends back and the others really needed Remus there to keep an eye on them so they didn’t do anything too extreme and end up hurting someone. Because, truth be told, there was a very real possibility of a prank getting out of hand without Remus’ cool thinking attached to their group.

"Well, if you think about it.. I wonder if I have been a good friend for them. Or if I was the type of person to be friends with them, to begin with?" he mused. "I'm not disputing that I'm a nice person, I suppose I am - it's just that I'm wondering if this wasn't just a breech waiting to happen, you know?" Lena frowned deeply as he started talking as if it was all his fault that this had happened. “Remus, you are a great friend for them. The fact that you’re even worried about them and putting their feelings first is showing just how much of a friend you are. I might not be happy that you blame yourself, but it’s true. And maybe a fight like this was waiting to happen. But it can be fixed. You four can’t just throw away 5 years of friendship over one spat. It’ll get better, you just have to work on it. And you as in all four of you marauders. They’re just as deep in this as you. We just need to remind them, Sirius especially, that you have been friends for years and that the whole blasted world isn’t centered around him.”

Lena didn’t like him being this somber. Yeah, Remus was one of the quieter people in their house but just because he didn’t talk that much didn’t mean he was somber. But lately he was because of all the drama and such going on between everyone. At least she was there to help him and she really hoped Annelise was also trying to help him out instead of allowing him to just be sad.

"I think I could do with some tea, don't you?" Lena looked up at Remus stood up and she smiled at him slightly, understanding the problems he was going through now, even if she didn’t know how to help. He was also quite the gentleman, always was, and she took his hand so he could help her up. “Tea sounds nice about now.” Once she was up standing she dusted off the back of her pants softly. "Tell me some good news." She raised an eyebrow at his question. “Good news?” Her lips turned into a little thoughtful twist as she thought about it. “Well I got an excellent on my last potions essay.” That was the best good thing she could think of just then. Not much good was happening in her life at the moment. “Oh. I got an invitation from the dance school I help teach at over the summers to come back again this year. So that’s good news.”

[Remus John Lupin]

"Yeah, I'm sure that's all. Just needs time, right?" Remus nodded. "I guess so." He hoped so. He was positive he might just survive his holidays after the exams, but then two years without being on speaking terms with his friends? That would be bad. He would have Annelise and Lena, of course, but that was different. He pushed the thoughts from his head. He was just going to try and assume things would sort themselves out before the year was over. Part of him hoped it was the exam stress that seemed to control more and more students that made his friends so stubborn, but then again he'd never known Sirius and James to be nervous about exams. They always passed them anyway.

He had expected Lena to go against his little musing about being a good friend or not. Remus half shrugged. "Maybe I'm a good friend, in general, but not for them. I mean.. maybe we've just grown apart, it's possible, right?" He agreed they couldn't just throw away five years of friendship over one thing, but what if it hadn't just been this one thing? What if his friends had been annoyed with him for a longer time already and he hadn't known because they hadn't told him? Apparently they had discussed the fact they were annoyed with the fact that Remus used his condition to make excuses (in their eyes, at least - Remus just liked being careful), but they had never told him. What more was there that they didn't like about him? The thought made Remus' stomach constrict in blind panic. Because what if they hadn't told him a number of things, what if they had never really liked him, but just felt sorry for him? What if they had just thought he was a good excuse to become animagi just so they could stretch their boundaries a little further? Remus had a lot of what-ifs in his head.
“We just need to remind them, Sirius especially, that you have been friends for years and that the whole blasted world isn’t centered around him.” Remus nodded absent-mindedly, trying to focus on other things that didn't make him want to curl up and cry - a not so very manly thing to do.

“Tea sounds nice about now.” Remus breathed a soft sigh of relief. He wasn't in the mood to talk about the fight anymore; it wasn't leading to anything, after all. There was nothing they could do now.
Remus had meant the good-news comment in general, that he didn't want to talk about negative things anymore, but Lena seemed to take it litterally. That was fine too. “Good news? Well I got an excellent on my last potions essay.” Remus smiled widely. He had passed the essay well enough, but had made some unnecessary mistakes. “Oh. I got an invitation from the dance school I help teach at over the summers to come back again this year. So that’s good news.” This made Remus' eyes light up. "Really? Yeah, that's really good news." He smiled. "Didn't know you danced, actually," he admitted.

[Lena Marie Becket]

Clothing: click meeee

"Maybe I'm a good friend, in general, but not for them. I mean.. maybe we've just grown apart, it's possible, right?" She sighed softly at his words, feeling sadness for him. This fight was really cutting him deep. “Remus, you shouldn’t doubt you or your friends in their friendship. Believe in them. Yeah you are fighting right now but everyone fights occasionally with someone. We aren’t blank slates without emotion. Anger is normal. But they are your friends and they do love you. Just give it time.” She watched him, completely believing her words.

As they walked together down the stairs to get some tea, she tried to find random things to talk about to get Remus’ mind off of things. He needed a distraction and she didn’t mind being the distraction. That’s what friends did, helped their friends to forget their problems when they became too much to deal with. “I hope the elves don’t mind us coming down and getting a nice hot pot of tea. And maybe some biscuits to go with. Mmm.” She smiled at him, finding the idea of biscuits and tea delicious right then. Lena wasn’t trying to toot her own horn on her grade, it was just some good news she’d heard lately. "Really? Yeah, that's really good news." Lena smiled at his expression after she told him about the letter from the dance school she worked at during the summers. It was the only thing she got to do during those lonely months away from school, and it worked for her. “Yeah. I’m kinda sad to leave here and go home but I do want to go back and dance.”She smiled again. "Didn't know you danced, actually.” Lena laughed softly and shrugged. “I don’t think anyone here even knows besides you now. It’s not like we have many opportunities to dance during the year and I was sick during the Valentine’s day ball so I didn’t go.”

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus listened to Lena quietly. She had a point, she had a lot of points - he just hoped she was right. "I suppose you're right," he mused, though he couldn't believe in Lena's words as she did; not just yet. Still, he felt glad to have her supporting him, it was working wonders on his mood. He sent her a slight smile and decided to focus on that tea they were going to have. Nothing better than a cup of brown joy.

He slowly walked downstairs with her, not quite in a hurry. Remus did realise it wasn't so much tea he needed, just her company. He couldn't understand why Lena didn't have more friends, being the absolutely aimable person she was. Rem couldn't put his finger on it, but maybe she was just careful in picking her friends (something he couldn't blame her for). He was probably being stupid - why would Lena extra cautious? It wasn't like she was a second Hogwarts werewolf, or a vampire for that matter. She probably just preferred a few close friends, like Remus did.
“I hope the elves don’t mind us coming down and getting a nice hot pot of tea. And maybe some biscuits to go with. Mmm.” Remus smiled back. "Oh, I'm sure they won't. Their determination to serve can be a little frightening at times."

“Yeah. I’m kinda sad to leave here and go home but I do want to go back and dance.” Remus nodded slightly. "Yeah, I'll miss everyone as well, but it's nice to be home after being gone for so long," he admitted. Remus did miss his parents, and his room and home. Of course, after a week or two, he was occasionally bored out of his mind as his parents' home was so secluded, but he and his friends usually met up at least once during the holidays, so that was fine.
Remus was glad Lena wasn't offended that he didn't know about her hobby. “I don’t think anyone here even knows besides you now. It’s not like we have many opportunities to dance during the year and I was sick during the Valentine’s day ball so I didn’t go.” Remus nodded slightly. "Well, you could always try the Room of Requirement? I'm sure it would turn into a dance studio if you wanted to, and you wouldn't have to be afraid of people walking in on you."

They were nearing the kitchens now and Remus smiled to himself slightly, walking more relaxed than he felt, hands in his pockets as they neared the portrait with the fruit basket.

[Lena Marie Becket]

Clothing: click meeee

Lena was cautious about new friends because she was afraid of getting hurt. And the fight she’d had with Sirius brought all of that back. But now Remus had made his way into her heart too and she had a feeling he’d be there for years to come and that he wouldn’t hurt her. "Oh, I'm sure they won't. Their determination to serve can be a little frightening at times." Lena laughed. “I’m sure you would know. I don’t go to the kitchens much unless I’ve missed a meal by studying too much.”

"Yeah, I'll miss everyone as well, but it's nice to be home after being gone for so long." She smiled at his words and looked over. “Going home for me is quite the comedy. Tell me about your family?” She didn’t have much of one so it was nice to hear about someone else’s and she was truly interested in Remus’ family anyway. When she mentioned going home was a comedy she was thinking of the house elves who helped take care of her, in their little costumes.

"Well, you could always try the Room of Requirement? I'm sure it would turn into a dance studio if you wanted to, and you wouldn't have to be afraid of people walking in on you." Lena smiled and shrugged. She hadn’t thought of that. She wasn’t even too sure she even remembered where the room of requirement was because she had only ever been there once before when she’d gotten lost her first year. “I’ll think about it. Maybe I’ll even invite you to come watch me dance.” She said maybe because she honestly wouldn’t mind if he came to watch her and, if the guys were still fighting, he could come and hang out with her while she danced. But if everything with them was solved, she’d just leave it alone and let Remus hang out with the other marauders. “And I’m not really afraid of people seeing me dance, I just don’t normally have time for it, with all the studying and everything.”

Lena looked up as they reached the door to the kitchens and her hand moved forward, tickling the pear. The painting shifted and moved, opening the door into the kitchens. She smiled as she walked in, seeing all the busy house elves. “Hello. We’d like some tea and biscuits if that would be alright?” The house elves nodded and hurried about as Lena looked back at Remus before motioning to a table and walked over, sitting down at it. “You and the others must come down here a lot after all the pranks and things.”

((sending you a pm in a moment btw))

[Remus John Lupin]

Practically everyone was afraid of getting hurt - one would have to be incredibly stoic to endure losing friends without feeling that pull at one's heartstrings. But, indeed, Lena had nothing to fear from Remus in that aspect - he liked Lena far too much as a friend.
He grinned at Lena's comment. “I’m sure you would know. I don’t go to the kitchens much unless I’ve missed a meal by studying too much.” It was true, Remus did visit the kitchens rather occasionally - growing boys were allowed to be hungry, right? Besides, there was nothing better than cheesecake before bed. "I really recommend regular visits to the kitchen, you know," he commented. "Gotta make sure you don't miss out on any vitamins." He was feeling better already.

“Going home for me is quite the comedy. Tell me about your family?” Remus glanced at his friend for a moment, wondering at her words, but she moved on to the subject of his family so quickly, that he guessed they could always come back to that later. If there was an opportunity and if she let him. Now Remus thought about it, he'd never heard Lena speak about her family much.
"My family?" he echoed, before half shrugging and smiling. "Well, it's not much in terms of-" he nodded down at his second hand uniform "-you know. But it's absolutely wonderful." Smiling a little wider, he continued: "We live in this cottage in the middle of nowhere, in Wales, no one around for miles - I think my mom has the largest garden I've ever seen, and she's pretty much continually busy, in the summer at least." Remus stuffed his hands in his pockets. "My dad works a lot, but he usually manages to get some time off when I'm home. It's peaceful, you know - perfect place to empty your head after the chaos at Hogwarts." Remus would've loved to invite Lena over, but that would pose a few difficulties, of course, not in the least the fact she was going to be a dance instructor.
"So what sort of dancing do you teach? And to which age group?" he asked.

Remus smiled as Lena said she might demonstrate her dancing skills to him. "As long as you don't require me to participate, I'll be fine." He didn't have much of a feeling for rhythm, really.
“And I’m not really afraid of people seeing me dance, I just don’t normally have time for it, with all the studying and everything.” He nodded slowly and made a brief humming sound to show he understood. "True, but don't you think relaxing through dancing might make you preform better study-wise?" It came to him because Remus sometimes went outside running to get rid of nerves for upcoming exams - it worked for him.

Lena had barely spoken to the House Elves and there were already three in front of them. "Master Lupin bring a friend?" Remus laughed softly. "Yep - Fotsy, this is Lena." The House Elf made a bit of an awkward bow and squeaked something like 'tea and biscuits, tea and biscuits!'.
“You and the others must come down here a lot after all the pranks and things.” Remus sat down at a small round table. It could hold four - he and his friends had transfigured it (along with the chairs) in fourth year when they'd lacked somewhere to sit and the furniture had been there since then. "Yeah, or for comfort food. Nothing says loving like something from the oven, you know." He chuckled, tracing the wood patterns on the table for want of anything else to do with his hands.