Dorcas sat outside in middle of the courtyard. A small jar filled with blue flames sat at her feet, melting the surrounding snow. Her wand was held in her hand, absentmindedly stoking the brilliant fire. The girl’s small body was shaking, but Remus Lupin knew it wasn’t the frigid cold that shook her body, but rather her own sobs.
Slowly, Remus emerged from the warm confines of the castle and made his way to the girl. He sat down next to her on the frozen bench. Her head was bowed to the ground and her long blond hair fell on either side of her face, blocking her from his view. “So,” he started. His words came out in a puff of smoke as his warm breath mixed with the cool air. She turned herself away from him and continued to play with the flames. “How’re you holding up?” he asked her.
Turning back to face him, she shrugged. Whether she was unable or simply unwilling to speak, Remus couldn’t tell. Determined not to give up so easily, he persisted.
"Want to talk about whatever it is that’s making you so cheery?” Though he was being playful, he spoke gently all the same, not wanting to upset her any further. He watched attentively as she angled her body back to face him. As she lifted her head up, he could see how red and puffy her eyes were. If there was any doubt that she had been crying, there wasn’t any longer. She shook her head ‘no’ and turned to face the opposite direction.
“Alright,” he conceded. “Let’s talk about something else, then. How’d you do on the Potions exam last week?” Dorcas turned her head and raised her eyebrows at the boy sitting next to her.
“You clearly didn’t want to talk about whatever is happening with your life, so I’ve changed the subject. How did you do on the Potions exam?” With one last glance in his direction, she shook her head and stood up, leaving Remus sitting on the bench by himself. With only a moment’s hesitation, he was walking after her back towards the warmth of the castle. He tried to call out her name, but she ignored him and walked through the massive doors leading into the castle’s corridors. Being quite a bit taller than her, it wasn’t too difficult for him to catch up. Remus put his hand on her should to stop her. “Listen, Doe, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you and Jude broke up and I’m sorry that you’re upset and I’m sorry that I’m not doing a very good job with cheering you up. I’ll just leave you alone, I suppose. Feel better.” He sighed as he turned around to walk away.
“Remus,” her voice sounded broken and she spoke his name. He turned back around to look at her. “It’s just… I don’t…” She stumbled across her words. New tears forming in her eyes, she continued to shake her head. “Sorry,” she finally managed to choke out as a few tears slid down her face. Stepping closer, he put his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. After a moment, he reached into his bag and pulled out a large bar of chocolate and handed it to her.
“Eat,” he said. “You’ll feel better.” He gave her a smile before he began to walk away again. “Oh, and Doe?” He stopped a few feet in front of her.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.” It was the first time he had seen her smile all afternoon.
Setting: I dunno, like 4th/5th year maybe?
Characters: Remus Lupin & Dorcas Meadowes
Word Count: Uh.. 500? 600? Who cares.
