☽ 015 [ Harvest Moon ] Written / Action.

[lupinotuum]

 [ The loss of Sirius has been fresh in Remus' mind in the past week or so. Last night's full moon had been lonely without his always present Padfoot and lonelier still not to have either him or James with him when he made his way back up to the Castle this morning. None of Sirius' wise-cracking jokes and wicked smiles or James' teasing, yet comforting support. He'd never quite realized how much he had come to depend on the both of them until Paradisa had seen fit to take them away. He knew he'd manage well enough on his own -- he'd done it for years, after all -- but that didn't mean that the loss stung any less. It hurt and it was lonely to be without them, his precious friends, his pack.  

Yet, at the same time, there was some sort of relief that bubbled in the pit of Remus' stomach. They were both home, waiting for him. Of course, he didn't know when or how long it would be until Paradisa deemed it time to send Remus home, but they were waiting for him there. That was enough to comfort him, at least.

But still, James needed a proper send off announcement. He was sure that Prongs had made friends here,  and they deserved to know as much as he did. He flips his journal open and for once he writes in short cursive: ]

James Potter has returned home. I'll miss him terribly, as he was a very dear friend of mine.
Mischief Managed, Prongs.

[ With his message written and delivered, Remus snaps his journal shut and attempts to redirect his grieving mind upon the other friends he's made here in Paradisa. There isn't any sense in grieving for them. They are home and safe and he will see them again, there is no doubt about it. Besides, they wouldn't want him to spend the rest of his days here wallowing in his own self-doubt and sadness, would they? Not a chance.

And so he gets up from his bed, tossing his journal on the desk adjacent to it and gingerly picking up a small, wrapped parcel sitting near the edge. With a small, but tired smile, he makes his way out of his room and down the hall at a brisk pace. There is a good friend who is celebrating her birthday today and Remus intends to make it a happy one for her, despite their mutual losses today. There's nothing a good slab of Honeyduke's finest can't do to help take some of the sadness away, right?

Before he knows it, he's standing before Hermione's door and he's knocking quietly, tucking the parcel carefully under one arm. ]

I hope she's in...

Comments

[courageous_wit]

[another one... She doesn't know what the castle's up to lately, but all of these losses can't be a good thing. When she hears about James, she is expecting Remus to show up. So the knock on her door isn't a surprise at all. She opens it, smiling gently]

Hello, Remus.

[lupinotuum]

[ When she opens the door for him, Remus smiles softly and gingerly holds the parcel out for her to take. It's small, but quite heavy for its size and contains the last bar of Honeyduke's finest he'd kept stashed away and a couple of his favourite books he'd wished up from home. ]

Hello, Hermione.
Happy birthday.

[courageous_wit]

[she smiles at him, but instead of taking the parcel she just puts her arms around him in a hug. These past few losses are harder on him than her. After all, he lost his two best friends. Hermione had grown close to them, but it still doesn't compare. And what's worse, Hermione knows that both James and Sirius have gone back to their deaths]

[lupinotuum]

[ He's a bit surprised by the hug, but he's quick to return it, wrapping his arms around her tight and letting out a soft sigh he didn't know he was holding in. Losing both Sirius and James in such a short amount of time was hard and his chest ached painfully just thinking about how utterly alone that made him feel. Still, Hermione had managed to ease some of that ache with one simple little hug. That was all it took to remind him that he still had people here whom he had grown to care for, that he wasn't as entirely alone as he felt.

He smiles, albeit a little sadly, and gives her a grateful little squeeze and a gentle pat of understanding on the shoulder. She'd lost someone important to her, too, after all. ]

[courageous_wit]

[true she lost Harry, but he wasn't exactly her Harry. He was a younger and more innocent Harry. Still, she and Remus both are missing their two best friends. She offers him a smile]

It's good to see you, Remus.

[lupinotuum]

[ He returns the smile with one of his own as he pulls back just enough so he could look at her. ]

It's good to see you as well. Are you doing alright?

[courageous_wit]

Yes, of course. I'm just worried about you... Both James and Sirius are gone now.

[lupinotuum]

I'll be fine. It'll be hard, surely, but I pride myself in being able to adapt.
[ He shrugs, but the smile on his face is still a little sad. He offers the gift for her to take once more. ]

This is for you.

[courageous_wit]

Oh... [she takes the gift meekly] You didn't have to do that. Thank you.

[lupinotuum]

[ He shakes his head, still smiling at her. ] Of course I did. It was your birthday and you've done so much for me. So, thank you...

[courageous_wit]

[she smiles, starting to unwrap the gift to see what he gave her. Whatever it is, she's sure she'll like it]