CLAUDIA'S FINAL CLASS at Hogwarts ever was Defence Against the Dark Arts. After all the N.E.W.T.s they did basically nothing, but it still counted as her last ever class.

So, Claudia was basically officially done with her education at Hogwarts. In just two days time, it all would be a memory. And, every bit of her was aching.

Oh, if she could only stay a little while longer.

The girl walked through the corridors all by herself, smiling at both McGonagall and Flitwick as she passed them separately, and then she arrived at her - weirdly enough - empty dorm, only to open up her bedside drawer and angrily stare at the pile of at least five threatening yet flirtatious letters from Evan.

She sighed to herself as she picked them up and decided to tear them one by one.

So, that's exactly what she did.

She tore the letter in which Evan told her that she couldn't threaten him back. She tore the letter in which he had told her that if she tells anyone about their "agreement", she and Remus would be in "trouble". She tore the letter in which he had told her that if she used any loopholes to get out of their agreement, he wouldn't hesitate with writing a very important to her father.

And, the letter in which he reminded her yet again that she had to leave Remus on the very first of August or earlier, she tore that one as much as she could.

Claudia was exhausted. She had thought about everything. Threatening with her life, Evan's life, running away, marrying someone else, telling Remus, and so much more.

And nothing worked.

Evan wouldn't have it any other way. She was going to leave Remus, never see him again and marry him. If she did it any other way, he and her father and all their sweet, sweet friends would hurt everyone she loved.

And, honestly, Claudia was beginning to accept her fate. It was strange, because it hurt so much, but it also seemed like maybe things would be for the better if she would leave her current world behind and take that poisonous and toxic luck she always had around her with.

Now, Claudia was falling into a dark, dark hole. It wasn't reallly like all the other millions of dark places she had been before, because now she didn't even know who she was anymore.

Every day, she was closer to losing Remus. And, for some reason, it made her feel closer to losing herself.

Day by day, pieces disappeared.

Whilst watching herself in the mirror, Claudia only saw a liar. A horrible, horrible person who was putting on a mask whilst waiting to crush her loved ones into pieces.

She saw someone toxic. Someone poisonous. Someone vicious.

Yes, she saw someone evil.

And the more she thought so about herself, the more she felt that leaving Remus and the rest would be the best for everyone.

That it would be the best for him.

But it wasn't true. Not at all. She realised that every time she looked into his adoring eyes, every time she even so nudged against him and every time she heard his voice talking to her.

But, every time she wasn't near enough to him, she forgot all about the fact that Remus wouldn't ever want to love anyone other than her.

And that was what caused her to accept her fate. Her evil thoughts, and the not-so-promising future that was laid out for Remus if she didn't do something about it.

But, alas, Claudia was trying to enjoy every last moment she had left.

So, once she got a letter that night from Remus, telling her to meet him outside of the Ravenclaw tower, she didn't even hesitate.

"What're you up to?" Claudia asked Remus in a whisper after she had walked out of the Ravenclaw tower as quietly as possible, only to have found him standing there with a backpack, a smile, and the Marauders Map.

"We've only got two nights left here," he whispered back. "And I figured, since we have to wake up so early on Graduation day, why not have some fun tonight?"

Claudia smiled in an intrigued way, "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, our first stop is the library," he said, taking her hand with his free one. "You ready?"

She nodded, and then they took off to the library, hand in hand as they made all the efforts to dodge Filch, Mrs. Norris and angry portraits.

Eventually, the pair managed to sneak into the library, where Madam Pince thankfully wasn't. Remus led Claudia all the way to a very infamous shelf as they entered the room.

It was, as one would suppose, the shelf that used to be the one for the Muggle books Claudia would constantly read. Now, those books were gone; scattered around Remus' house, and the couple's separate dorms. And, the old shelf now had random books that interested no one whatsoever, which was the reason behind why everything there was so dusty.

Yet, it was a special place for Claudia. In some twisted ways, that very shelf had saved her life.
Firstly by offering her hundreds of different worlds to explore so that she could hide from her own, and secondly because it was there she had spoken to Remus for the first time in years - which had later led to where they were in that exact moment with their hands intertwined and their faces smiling.

"This might be my favourite place in the whole wide world," Claudia whispered to the boy.

"Mine too," he responded as he picked out his wand. "Which is why I thought you and I could leave a little something behind."

"Leave what behind exactly?"

"Well," he smiled, pointing towards a tiny familiar little message that was engraved on one of the dark wooden shelves.

"Everything is going to be alright."

Claudia smiled at the message that had cheered her up so many times before, starting on that one day over two years ago when she saw it for the first time. And then, she suddenly looked at Remus out of surprise.

Now, there wasn't much Remus hadn't told Claudia. Really, not much at all. But, he had never told her that he was behind that message, nor had he told her that it was directly for her.

"It was you who wrote that, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "It was after I read what you wrote in the Little Prince, I think. After you wrote that message to Gemma. When I found out...that you weren't okay."

Claudia immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, "So it really was for me?"

"It was," he smiled. "But now...I think it's for anyone who needs it. However, I had a little idea."

"Yeah?" She asked with an admiring smile.

"How about we go against library rules and engrave our initials somewhere here. It is, after all, sort of our place. Without this shelf I would've never had the guts to talk to you."

Claudia shrugged with a sheepish smile as she picked up her wand, "It's not like I haven't broken a million library rules before. Let's do it!"

And so, the two found a different spot on the shelf, where they used their wands to engrave their initials next to each other as a little secret legacy just from the two of them that no one would understand in the future.

Yet, that wasn't true, because at least one person would find that little engraving in the future with the knowledge of just who "R.L" and "C.M" were.

"You're lucky your middle-name isn't like...Ursula or something," Remus commented without thinking as the two watched their initials with happy smiles on their faces, Claudia consistently checking the map for any professors or so.

"Why do you say that?" Claudia asked with a frown.

"No reason," Remus shrugged, but then Claudia realised, causing her to look at him out of both amusement and confusion.

"Ah, you mean my initials would be C...U...oh, Remus, you need to get your head out of the gutter," she laughed.

"I think I do," he returned with a mirrored laugh.

Claudia rolled her eyes, "And what happens now?"

"Wanna get wine drunk and read terrible books written by old, white, and male blood supremacists and make fun of them?" Remus asked with a grin as he pulled out a bottle of cheap wine out of his bag, that was covered in a sock so that it wouldn't make any clinging sounds.

"You really are made for me, Remus Lupin," Claudia smiled as she took the bottle from him and wrapped her hand around his arm as they began walking, her head also leaning against his shoulder as they did so.

Remus led Claudia all the way to the Astronomy tower, which proved to be a perfect idea since Claudia immediately lit up.

She walked over and watched the stars as if it was her final time doing it in her whole life, and then she felt his arms wrap around her waist from behind as he also buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"God, I love the stars," she whispered, receiving a hum in response. "This place is so beautiful. How come I never really noticed it before?"

"I don't know," Remus replied, him too looking up to glance at the night sky, for once finding the moon - that had just gotten into the last quarter phase after Remus' final full moon at Hogwarts - a little less easy to hate. "I haven't noticed it either. I bet that we've seen it before, but now that we're leaving it's suddenly so much clearer. I think people appreciate things more when they're about to lose them."

Claudia nodded as she just for a second was reminded of what was to come, but she pushed the thoughts away yet again.

Even so, she couldn't ignore the fact that she cursed her younger self for not savouring every last moment with him. For not spending every waking minute by his side.

"God, I love you," Remus then said.

"Why?"

"Why?" He asked with a chuckle. "Merlin, Claudia, I would've thought you'd know why by now-"

"No, but why are you saying it right now?" She asked with a nervous smile.

"Because I don't see the point in not saying it if that's what's on my mind," he replied. "In fact, I'd say it every minute if that could explain what I feel for you well enough."

She practically swooned as she smiled at him, "I don't think there are words to describe this," she said, and then she turned around, only to spot a blanket laid out with books, wine, cheese and crackers scattered all around.

Oh! And flowers. That was because Remus had been giving her flowers every day that entire month. Even when he was stuck in the Hospital Wing a few days prior, thanks to Peter, who had been a great little help.

And, in return, Claudia had given Remus a chocolate bar every day.

"I see you've gotten me flowers," she smiled.

"Yes, fresh orange tulips."

"My favourite colour," she smiled.

"I know," he said, giving her an expectant smile as he waited for his chocolate.

"Oh!" The girl exclaimed, fishing the bar out of the pocket of her sweatshirt. "Here you go!"

"Thank you, my love," Remus said with a happy smile and a grateful and a funny little bow.

"Of course," she smiled, walking after him as he headed towards the blanket and sat down, only to pour her a glass of that cheap wine.

"To the future," he whispered, holding his glass out so that they could give cheers to his words.

"To the future," she returned as her glass met his in a toast.

And she really wished that that would bring them some luck.

After that, Claudia and Remus did just what they had a natural knack of doing; they talked. For hours. Actually, they talked so long that they literally couldn't remember when they fell asleep up there in the Astronomy tower.

Because, just a few hours later, Claudia woke up; confused to where she was but also happy to be there with him.

"Remus," she whispered, causing him to stir a little in his sleep. "Hey, it's morning."

"G'morning," he replied in a groggy voice as he opened his eyes and immediately smiled at the sight of her. "What a way to wake up."

"Tell me about it," she chuckled, propping herself up on her elbows. "We've got to go, though, before someone finds us."

"Yeah, we probably should," he chuckled, but didn't get up despite that. Nor did Claudia.

And a strange silence came over them as they smiled at one another.

And suddenly, Claudia forgot all her worries and prepared to say something about her plans without even thinking about it.

She wanted to tell him the truth. She wanted to say everything she had to say, and she wanted to run away with him so that no one could ever find them.

"Remus?"

"Yeah?"

But then, she heard the familiar voices of the rest of the Marauders from the staircase of the tower, which caused her to fall back into reality.

Because, if she would tell the truth, he would immediately come with her.

And he would leave the second love of his life behind.

His friends.

And she just couldn't tear them apart.

"Nothing," she smiled.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

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