"IS IT ALRIGHT if I go and talk to James real quick?" Claudia asked her friends as they all lay in Inez's bed, comforting their friend who was stress-eating a pint of ice cream.

"Why do you need to do that?" Betty asked as she tried to take the ice cream away from Inez, who quickly smacked Betty's hand to get her away from her favourite "sulking food".

After Inez had complained and cried a bit longer over her secret being leaked, Betty and Pandora had showed up with the same goal to comfort their friend.

"I promised Inez I'd stay here," she explained as she continued to french braid Pandora's hair.

A specialty of Claudia's was most certainly hairstyles. She had after all spent so much time cooped up alone in a dark and cold room, without any books to read or any friends to see, so in order to keep herself busy she had become quiet the self-taught hairdresser.

"You don't have to, Claudia," Inez said guiltily as she pointed her spoon at the girl, ice cream falling off it at the same time on Betty's face. "I'm fine, and besides it's James' birthday. He wants you there."

"He does, but he wants you to feel better even more, trust me," Claudia said as she finished the braid up. "I'll be right back."

Claudia's mind was completely packed during her walk spent under the cloak to the boys' dormitory.

She felt the regular unreasonable guilt washing over her when she thought about Inez's secret being exposed. She couldn't avoid to feel that it was somehow her fault, even if it in no way possible could.

It did, however, have more to do with her than she thought.

She wondered why Rosamund told everyone. Why the girl, who normally just sat alone with a perfect posture and gave no responses to the small comments she would receive had done something so terrible.

She wondered why the sister of the ever so popular boy in Ravenclaw was like a living statue.

But, she had to push those thoughts aside as she approached the door, and knocked this time around because she had recently walked in on Betty and Sirius having a very intense snogging-session.

"Hey," she said with a smile as Peter opened the door. "Where's Sirius?"

None of the three other boys got the chance to answer that question as a completely naked Sirius walked in the room from the bathroom, singing loudly to some song by Queen, and clearly not seeing his girlfriend's best friend, who at the same time was also one of his best friends, standing there.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Claudia exclaimed as she covered her eyes with her hands. "Why is it that every bloody time I come in here nowadays your arse is always the first thing I see?!"

Remus frowned out of confusion. "Wait-"

"Because you have terrible timing, Claude! Or, actually come to think of it, you have wonderful timing! Didn't Betty ever tell you how nice my arse is?"

"Sirius, you bloody dog!" She yelled. "Put some pants on, please!"

"That's not what Betty normally says," he grinned, the rest of the boys laughing at Claudia's choice of the word 'dog'.

"Pants! Now!"

"Okay, mum," the boy said dramatically as he got dressed.

The jeans were on, but Claudia still stood there with her hands covering her eyes as all four boys grinned at her. Remus eventually decided that maybe she couldn't stand there all day, so he walked up to her.

"He's dressed now, love," Remus chuckled as he took her hands away from her eyes, and continued to hold onto them of course because it felt so right.

"Hi," she said with the type of smile no one but Remus received from her. It was the type of smile where her eyes glistened and it looked like she was completely astonished that he was standing there in front of her.

"Hi," he replied with the same type of smile. The only difference was that it was on a different person's face.

It had been strange for the past week between the two of them. Of course, after so much happening between the two of them, things were obviously going to be different.

Remus was becoming a way out. An escape. A lifeline. But at the same time he wasn't someone she kept around just because he distracted her.

They had grown to be truly comfortable with one another. But despite that, everything was still a little nerve-wracking, at the same time as it was just utterly exciting.

They had no spoken emotions, no confessions and no understandings, but even so everyone else could see it in their eyes that they had something there.

And they had almost admitted it to themselves. Because both Claudia and Remus had been...flirting with each other.

Nicknames, kisses on rosy cheeks, winks and adorable smiles.

Card games in the hospital wing after his suspicious case of "the flu", study sessions in his dorm, another night spent in each other's arms.

Things were falling naturally for both of them.

Peter didn't like Claudia, instead he liked the thought of Claudia with his best friend. Remus didn't like Sophia Aster, instead he liked the thought of Claudia with him.

And Claudia, she had found a loophole in her cage of a life.

Still, it wasn't supposed to be that easy. Claudia had that thought in the back of her mind. Without even admitting that she was falling in love with Remus Lupin to herself, she still knew it wouldn't be a dance on roses for the two of them.

It was, after all, Claudia Maple's life; and that had never been the easiest.

"Awe, they're so cute!" James gushed as Claudia and Remus smiled at each other, their hands intertwined. "When's the wedding?" He asked as Peter and Sirius made kissing sounds.

"Oh, Jamie, the same day yours is with Lily," Claudia teased, not forgetting to send a quick wink to Remus as she let go of his hands and sat down on James' bed.

"So, soon?!" James exclaimed. "Am I your best man?"

"No, that position belongs to dear brother Nolan," Claudia said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, and we're planning on making Nicolas the maid of honour," Remus said as he sat down next to a smiling.

"And having my dear father marry us," Claudia said.

"That sounds like a nightmare," Sirius snorted. "Well, anyways, why are you here?"

"Whoa, if you really wanted me out of here so soon, just say so!" Claudia smiled.

"No! I meant, the party doesn't start for several hours. So what's up?"

"Inez," Claudia said as her smile faded.

"Oh."

"I was wondering if maybe I could stay with her tonight?" Claudia asked James guiltily. "I'll hang out with you all day tomorrow, if you want, I promise. It's just...she's not handling it that well."

"Of course," James said with a big smile as he patted Claudia on her head. "Anything for Nessie."

Claudia was strangely surprised to find James that accepting of her not attending his birthday party. It wasn't that she thought that maybe he didn't actually want her there, it was more because he seemed so caring of Inez.

"She would really appreciate you for that, James," Claudia said earnestly. "Thank you."

"Of course," he shrugged. "I remember when Marlene was so drunk that she accidentally came out. She was a mess the day after, and I found her crying in a deserted hallway. It's not easy for me to understand, but I'll always try to. We will always try to," he said, referring to him and his friends.

"You're good boys," she smiled. "All of you. Which reminds me, what the hell happened when I left? In the hallway, I mean."

"Well..." Remus said with a grimace. "We all got detention, except for Peter, you rat."

Peter grinned as Sirius and Claudia frowned.

Maybe soon would be a good time to lose her detention-virginity, she thought at first, but then she realised that it would somehow get to her father and that wouldn't exactly be great.

"It was so weird," he said. "Regulus told them to stop."

"He did?" Claudia said with a big smile.

"Yeah...?"

"I knew he would," she smiled. "Well, I should probably get back!"

"Hug Inez for us, will you?" Sirius said with a sad smile.

"Of course."

"Tell her I'll get her those cookies she likes tomorrow," Peter said, earning himself a sweet nod from Claudia.

"Bye!" She said as she picked up the cloak and opened the door, only for Remus to quickly run up to her.

"Here," he said with a shy smile as he handed her two chocolate bars. "One for Inez, one for you."

"Thank you, Remmy," she said as she finally took the time to take in his appearance.

He was wearing a dark-grey button up shirt, that he had not buttoned up the entire way which made it hard for her to contain herself. His hair looked a little messier than normally, and somehow he looked more alluring than ever before.

"You look handsome," she said softly as she looked up into his eyes.

"Thank you," he said so lowly only Claudia could hear as his eyes glued to hers again.

"Actually..." she said as she placed her hand on his chest and leaned into his ear and whispered, "You look more than handsome...if you know what I mean."

Claudia stayed close to him for a few small seconds before she regained herself and pulled the cloak over her.

"Bye, boys!"

Remus stood there for a few seconds, wondering if she had actually implied something along the lines of her finding him...sexy?

"Remus?" James asked.

"Yeah?"

"You might wanna deal with your...not so little situation," he grinned.

"You've got it real bad," Sirius cooed as the three boys stood up. "Want us to leave you to your needs?"

•••

Claudia walked back to her dorm when she felt a small weight lift off of her shoulders. James was fine with her not going to the party, and she had also seen Remus again which was always a good thing.

She walked back with a small smile playing on her lips.

At least that was until she saw her.

Rosamund.

She was clearly leaving the library, carrying a book in her hand like it was an expensive artwork made out of glass.

Claudia couldn't help but to discreetly take the cloak off.

She decided to do some talking.

Yes, Claudia hated arguing with all of her heart, but something she never had been afraid of was civil confrontation.

Which was exactly what she was about to do.

"Rosamund," Claudia said coldly as she stepped in front of the girl, who didn't even flinch as she stopped and stared Claudia dead in the eyes without saying a single thing.

"Care to explain why you thought that exposing someone's secret like that was a good idea?" Claudia asked, cutting right to the chase.

Rosamund didn't say anything yet again, causing Claudia to internally groan. But, she tried to be as patient as her mother always had been, so she decided to simply just give her time.

"So?" She asked, crossing her arms to try and appear as intimidating as possible.

"The same reason you do mostly everything," Rosamund replied with a small raise of her eyebrows. "Think about that, Maple."

And then, Rosamund Chang walked off and left a confused and defeated Claudia behind.

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