B L O O D Y
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"You look different," Lily Evans bluntly noted that evening when Freya and Remus arrived in the Great Hall at their house's table.

Mary Macdonald beat anyone else at the table to reply with a supportive smile, "I like the new look, Freya."

Lily exchanged a knowing glance with Remus before he broke it off and looked down at the tray of rolls in front of him. Sure, Freya did look stunning compared to the pure beauty she normally gave off, yet somehow he was given the impression that this wasn't truly Freya. And there was no way he would encourage any behavior that wasn't her own.

"This isn't for Sirius is it?" Lily questioned quietly.

Freya gave Lily a quick frown, and picked her brain for the right words. She gave Lily a shake of the head. It's not like she bought the leather jacket in her suit case just for Sirius's approval. She'd bought it a year prior because it paired well with her favorite blue jeans. It's not like she'd gone out of her way to pick a shade of lipstick that Sirius alone would love. She settled for one that made her happy too. Perhaps every one of these changes combined would make Sirius's head turn, but the perhaps she needed a change too.

Perhaps she was in denial.

Remus simply stared at his plate. He'd rather look at the food that he knew he couldn't eat (his appetite had been lost due to recent events) than at the scene unfolding before him. Mary's actions changed from giggles to nudges on Freya's shoulder as none on than Sirius Black sat with them.

"Sirius," Freya greeted from behind her mug of butterbeer. Sirius didn't respond but merrily smiled at her as if that was enough of a reply.

Remus sympathized with her momentarily. It was hard to have a crush on a friend. For fleeting seconds you wished the stolen glances and butterflies in your stomach at their every move were enough.. He wouldn't wish unrequited love on anyone. He just hoped in Freya's situation, that the crush had not gone as far as love.

If Remus had been in Sirius's same boat, he wouldn't have been able to stop the words slipping out of his mouth. Freya would've gotten way more than a smirk, or even a simple hey back from him. He would've complimented her or asked her how her day had been.

He had it bad.

This combined with the feeling he always had when the night of the full moon neared was what sat him over the edge. One minute he was nonchalantly stabbing a piece of chicken with the back of his fork and the next he had stormed from the Great Hall.

Suddenly, the tall boy had found himself in the boy's restroom nearest to the Hall. Palms pressed against the cold sink as Remus struggled to catch his breath. The familiar feeling of anger crept through his chest, as if the full moon had changed him early. A knot rose in his throat, and angry tears threatened to pour from his eyes.

Suddenly, Remus's fist met the wall with rage. Perhaps he thought that this would satisfy the violent animal that seemed to have crawled up his throat. But it didn't.

Remus had been there for her since the end of first year. Through her obsessed with Wizarding boybands stage where she was in the process of finding herself. Sirius had been there too, of course. They were all great friends, but it was different in a sense. Hadn't he said that he didn't want to ruin the two's friendship last year when Freya had advanced on him? Then why was the boy eyeing her up at dinner? What changed?

"Remus, you're bleeding," said a squeaky voice from behind him. Peter Pettigrew. The small boy must've followed him from the Hall.

"I've been worse," Remus grumbled. His friend waved him forward.

Peter led the way through the twisted corridors of Hogwarts Castle. Remus followed quietly. His brain was too overpacked with jealous thoughts to say anything of interest. His emotions had consumed him. Suddenly, they arrived at the Fat Lady's portrait. The painted woman stared at his hand with disapproval.

Remus climbed the stairs to the Marauder's dormitory without so much as one comment in explanation of his bleeding knuckles. Peter knew better to ask. If Remus had truly wanted him to know he would have mentioned it.

Instead of prying, Peter decided to take a different approach, "Do you need anything, mate?"

He'd been expecting his Remus's reply to be something like 'bandage' or 'wet cloth.' But instead the single word that slipped from his mouth was, "Vodka."

His friend looked at him in surprise. Remus was normally the most responsible out of all the Marauders and to see him speaking so irrationally worried Peter. "What about something non alcoholic? We can go down to the kitchens with James's cloak if you'd like."

Remus shook his head argumentatively from his four poster bed and began to wrap his injured hand in a small cloth from his trunk.

Peter's eyebrows furrowed, "James wouldn't mind, and we have lessons tomorrow. Firewhiskey would at least be a hell of a lot less stronger."

"Vodka," Remus repeated more clearly as he flipped down onto his bed sideways. His heart said Freya but his mind said drink. His feet hung off the edge due to his position and it looked entirely uncomfortable but once again, Peter didn't question. He tossed the Muggle alcohol to his friend with pursed lips.

The mousey boy figured it was because of the upcoming full moon.

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"You still haven't told me why your knuckles are all wrapped up," Freya stated from where she lay on the bench with Remus. Her head was rested on her satchel, which had to be uncomfortable because of the numerous hard books shoved inside, and her legs were crossed across Remus's lap.

"And you still haven't told me why you're dressed like a Muggle truck driver," he retorted blandly from behind his Transfiguration book.

She snatched the book out of his hand in response and intently looked at it, "It was time for a change, and why are you reading a school assigned novel? Our first day was today!"

Remus reached across her to grab his textbook back and slipped it into his own bag which was lying on the grass underneath the bench. "If I recall correctly, you read your Potions book last year before we even arrived back at Hogwarts."

"Yeah, well that's because we had O.W.L.S! I would expect you to understand cramming in any bit of studying I could," Freya explained.

He knew the only reason she wasn't reading along with him was because of her newly discovered persona. He secretly longed for the hours they had spent on this same bench reading together in silence and occasionally making comments and jokes about what they had comprehended.

"This," he said suddenly and gestured to Freya's appearance, "is to impress Sirius. Isn't it?"

When she looked up at him and scanned his eyes, she was surprised to watch him avert his gaze over to the trees surrounding the castle grounds. The friends normally had a connection where they could tell each other things with there eyes. Once in fourth year, James was annoying Lily so badly that all Freya had to do was send Remus one look and he changed the subject as quickly as possible. The connection between her blue eyes and his hazel ones that was broken by Remus upset her in a weird way.

The blonde noticeably frowned as she sat up slightly in order to slip a cigarette from the satchel that her head rested on. Once she lit it, she allowed herself to take one long drawl before questioning her best friend, "What do you think?"

Remus watched her, "About smoking? Well I'm glad you asked because I think it's dumb to let an inanimate object have the power of addiction over you. Besides — "

The girl coughed and interrupted him, "No, I meant about how I look, since everyone seems to have an opinion."

She watched as he clearly hesitated before mumbling, "Frey, it's just not you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I just would be a lot more supportive if I thought you were doing this on your own accord, you know?"

Freya frowned, "It's not all for Sirius. I mean, most of it is, but I like myself this way."

The sweater-clad boy turned his head slightly to reform the connection between their gazes. She knew if he looked long enough he would know exactly what she was thinking, so she let him. "Do you really?" he asked softly.

"I'm not sure. I do get more compliments this way."

"I don't see how that's possible. You had most of the school chasing you last year," he laughed.

"That's a lie," Freya shoved his shoulder playfully.

"You'd usually blush when I said something like that," Remus reminded.

"Shut up," she retorted.

Silence spread like wildfire. Freya used the pause to pick a tiny piece of lint off of Remus's neck that had no doubt crept up from his sweater. His cheeks grew warm.

"Do . . . Do you think I look okay?" she asked curiously.

Remus had always thought she looked beautiful. He'd always made a point of telling her.

"I like the real you. The happy you," he responded as he patted her legs in indication for her to move them.

Freya swung her legs off from his lap in obedience and stood up after him. She watched as he bent down to get his satchel from underneath the bench and she picked up her own and slung it over her shoulder. "I certainly don't miss the freckles," she stubbornly remarked a few moments after.

"A face without freckles is a night without stars," Remus stated truthfully. He thought the little birthmarks were absolutely adorable, they brought character to a persons' face.

Freya giggled as they linked arms and walked back up to the castle, "Leave it to you to say something poetic."

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a/n: my aunt told me the freckle quote one time when I was younger. I thought it sounded cute enough to add.

qotd: fav out of the golden trio?

aotd: hermione af